Becky: This entire fan fiction is dedicated to my friend SunMoonAndSpoon. She is the one who prompted me to write a pairing this outrageous, so for that I love her! No, I am not kidding when I say that this is a Sachiko/L pairing, and I am definitely not kidding when I say that this is going to be very difficult to write. But I am going to try my best and hope that it turns out brilliant. This is merely the prologue, the rest of the story (Sachiko's POV at least) will be written in first-person. That is I, me and we rather than she, he and they. This, apart from being the first Sachiko/L I've written, is also the first fan fiction I have attempted to write in first-person, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know. I will try to change them if I believe they need changing. Other than that, any reviews are much appreciated, so please leave one!

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I cannot take credit for Death Note, it's characters or even the idea for this awesome crack-pairing!

Prologue

She called it her 'happy face'. It seemed to follow her wherever she went. It lurked around corners, making sure she was devoid of all emotions except happy. Just happy. Day in, day out, she was expected to smile. Never mind that her marriage was on the rocks, that her son was never around and that her daughter barely spoke to her any more. Just brush it off honey, wave it goodbye and put it on the shelf for a rainy day.

She was the 'perfect' wife; she knew her place, she cooked, she cleaned. She didn't question orders and she didn't voice her opinions. She was just part of the background, slowly fading out of earshot. She liked it that way, she liked not being the centre of attention. It worked for her and it worked for her family, so she didn't think twice about ever, what her daughter would say, 'getting a life'. This was the path she had chosen and this is the path she would stick with. To the very end. Whatever obstacles there were, she would overcome them. No, that was wrong; she would avoid them. Steer clear of the potholes and dents in the road. Keep life running as smoothly as possible.

But she was bored. There was no fun in getting up every morning to be ignored and to be expected to put up with everything life threw at her. No fun at all. It was a challenge, but not a rewarding one. Every day dragged by, each seeming longer than the last. And she wished for something more.

Through others' eyes, she may appear to have it easy, but things aren't always as they seem. But wasn't that the point? To pretend that everything was fine? Yes, it was her duty to make sure that family business stayed in the home. It would never cross the door, the barrier, and enter the outside world in all it's ugly glory. Not while she was mother. And it was a title she wore proudly: Mother. She was protector; of her house, of her children, of the secrets they all bore. She was a damn good mother, a damn good wife. She knew this. But why then was she so ignored? She didn't mind being part of the landscape when her husband was entertaining guests. She liked the insignificance of it all, she would cook the food, clean the house, serve the guests. Yes, that was fine. But it was when she was alone with her family in the evenings, after the dinner was served and the TV had been turned off, that was when she wanted to be noticed.

But she wasn't.

Wasn't noticed or appreciated, not even by her husband.

It burned her, took a little piece of her heart, every time her son looked past her and not at her. Every time her daughter answered her innocent questions with a simple 'yes', 'no' or 'I don't know'. It especially hurt when her husband would creep into bed at night and fall instantly asleep, thinking his wife was happy, content and in the realms of dreams. But she was awake, with fresh tears on her cheeks; the only time her 'happy' mask slid from it's postition and fell sulking on the ground.

And it hurt when everyone left in the mornings, without so much as a goodbye, to their respective jobs and schools. And just left her alone to her thoughts.

And some thoughts were far too dangerous for the 'perfect' wife.