Notes: Special thanks to chasethewind for being my beta.

Thanks to CassandraBlake, Red, Guest, Ms Luna Moon, Emma, Madlenita, Guest, Zillah, Jenn and KVD for leaving comments. Hope you'll enjoy the new chapter :)

The thing about soul mates is that it wasn't a magical fairy tale that fixed everything wrong in the world like media, many textbooks, and even general public made it sound.

She knew everyone had problems and sometimes, soul mate couples could go terribly wrong, even if she never witnessed it first-hand.

She remembered the horror stories from history classes about soul mates prohibited from consummating their bond because they didn't belong to the same social class; they had a different color skin, gender or even belonged to a different culture. Arranged marriage was common up until the last two centuries. People would think that soul mate marks would make the world more tolerant, but history would prove that thought was completely wrong.

The world nowadays was so much better in comparison, but that didn't mean things still didn't go wrong or wary. She remembered reading an article about a guy that went crazy and killed his soul mate and himself because if he was going to die, and his soul mate needed to follow his example. Her grandmother used to tell a tale about a neighbor that was unmarked and ended up marrying a woman that lost her soul mate before they ever met and they had kids, but he left his family the moment he was marked, even though he was fifty and his soul mate was a newborn. There were multiple stories on the internet about bound soul mates that went crazy with grief when the bond was broken because of death. Even though it was rare, there were cases about soul mates never consummating the bond because one of the parts never wanted to have sex and things stayed platonic between them, although they shared a life together.

All her life, Felicity was surrounded by successful stories of soul mates. Those depressing stories weren't part of her reality. They were just awful things that happened to the distant friend of the neighbor down the street.

Maybe that was the whole problem with her life: the soul mate situation was completely romanticized and no one had prepared her for the possibility of things not working out for her like she expected.

Since she could remember, she made up all these scenarios in her head: the first meeting, the ease friendship, the realization they carry the same mark, the first kiss and then the happily ever after, just like her parents. Not that her parents had a happily ever after as they died too young, but still… Her parents' love story was so movie worthy: they built a life together, they had her and they died at the same time, like they knew they couldn't be without each other in this life.

How could she not expect the same thing for her life as she was literally the product of true love?

The tears welled up in her eyes, the agony of thinking about her situation making her chest ache.

Oliver Queen was her soul mate.

The most infuriating, stubborn and control freak of a man she ever met was her right fit.

It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so distressing.

She expected a sweet person, someone who shared the same type of personality and humor. She always thought when they finally bumped into each other, everything would fall into the right place and life would seem easier and fun. That was what happened to everyone she knew.

Instead, her soul mate came into her life and turned her world upside down. Oliver made Felicity question her life choices, he convinced her through the positive aspect of his crusade to get into a life of crime and cyber terrorism, he pushed her to find purpose in her existence, he helped her to become more confident aside from improving her skills overall.

The honest question was: how didn't she realize before he was obviously her soul mate?

If there was a soul mate rule book the first premise would be 'your soul mate is the person that makes you a better human being'.

How did she fail to see the evidence right in front of her eyes?

The distinctive sensation of being drawn to Oliver and the unexplainable trust she placed in him, even after he told her his secret identity. There should have been enough clues to make her suspicious about the nature of their odd connection, but she didn't even blink. She didn't stop to reflect about the reason she welcomed him to disrupt her peaceful life that took her so long to build after she lost her parents. She accepted him as an extension of herself and never second guessed the logic behind that feeling. For someone who proudly saw herself as self-aware and observant, her obliviousness during the whole time she knew Oliver made her wince.

She should have seen this one coming and yet, here she was: taken by surprise by the revelation of Oliver's lie by omission.

Three sharp knocks on her front door derailed Felicity's train of thought abruptly, making her jump slightly on her couch. She glanced at the clock on the opposite wall and it marked almost midnight. There was only one person who would come over at that time without a call.

She drew in a long breath and let it hiss out slowly. She felt the rage start boiling inside her as she stood up to get the door.

Felicity didn't even blink when she found Oliver leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and lips pursued. She mirrored his stance, raising an eyebrow in silent question.

"You're mad at me," Oliver stated, relaxing his posture.

"No shit, Sherlock," she hissed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

He held out his hands. "This time I have no idea what I did wrong. Care to enlighten me?"

She took a deep breath and stepped aside to let him in. She was about to use her loud voice and she didn't want her neighbors to hear it. Well, not a lot of it.

She locked the door as Oliver stepped into her living room. He glanced at the wine glass on her coffee table and sighed out loud. He knew he was in trouble.

Good, she thought as she got near him.

"You lied to me!" Felicity pointed at him accusingly, her voice loud and clear.

His eyes widened, squirming under her gaze. "About what?"

"You know exactly what I'm accusing you of, Oliver! If you didn't, you wouldn't be here!" she said matter-of-factly. His breath hitched as his shoulders slumped a bit. "You felt like you needed to see me, didn't you? You felt a pull towards here and you didn't even resist," she stated, trying to control her voice.

He averted his eyes from her to his shoes, his silence confirming her words. Their souls already started to fall in harmony. As much as she was seething because of his lies, she wanted to go after him multiple times during the day just to see him and look at his mark again.

