Short Stories [A.F.]

Soulmates • Arrow

The moonlight reflected upon the water as the statue of the late Laurel Lance was lit up, reminding everyone in Star City of the fallen hero.

Oliver Queen walked slowly on the boardwalk towards the statue. He had come to accept her death, but on some nights he would wake up from a dream where he had saved her, only to realize it wasn't real.

He couldn't go to sleep afterwards. It was impossible to go back to a world where she was standing by his side, when in reality, she would never stand again. It pained him to see her breathing, and her golden locks resting on her shoulders as her smile grew.

Oliver reached the statue to find he was not the only one there. A dark haired woman stood, gazing at the bronze statue. Oliver did not initially recognize her, due to only seeing her back. He thought it was Evelyn Sharp, but this woman was much taller.

She then slightly moved her head to the side, knowing of his presence. Oliver shifted his pose and walked closer to the woman.

"It's a pretty late hour to be on this boardwalk, don't you think?" Oliver spoke, standing close to the woman.

"It's never too late to appreciate what Laurel Lance did for this city."

Oliver was stunned after he heard her speak. Her voice was identical to Laurel's. It was like speaking to a ghost, he thought. He dismissed this idea and continued talking to her.

"I still see her, at nights. She always saw the best in me, because she always was the best of me."

"I can imagine." She turned. "I lost someone too."

Oliver brought his hand to his mouth. He couldn't believe it. Laurel was standing right in front of him, admiring her own statue. His eyes swelled up as the woman stepped back.

"I'm not her." She whispered, noticing the hope in Oliver's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"What... What do you mean?" Oliver slowly touched the woman's cheek. He quickly took his hand back. "You're real."

"Of course I am. But, I'm not Laurel Lance. At least not the one from this earth." She walked away from Oliver, placing her hands inside her coat.

"Wait." He stopped her. "You're from Earth-2, right?"

She sighed, moving a strand of her dark hair away from her face. "Yes. I breached when your friend, Allen, opened the doorway. Black Siren was what they called me."

"Why would they call you that? Were you a hero on your earth as well?"

"Not exactly."

"Would you like to talk? Over coffee or something?" Oliver insisted, interested in the woman who had Laurel's face but nothing else.

"I can't. I need to go back to my world." She kept walking, trying to get away from Oliver as much as she could. He only brought her sadness, as she had lost her Oliver on her earth. This was what led her down on the dark path towards Zoom.

"Please." He grabbed her arm. "I insist."

"Let go." Her demeanor changed as Black Siren took over.

"I'm sorry." He let go of his grasp on her and sighed. "I'll pay for it. If you want."

"I don't have any money anyways."

"So is that a yes?" Oliver smiled.

"It's a maybe." She smirked and walked past him.

"Oliver Queen, nice to meet you."

"Dinah. Dinah Lance."