Smile Like You Mean It
A/n: Okay, so I'm having minor writer's block on one of my fics, and thought a nice oneshot would help me get going. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Law & Order: SVU, nor do I own the characters I mention that are on the show. If I did, there would be lots of flying monkeys, Cassidy would still be on the SVU, and there would be more FEMALE detectives on the show.
He watched her staring off into space, letting down the blinders, if only for a moment. That was the one moment in which someone could read her thoughts. Her eyes gave her away. And even from his distance, going through some random files atop an unused desk, he could see what was going on in her head.
She was thinking about a case that had hit way too close to home… it had been almost a year ago, yet Olivia couldn't seem to shake it. Olivia saw too much of herself in Carrie Eldridge.
But before he could even register the fact that she was looking at him, the blinders went back up and she rolled her eyes. "Need someone to teach you how to stare?" she asked, smiling. Even with the blinders up, he could still tell that it was faked. She never smiled the way she used to anymore. She'd seen too much… become too jaded. Her smiles used to mean something, but now they were just an act, like a character that one puts on and takes off at will.
"You don't smile like you used to," he said, continuing to stare.
"What are you talking about? My smile hasn't changed," she said, looking at him like he was crazy. He smiled, thankful that they were the only ones in the squadroom at that ungodly hour.
"You used to mean it when you smiled."
"I still mean it when I smile, El," she said, shaking her head.
"No, Liv. Now it's just you being a good actress, fooling everyone into thinking you're okay. They're not genuine anymore. They're just there," he told her. She looked down at the file on her desk. "When you start thinking, like you did a minute ago, you let your guard down. You let people see what's really going on in your head."
"So then you know," she whispered.
"Yeah, Liv, I know."
A/n: Yes, I know I'm evil. It's up to y'all to decide what you want to make of this. And if anyone wants to use this as a prompt, e-mail me for permission before you post. My e-mail is public. Oh, and it really sucks, but the episode Intoxicated isn't listed on the official site, but that is the episode I reference. If you haven't seen it, then you need to watch it and then read this again, because otherwise it doesn't make sense.