Obviously, she resisted the desire as she spent the whole time locked up in her apartment since the previous night when she came back from the lair. After Diggle told her Oliver was going to be okay, for the first time she didn't wait for him to wake up and see with her own eyes he was going to be okay. She just grabbed her things and stormed out of the lair with no further explanations to Diggle about her weird behavior, aside that they'd talk later and just call her if someone was about to die.

"That's the bonding, Oliver," she continued."You know the process that starts when the two soul mates acknowledge their bond."

"I know what bonding is, Felicity," he cut her in a stern voice. "You don't need to explain to me."

She didn't believe violence as an answer to anger, but she was getting close to slapping Oliver in the fact he took a step back, seeming alarmed, made her realize he was hit by the strength of her emotions.

She didn't know if she felt relieved or not for Oliver being able to access her mood so easily. For a moment she tried to concentrate on him, but she didn't know which feelings belonged to her or Oliver. She dismissed the myriad of feelings and focused on yelling at Oliver instead. She'd try to get the hang of bonding and empathic emotions later. She was too busy being angry at him in that moment.

"Felicity, I…"

"I really don't want to hear whatever you want to say," she interrupted him, holding out her hand. He huffed, his lips pressing in a thin line as he scowled at her. "Don't make this face at me, Oliver. I don't want to deal with you and your lies right now. Just tell me one thing: when did you find out?"

His eyes followed her body, fixating his gaze on her waistline. For a moment, his eyes looked distant, as if he was remembering the exact moment he saw her mark for the first time. She felt a tingle of need to feel her mark underneath her fingertips. Her breath hitched when she realized that particular feeling didn't belong to her. She had a flash of her father confessing that he loved to trace her mother's mark because it was so soothing to touch the lines that bonded the two of them together. She swallowed hard, the feeling of yearning hitting her hard. Her outrage faltering for a second in face of Oliver's affection for her.

Oliver bit his lip before looking at her again. "It was the day after the Undertaking," he revealed.

"Oh," she said simply. Oh was an understatement. She promptly felt torn as she saw his wistful expression change to haunted.

She could remember that night as if it was yesterday. It was the first time Oliver dropped by her apartment to just spend time with her. He came by wearing a somber face and holding the 1982 Lafite Rothschild bottle that he once promised her.

'I never want to break a promise to you,' she recalled Oliver's confession before they sat quietly on her couch, drinking the wine in companionable silence until she fell asleep. At the time she didn't know, but then she learned that same night it was Oliver's birthday. She remembered the warm feeling that washed over her when she found out she was the person Oliver chose to spend his birthday with. She always reflected that day was the moment that brought them closer, and now Oliver offered a piece of information that confirmed her thoughts.

"You fell asleep on the couch and I decided to move you to your bed," he said slowly as if he was reliving the moment. "When I lowered you onto the mattress, you rolled over and your shirt lifted up. Your shorts were down enough to let me see the mark," he paused, his eyes never leaving hers. "I was shocked," he continued, his voice sounding deeper than usual. "I couldn't deal with that information on top of the Undertaking, my mom's arrest and Tommy's death. I did what I do best: I ran from it."

Understanding dawned on her, but she quickly shrugged it off. The timing was bad, but it didn't justify Oliver hiding something so huge from her. The feeling of betrayal resurfaced as she remembered her own discovery the night before.

"By the time, I came back I thought it was better for us to not get together. I repeat what I said: I don't deserve you, Felicity. I…"

"Oliver!" she cut him. "Stop feeding me excuses, okay? I don't want to talk about the stupid explanation that you offered me after Russia," for her satisfaction he winced visibly at her words. "We will go back to that when I'm not as mad to you as I am right now. I need some time away from you."

His lips pressed in a thin line at her declaration before he nodded. "I had time to figure out everything when I took off. You should have the same right. Take the rest of the week off, we'll be fine without you," he finished, offering her a sad smile.

She frowned. "Oliver, I'm mad at you, but I do remember you were attacked last night. I don't think it's the best time…"

"I'll call you if something happens," he interrupted her. "Take this week off, you need it. I insist," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

She sighed and didn't say anything in response. She turned her back to him and walked to the door. She opened it and pointed with her head the exit. "I need to sleep, Oliver. I'll talk to you when… when I want to talk to you," she told him in a resolute tone.

He sighed, his hand scratching his scruff. "Fine," he replied, crossing the room towards her doorway. Before he stepped out of her apartment, he stopped and looked at her.

"For all it's worth, I'm glad you're my soul mate," he muttered softly. He didn't wait for her response; he grabbed the doorknob and closed it behind him.

She felt her eyes well up, his words affecting her more than she wanted to admit. She sagged against the wall, closing her eyes to organize her feelings. She didn't realize the mess she was until she had him right in front of her. She needed five minutes out to regain control over her life.

Most of all, she needed time and space from Oliver.

That's why when she woke up the next morning, she packed up a bag, got into her car and drove away from Starling City, not looking back once.

Notes: If you thought Oliver was a bit too passive, it was on purpose. I inspired Oliver here in Oliver during 2x15. You need to consider that he wasn't expecting to feel Felicity's feelings, especially aimed at him. Like I told my friend: Oliver thinks Felicity is incapable of getting truly angry, so when he felt her rage directed to him so strongly to the point she wanted to hurt him, he winced, recoiled and wow his sunshine is not perfect and controlled as he thought.

Please, leave comments and favorite it if you enjoyed it!
xoxo
Naty :)