Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Southern Vampire Mysteries universe.
A/N: So, I decided to try something a little different this time. It makes this chapter a bit short but once the idea struck me, I had to try it.
Theme 14: Smile
POV: Eric
Rating: T
Reading People
Since I met Sookie, I have spent more time than I care to admit thinking about the facial expressions humans use. I the thousand years of my existence, I have become very good at reading vampires and other supernatural beings, but have lost a lot of my ability to read human emotions. It was never something that bothered me. I never felt that humans were worth the effort to try and read. But Sookie was different. It was not long after I met her that I found myself wanting to know everything she was thinking or feeling.
More often than not, the emotion I had seen on human faces had been fear. This changed some after the revelation. There was still plenty of fear out there, but lust was right up there with it. Not that that should be surprising. Even after all my years as a vampire, I know that for humans, lust and fear often go hand in hand. The emotions I had seen on seen on Supes had been more varied, but were usually not positive. Bloodlust, hatred, anger, pride, and vanity were some of the most prevalent emotions you could find in a group of Supes. Not that I should say anything, I have spent time feeling these emotions as well. But I have been told that I seem to experience more joie de vie, ironically, than your average Supe.
I have come to the conclusions, in my musings, that the most difficult expression to read on a human face is a smile. Humans, and Supes if you get right down to it, have so many variations on smiles to mean so many different things. Glares represent anger. Frowns represent displeasure. Fearful, surprised or lustful expressions are all easy to read. A smile isn't. This is truer with Sookie than with most humans I've observed. She has the forced smile she uses when she's frustrated or angry and still trying to be polite. She has what she calls her "crazy Sookie smile" that she uses when she's uncomfortable with a situation. She has a nostalgic smile and devious smile. She has a sad smile and is even beginning to develop what I call a "thrill of the fight smile" although I'm sure she doesn't realize that yet. She has her polite smile she uses when meeting new people; the first smile I ever saw on her face and an amused smile. Topping all of these, though, is her genuine smile. The look she gets when she is perfectly happy. It is her rarest and best smile.
Lately, I am beginning to wonder just what she is doing to me. I spend too much time dwelling on that genuine smile and thinking about ways to make it appear on her face, directed at me. Pam might be right, Sookie is making me soft. That's a dangerous position for me to be in, but I don't seem to be able to do anything about it. Maybe, just maybe, I don't want to do anything about it, not that I would ever admit that to anyone, save maybe Sookie herself.
Eventually, something will have to change. Change is inevitable and unpredictable. Maybe she will see things my way and we can have something of a future together. Maybe one or both of us will meet our final death before that can happen. Maybe, though I don't think it's likely, I will lose interest in her and her emotions and her smiles. Something will change. Something has already changed. I have changed. I now spend time trying to read people. I tried to read Sookie. I try to make her smile.
A/N: The next theme is "Silence."