Okay so this is a soulmate AU. Basically, everyone has soul marks on their left wrist which are kinda like faded tattoos. Once you meet your soul mate, the soul mark slowly starts darkening and starts resembling a recently done tattoo. As you fall in love with them, the mark starts getting colored in and once you declare your love to them, it becomes like a permanent colour tattoo and never fades. This idea is mine and as far as I know it is original so I just wanted to clear up the whole process.

Anyway, it is going to be a two or maybe a three shot. I hope you guys like it.


i. all i need to know is where to stop

Emma Nolan did not believe in soul mates.

She always treated the forget-me-not on her left wrist as a faded tattoo with no real significance instead of a soul mark.

Emma Nolan did not believe in soul mates. But that didn't mean that she wasn't jealous of all her loved ones finding theirs.

David and Mary Margaret found each other in sophomore year of college. Mary Margaret's parents had gone to Paris and Emma convinced her to spend Christmas with her family. David had insisted on picking them both up from the airport in his usual overprotective elder brother manner. The minute they saw each other the faded black lines of David's sword and Mary Margaret's arrow soul marks burned and darkened. Over the course of two weeks the colors started to fill in, and three months - once they had finally professed their love for each other – the entire soul mark was filled in and bright. Emma was happy for her brother and her roommate but that did not quell the slight pang of sadness in her heart.

Regina and Robin's apple and arrow soul marks were already filled in when they were introduced to the group two years later, while Ruby and Graham's moon and wolf were almost there.

Elsa realized that her snowflake soul mark was filling in when she started spending more time with the handsome Brit next to her in the hobby art class she took. The usually cool and collected blonde was quickly falling for Liam Jones and wanted to introduce him to her best friend of seven years.

Which is exactly why Emma was rushing from her Criminal Law class at Boston University on a Tuesday afternoon, already half an hour late for the meeting. Mr. Gold, her professor, while an excellent lawyer was a pain in the ass when it came to dismissing the class. Emma was determined to not make her friend wait any longer than she has to.

She was just in the process of explaining to Elsa that yes, she was going to make it and no, they really did not have to reschedule when she found herself staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her entire 24 years of existence. The mystery eyes disappeared in the crowd before she could make out the other features of their owner. The (surprising) jolt of disappointment she felt completely overshadowed the momentary burning sensation in her left wrist. Shaking her head resolutely (because Emma Nolan absolutely did not under any circumstances drool over eyes no matter how striking or whatever, no sir) she made her way into Granny's where she was going to meet Elsa and her soul mate.

"Hey, I am so sorry. You know how Gold is, right? He extended the class for fifteen fucking minutes. Ugh," she said as she made her way over to Elsa's booth.

"It's okay, Emma. I told you," Elsa turned to the handsome man sitting opposite to her, "Liam, this is my best friend Emma Nolan and Emma, this is Liam Jones my uh soul mate."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, lass. Elsa's told me all about you," Liam turned to shake hands with Emma.

"Ah she has told me a lot about you too. It's nice to meet you Liam."

"All good things I hope!"

And it went on from there. Emma was really happy that her friend had found Liam Jones. He was funny, smart and completely right for Elsa. She had never seen Elsa this free or happy before.

"Wait a minute, what is that on your wrist Emma?" Elsa exclaimed as she snatched her left wrist to examine Emma's soul mark. "Is it just me or does your soul mark look darker and clearer than the last time I saw it?"

Both Emma and Liam turned their attention to the said soul mark to examine it.

"Elsa is right, lass, it looks darker and clearer than most soul marks. I reckon you probably met your soul mate, lass."

"Wait, what?! That is impossible! It was fine when I left class. And I really don't remember meeting anyone new is the twenty minutes it took me to reach here." Emma argued. Come to think of it, it did look darker than before. Almost like how David and Mary Margaret's soul marks looked when they first laid eyes on each other. But it was impossible. She did not meet anyone new and she always avoids eye contact with strangers while walking on the street.

Yeah but you did make eye contact with Mr. Impossibly Blue Eyes, her brain screamed at her.

Well shit.

"You remembered meeting someone new, didn't you?! I knew it! Gosh Mary Margaret and Ruby are going to throw you a freaking party once they realize you found your soul mate. Who is it though? Is it someone from BU? This is so exciting wow."

"Geez calm the fuck down Els. I don't know who this guy is to be completely honest. Or if this is the same guy that I think it is."

"Tell us about him, lass. Maybe it will be easier to find him."

"I was on my way here, to meet you guys when I saw the bluest pair of eyes I've ever seen. I mean, no offense Liam your eyes are pretty blue but his were just so damn blue."

"None taken, lass," he chuckled, "what else do you remember about him?"

Emma looked sheepishly at the two eager pair of eyes trained on her before mumbling that she didn't notice anything else because he was lost in the crowd.

"Well, anyway, it does not matter. Boston is a huge city. The chances of me meeting this soul mate of mine are very less."

"Don't lose hope, lass. You two are soul mates. Destiny will bring you two together."

"Thanks Liam, but I seriously don't have much hope. Anyway it was nice to meet you but I have to go. I guess I will see you soon. And Elsa I will see you at home. Bye."

Emma hugged both of them goodbye and made her way to the library to work on her assignments before heading to the Rabbit Hole for her shift.

She couldn't quite concentrate on any of her tasks because she was distracted by the thought of her soul mate – a soul mate she now knew for sure existed.

And for the first time in a long while, Emma Nolan had hope of finding the kind of love all her friends had.