Chapter 24

Elizabeth ducked underneath an overhanging branch, ignoring the brambles that caught and tore at the loose shirt and breeches she had slipped on in place of her usual dress. No matter how scandalous such an outfit was in the regular world, such things were usually necessary when fighting vampires; it was nearly impossible to outrun an extremely fast being when wearing a long skirt and corset.

As Elizabeth dodged yet another exposed tree root that threatened to trip her in her distracted condition, she wondered how on earth she had arrived here, nearly lost in a forest in the middle of nowhere searching for a man she had once sworn to hate.

Elizabeth paused for a second to take another drink of the silver-and-holy-water mixture. Her hands brushed against the well-worn letter that was hidden inside the folds of her shirt next to the flask of water, causing her to tense. Surely she didn't need to read the letter's contents again?

With a resigned sigh, Elizabeth gently retrieved the letter and unfolded it slowly, her green eyes flickering through its contents shrewdly. It bothered her that she didn't recognize the handwriting of whoever had written it, although she was 90% sure that the writer was a man. She was 100% sure that the writer was a vampire.

Dear Miss Elizabeth Bennet,

It will no doubt interest you to know that one of your close acquaintances is currently enjoying my hospitality. Since you are exceptionally well informed for a woman of your status, I am quite sure that you will understand why I can not at this time reveal to you my location. It is not that I don't trust you, Miss Elizabeth, but I'm not quite ready to die yet, as I'm sure you will understand. I know your friend doesn't want to die either, although in his case whether he dies or not is entirely up to the two of us. Now then, if you would be so kind as to meet me in a place of my choosing, I assure you that our mutual friend will be freed in more or less the same state he was in before. However, if you refuse to meet me, I regret that I will be forced to take a rather unpleasant course of action against my guest, which would be quite unfortunate indeed.

I hope that this letter finds you well,

P.S., Mr. Darcy sends his regards. He would have liked to say more, I am sure, but I'm afraid that he is rather busy at the moment.

There was no name on the letter, although Elizabeth thought she had a pretty good idea of who had written it, even if she didn't recognize the handwriting.

Elizabeth tucked the letter into her sleeve and looked up at the light that filtered through the thick branches above her head. She frowned slightly and cast a wary look at the trail in front of her. She had hoped to reach her destination before night fell in order to prepare, but the way things were….

With one final swig of the mixture, Elizabeth continued walking down the trail, barely heeding the letter as it fell out of the folds of her shirt and fluttered slowly towards the forest floor.

Darcy leapt nimbly off of the back of his horse, his jaw clenched as his eyes swept over the nearly untouched gravel of the road before him. Beside him, James dismounted as well before turning to help Mary, Jane, and Charlotte out of the carriage they had hired for the journey. Bingley's pale face appeared briefly at the entrance to the carriage before drawing back hastily from the weak sunlight that still filtered from the sky above. Darcy felt a stab of pity for his friend at the expression on Bingley's face.

"Will you follow us when the sun goes down, Bingley?" he asked quietly.

For a moment, Bingley's expression went blank with shock- Darcy hadn't said much to him since his transformation- then he nodded.

"I'll catch up with you," he promised.

"Do you want me to stay with him?" Jane murmured quietly. "I would be able to catch up with you as well."

Darcy nodded, deciding to ignore the look Bingley directed at Jane as he turned away. Much as he was rejoiced in his friend's happiness, Darcy knew that he couldn't really be happy for Bingley until Elizabeth was safe.

He turned to the remainder of the party, his expression hard.

"Come on," he said shortly. "We're burning daylight."

Elizabeth slowed almost to a stop as she reached the end of the trail. Her green eyes swept the trees that ringed the shadowy clearing warily, searching for any sign of life. The place was darker than she had imagined, although that shouldn't surprise her. She was meeting a vampire, after all.

After a few minutes of combing the tree line for anything remotely human, Elizabeth had to admit to herself that she wasn't actually looking for the vampire she had sworn to kill; she was looking for Darcy.

"Looking for something, my dear?" a familiar voice said silkily. "Or, perhaps I should say someone?"

Elizabeth didn't turn at the sound of the familiar voice, although her hand tightened around the stake in her belt. Her other hand inched towards Darcy's silver blade as she tried to control her reaction.

Darcy's eyes caught a flash of white on the otherwise brown forest floor. He bent down to retrieve the paper, ignoring the questioning gazes of his companions. His eyes narrowed as they skimmed over the familiar narrow writing.

Mr. Darcy sends his regards. He would have liked to say more, I am sure, but I'm afraid that he is rather busy at the moment.

Darcy looked up from the letter, his vision red with anger. He turned back to his companions and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a screeching yell.

Darcy barely had time to reach for the silver stake in his belt before he was tackled to the ground.

"Aren't you going to talk to me, Miss Elizabeth?" the voice scolded lightly. "And here I had hoped that we were going to be civil."

Elizabeth steeled herself and turned around slowly, her hand still clenched around the stake in her belt.

"Hang civilities," she snapped. "Where is he, Wickham?"

Mr. Wickham cocked his head at her words, his hazel eyes watching her intently. Then, incredibly, he laughed.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed!