This one's going to be in a slightly different format. Takes place at the end of the month, near Halloween. Oh, and I've made Stacy the kind of person to be absolutely terrified about horror movies. Y'all ready for total House vulnerability? This makes it a great opportunity to make the next chapter a devastating fight!

House walked into the living room and made his way to the couch, offering Stacy the glass in his hand. She gladly accepted and smiled a thank you, shifting on the couch so he could sit next to her. A few minutes of getting tangled in the blanket and spilling popcorn after, House had managed to snuggle next to Stacy. He reached over for the remote and quickly pressed play, chewing loudly on a mouthful of popcorn as the room went dark and silent and the movie started.

For the first half hour or so of Dracula, House sat comfortably back on the couch, eating away at the popcorn and moving the bowl out of reach every time Stacy reached for some without ever taking his eyes off the screen. He never flinched, and even laughed in a very sinister, sickening way at all the inappropriate times. Stacy, on the other hand, often tensed up at certain scenes, darting her eyes away from the screen. She often found herself staring at House, wondering how on earth he could be laughing. She studied him for minutes at a time, her eyes passing over his wrinkled forehead; down to his fine, dark eyebrows; on to his deep, soulful blue eyes; and down to his determined set mouth and slightly graying stubble. Then a scream would sound from the television set and Stacy whipped her attention back to the screen, fighting down terror.

After an hour, it was clear Stacy was not one to enjoy horror movies. Her eyes were wide with fear and glued to the screen. The darkness that surrounded her at the edge of her vision gave her a terrifying feeling of being watched. She had managed to cram herself into a corner of the couch and sat there, trembling with fear. House had gotten somewhat bored, and took to watching her, a form of entertainment for him. The movie was almost done anyway, and he'd already seen it.

With a sudden jerk, Stacy whipped away the blanket for herself and was cowering in it. House grumbled, but one look at her petrified face and he softened. Thank God he hadn't shown her a movie about rats; it would've taken ages before she calmed down. With a grunt, he shifted over closer to her. Stacy's small, hazel eyes darted from the screen to him and back less than a second. House chuckled softly. Poor Stacy, he thought. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She jumped, but relaxed under his familiar touch. When she'd calmed down, he effortlessly picked up her slim figure and held her close, cradling her in his lap. Stacy briefly closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort, before they darted open as another chilling laugh sounded from the movie.

When the movie ended, the room went dark with the credits. House was still holding Stacy, but he'd drifted off into a light doze. Not wanting to wake him, she gently let him fall into a lying position on the couch, with Stacy still prisoner in his grasp. She figured she might as well catch some sleep while she could. Although she felt comfortable in his arms, sleep refused to come, and left Stacy alone with her thoughts. No, sleep wasn't coming anytime soon for her.

She'd lost track of time, but at one point, she'd slightly dozed off when House woke up. It took him a moment to place where he was. With a groan, he sat up, still holding her, and stretched his aching neck from sleeping in an awfully uncomfortable position. After a few minutes, he gently set Stacy down and got up, doing the usual routine before he went to bed. When he'd made sure the stove was off, the doors were locked and various other things, he lifted Stacy and carried her to the bedroom. She woke up and flailed slightly, but yawned when he quietly brushed her hair out of her eyes. With incredible, out-of-character care, House set her down in bed, and Stacy curled up. He went to the bathroom, did one final check of the perimeter, and turned off all the lights before collapsing into bed. He was asleep in seconds.

In her dreams, Stacy watched in fear as friend after friend fell victim to Lord Dracula's hunger. She wanted to scream, but her mouth was dry with stale fear and her voice was nowhere to be found. She longed to run away, but her legs felt like Jell-o and she was sure they'd buckle after one step. So there she stood, paralyzed with horror, watching her world fall all around her.

In the early waking hours, House awoke with a sharp pain to his gut. Curses spilled out of his mouth and into the darkness. In her sleep, Stacy had lashed out, and in turn, kicked him in the stomach. Growling, House flipped on the light, blinking wearily as he read the clock. It was barely even four o'clock in the morning. He turned off the light and flipped over, willing sleep to return. It didn't take him too long to hear the quiet whimpering coming from behind his back. With a sigh, he turned the light back on and flipped over, staring at the small figure lying next to him.

"Stacy?" He called softly. "Are you okay?" He was answered with more whimpering sounds. Gently and quietly, he rolled her onto her back. She was still asleep, but trembling with fear. House studied her, his heart softening as she watched her struggle in her sleep.

"Oh, Stacy, come here," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her close to his body, resting his head briefly on hers. She'd stop whimpering, but the trembling hadn't stopped. He shook her gently. "Wake up."

Her eyes flew open and her breathing came in short rapid breaths. She struggled away from the warmth of his body, panic rising in her throat. She fought hard to keep the tears down; he didn't need to know what a coward she was. But silent sobs started, despite her best attempts to push it away.

"Oh, Stacy," he repeated, gently turning her around to face him. She couldn't control it anymore, and dug her face into his shirt. He rubbed her back as he let her sob into it. "Shhh, it's okay now. Everything's going to be fine. Hush, I won't let anything hurt you."

Eventually she quieted down, and managed to meet his gaze. Feelings clouded his eyes that she couldn't begin to describe; a deep admiring love, a gentle but determined vulnerability. It was the first time he opened up to her like this, and completely took down the walls that surrounded his heart. She managed a faint smile.

He smiled softly back, kissing her hair. "Now go to sleep. I'll be right here in the morning." She nodded, and he wiped the tears off her face. With a deep, tired sigh, she fell back down to her pillow and immediately drifted off into sleep.

She slept like a baby the rest of the night.