Differences in the Lives of Soulmates
Oliver Queen's father drops a wrapped box in front of him on top of his Robin Hood figures. The eleven year old Oliver looks up at his father with a mixture of anticipation and question. His father urges him on by nodding. Oliver looks back down at the box. He tears into it viciously. Inside is a target, and upon removing that Oliver finds a bow and arrows with suction cups on the end. It wasn't much but due to his need for anything Robin Hood it would do. He couldn't wait to use it to rescue his imaginary princess.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾸ
Tess looked down at the marvel in her hand. A book. She found it lying on the dock in the backyard. She had no idea who left it there, only that it was there. The pages were wet but it could dry. She was slightly worried about the ink running but not as worried about that as she was about the idea that her father might find it. He would assuredly take it away. She would just have to hide it with all her other treasures. She hoped that one day a book wouldn't be the biggest thing she finds. Because one day her prince would rescue her.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾸ
Denial. It was sick and it was cruel. And it hurt. Oliver knew first hand. After all, what other reaction is there when you are told your parents are dead. They told him they'd only be gone a week. They were wrong. They'd be gone for a lifetime.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Hope could be painful. Tess' dad had gone on an alcohol run. You run out when you drink it constantly. She always hoped that one day he wouldn't come back. But he always did. She was wrong. He'd be there a lifetime.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾸ
Oliver had partied his way onto an abandoned island with no way to get off. He set out on a journey that he'd probably spend his last days on. He'd lived his life in a way that would've made his parents shudder. If he ever got off this island, he'd change, and do something worthwhile.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Finally, Tess had the chance to make a difference and she knew it. She was going to Harvard. She would meet people, she would save animals, she would help someone, anyone, really. I mean, she was leaving Louisiana and the disgrace she called her father behind and was starting a new life. A life where no one knew about her past. The only way to go was up.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾸ
Oliver was hungry. The worst part probably was that hunger was not a fickle thing. It was always there, gnawing at him. It didn't matter. It was all just how well you fought through it. Right now, he wasn't fighting very well. What he wouldn't give for a burger right now. The last thing he ate? A centipede. He really hated this island.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Tess should have known better. A scarring childhood wasn't enough. No the rest of her life was going to be just as terrible. Who knows what Marcos is planning on doing to her? In all honesty, she should have known. Just like Newton himself said, "What goes up must come down." She knew that as a child. Why she had chosen to ignore what she spent her whole life, excluding the last few years, learning, she doesn't know. She just knows she'll pay for it.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾸ
There was a noise, Oliver heard it. And it wasn't normal jungle noise. He had learned to tune that out. For the most part. Obviously he listened when it was necessary. There was a bush in his way so he pushed it away. That was the last thing he remembered.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
They threw him on the table, arguing about his health. Tess felt an uncalled for attraction to him right away. She immediately scolded herself. Now's not the time or place. Now focused, she realized he showed all the symptoms of someone who had been poisoned by that flower she had learned about. She couldn't remember the name, not that it mattered. What mattered was she could save him.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾷ
His vision was cloudy. He couldn't see straight. All he could see was a pair of dazzling green eyes. He focused on them, forcing himself to consciousness. She explained to him the situation. He caught snippets, kidnapped, killed, Marcos, flower, and leeches. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't care, he just wanted to save her.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Meghan was dead. Tess couldn't save her. Oliver, as she recently found out his name, helped her with the bracelet and snapped it on her wrist and quickly moved to cradle her. Without a doubt she knew she would wear it every day for the rest of her life.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Oliver could see the pain in her eyes. She was struggling, he couldn't blame her. She was obviously shaken up. He helped her, unsnapped the bracelet and resnapping it, this time on Tess'
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾷ
After being on a plane for hours Tess relished the feel of solid ground beneath her feet. He stepped off the plane asking her where she was going to go. She wasn't sure. So that's what she said. He offered for her to stay with him. After hesitating she agreed. She added that it would only be temporary.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾸ
He wanted for her to stay with him, forever, preferably. After the hours spent with her on the plane, he found he was falling for her, hard. She had an exuberance about her, even when exhausted and depressed that shone through.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾸ
A year and a half later she was still with him. Even though they had two different apartments, they spent more time together than any other couple ever. She loved him, and told him that often, usually, during those moment when they just got lost in each other's eyes. He made her feel safe. It's a feeling she had yet to experience. He genuinely wanted to help her.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾷ
She hadn't left and he didn't think he was going to. She was different. She didn't want him for his money. She couldn't care less about that. It was so different from all the other girls he had met before her. Whenever someone told him that they would be there whether he was at the top or the bottom he didn't believe them. But she never said that. Because she didn't need to, he knew.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Tess keeps allowing herself to get close to people only to be hurt. Meghan was killed. And Oliver flat out betrayed her. Part of her was still in denial, the other part knew that this was real, and exactly what it looked like. She assured herself that this wouldn't happen again, she wouldn't rely on anyone the way she had been.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Oliver was wrong and he knew it. Most of the incident was a drunken haze. But he did know that she wasn't coming back. And even before he was fully aware of that fact his heart ached. There was one sharp image in his head that wouldn't leave, and it was razor sharp, the look of pain on her face when she saw him.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
She was right. She didn't come to rely on anyone in the year or so that followed. Sure she owed that fact to Lex, but she didn't rely on him for that. She was strong now. No one would or even could hurt her again. She missed Oliver, but in all likelihood she would never see him again. Because he would probably be able to break down these walls she so carefully placed up anyway.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
He was right. She didn't come back. At least he could be right about something. Who knew where she was? He certainly didn't know. She certainly didn't want him to. Wherever she was she was where he couldn't hurt her again. Lois numbed the pain. When he was physically with her his mind didn't drift to Tess the way it always seemed to. Everything, she loved this, this color looks like her etc. It was pathetic and he knew it, but he also knew she consumed him.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Lex was dead. This knowledge brought the crashing realization that she thought him invincible. Deniability was the route her mind seemed to decide on. She had always learned that hope hurt. And denial was just another form of that.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Lex was dead. Even though he knew she would have been disappointed in him, he was glad. He still hoped he had succeeded. Then again, hope was really just a form of denial. And he had learned long ago that denial hurt.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
She had hoped, against everything Lex had taught her, that she would never see the gorgeous face of Oliver Queen. A part of her wanted to run up to him and and jump into his arms and pretend nothing happened. But the other part wanted to curl up in the corner and cry at the mere sight of him. She decided to ignore both urges and pretend she didn't feel anything toward him. Not the love and hurt that she felt, but pure indifference.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾷ
The sight of her sent jus heart leaping, something Lois had never been able to make it do. Her piercing eyes showed an indifference that, for his own sanity, he hoped was fake. He couldn't except the fact that he might not have made as big of a difference in her life as she had in his. Instead of running straight up to her and holding her close to him, he decided to try to use everything that had ever made her care about him. But it didn't reveal anything other than an edge of bitterness to the indifference. She looked at him with the same look she used to get when talking about her father. And that hurt more than all the yelling she could have ever done.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Something was going on with Oliver and Tess knew it. She couldn't find out what without coming across as concerned or at the very least interested. Neither of which she could afford. Which is why, for once in her life Lois Lane had good timing. She knew Lois was an ex of his! but she pushed aside personal feelings on that matter until she knew Oliver was okay. Lois cared about him, she could tell that much. But what happened,s he didn't know. Judging by the barely masked hurt on Lois' face, Oliver left. Tess thought she had changed him, too.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Panic. That was the first ring Oliver felt. Not for himself, but for Tess, Mercy. Marcos would go after her. He couldn't touch her. He wouldn't let him. Unfortunately, he was in no state to move. He yelled for Clark to help her, accidentally calling her Mercy out loud. He didn't need to see Lois to know that that last slip had hurt her. Lois had cared about him. He cared about her, too. But no one could compare to Mercy.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
She let herself give into him, just this once. Later she would tell him she had an itch to scratch, but for right now she couldn't pretend anymore.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾷ
He made himself overcome all fears of rejection and kiss. She wasn't pulling back which only encouraged him. She wasn't pretending anymore.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Tess blew him off, as though he really was just an itch. It wasn't true of course, but she couldn't tell him that. Not if she wanted to preserve Lex's teachings.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Was he really just an itch? He couldn't have been. No, he was. He had to accept that. These past few weeks he had been in denial, yet again. This time, with more hope than the last.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Tess had unleashed something that could finally do what she had devoted her whole life to doing. They would need to be monitored, of course. But they had information that could, and with her help would, save this planet. She just had to survive long enough to make use of the information.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Oliver knew that her moral compass was going a little more north-east rather than due north but he had trusted that the person he knew would come through and stop it before it got too bad. He shouldn't have. Lex had tainted her too much. Now she had gone and done something not only crazy, but seemingly evil.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Tess was angry more about the fact that he had neglected to tell her about his extracurricular activities, especially since they had been going on when he had completely trusted her. Obviously, he hadn't trusted her even then.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾸ
He knew he should have told her back then but there was nothing he could do now. Now she didn't deserve to know even though everything in him was screaming that she did. She tried to kidnap him. There was really nothing left of the woman he had fallen for.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾹ
All she wanted was a chance, no, not even that. She wanted forgiveness. That's what she needed to go on. She understood she had messed up. She hoped he could see that. Understandably, he walked away from her, showing her how little he cared for her. Even less than she had originally thought.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾷ
She wanted forgiveness. At least that's what she asked for. Oliver couldn't grant it, no matter how much he wanted to, he had to resist the urge to kiss her right then and there. But on account of his friends he couldn't welcome her back, and besides the fact that he was with Chloe, he couldn't lead her on like that then say he wouldn't forgive her. After all, he knew that if he touched her, much less kissed her, he would have never let go.
? ﾟﾌﾷ? ﾟﾌﾹ
She knew she had messed up. That's whys he was lying in a hospital bed with her face half burned off. If she was being honest, the part that made her realize how wrong she was was when Oliver walked away without looking back. In some way, she knew that she had done that for him. In some ways, she knew she did everything she did for him. Whether fueled by hurt or love, she did it all for him.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾷ
He had to save the world, he knew. He should be able to focus on that, right? Nope, she was his focus, even though he pushed the thoughts of her away. She had nearly died. Meaning no more Tess, period, ever. She did what she did because of him. Her rashness was something he admired to some extent, just not to this one. Now, he was worried.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
She woke up. That fact was surprising enough. The fact that it was in a Cadmus lab only added to the intrigue. She knew Clark, Oliver, and the others were going to fight Zod. She didn't know anything other than that. She just hoped it went better for them than it did for her. She found a little boy, Alexander in the lab. She knew he was a clone of Lex's but he was different than him. She felt for him in a different way than she did for Oliver, this one was more protective, almost maternal.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Oliver's life had led I'm to some strange places, but blindfolded was a new one for him. It shouldn't have been but it was. Some guy was jabbering on about something he didn't put the effort into figuring out. He just knew he had to get out of here. The world needed him, and just to give himself an extra boost, he'd pretend that Tess needed him.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾺ
A chance, somewhat of one. They came to her this time. She knew she had to succeed. All she had to do was recreate a file. One file, shouldn't be too difficult.
? ﾟﾌﾹ? ﾟﾌﾺ
It was almost as though Clark was trying to hurt him. He understood that he was freaking out, but bringing Tess into this, trusting her? It was crazy, and he loved it.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾹ
A heart to heart, an apology, and an opportunity. All this, combined with the fact that even now she couldn't tell them everything, snapped something in her. She wanted so badly to tell them, but she knew, Alexander must remain a secret.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Something was wrong he knew that much. He had pretended that he was upset about Chloe. He was in a way. He had done the same thing to her that he did to her cousin. But Tess was upset about something. He just didn't know what.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
Death always seemed to be right on Tess Mercer's heels. She either keeps outrunning it, or it doesn't really want her yet. She lies on yet another hospital bed. Her mind keeps flashing back to her thoughts when she thought she was as good as dead. She had simply wanted Oliver to forgive her. Though she had also wanted to die in his arms. It was an idea she knew was impossible, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾺ
Tess seemed to have a death wish. Oliver found out later that someone found her, someone saved her. That person wasn't him, but he could live with that. He was just glad she was okay. Well, not okay, but she was alive. And that was enough for him. He doesn't know why she did what she did or what it accomplished. All he knew was that Lex had hurt her. And it took a lot not to go and return the favor.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾹ
She hadn't thought he would come and visit her. And if he did she expected it to be because Clark dragged him. Even though she had hoped that he would come on his own. Though she had tried to push that hope away. After all this time she had finally learned to forget hope. Though this time, she wasn't disappointed, she was pleasantly surprised.
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾷ
Seeing her so frail, that feisty redhead, it made him realize something. He had put her n some kind of untouchable pedestal. He was always worried about Lois or Chloe. But he'd never even thought to worry about Tess. And that's why she was here. He hadn't even thought to protect her. He hadn't even noticed she was missing after the wedding, since he was in no position to remember during it. But he should've noticed. So why didn't he?
? ﾟﾌﾸ? ﾟﾌﾹ
He kissed her, kissed her deeply. Completely disregarded those boundaries they worked so hard to put up. Those unofficial boundaries were the only thing keeping something like this from happening. There was undeniable chemistry but there was also an unspoken agreement not to acknowledge that chemistry unless it was absolutely necessary. He forgot that those boundaries were there to make sure the shattered remains of Tess' heart were not destroyed all over again. But for that moment she forgot too.
? ﾟﾌﾺ? ﾟﾌﾷ
At some point he couldn't deny it any more. How long was he expected to deny it? He kissed her. He almost had to. Her eyes were urging him on even if she wasn't saying anything of the sort. She always dared him to do the impossible. This time, though certainly not for the first time, he complied to her will. She melted in his arms in a way that just felt right. Like a part of him that had been missing for so long was put back.