Title: A Very Long Time
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ten.5
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 6, 50ficlets
Prompt: 13, Forever
Author's Note: The human version of the Doctor is being referred to as John Smith in this fic, since it's the Doctor's human alias and his clone needed a name.
Author's Note: Spoilers for Journey's End, somewhat. This is an completely alternate take on the ending of Season Four.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor, or his human clone. Please do not sue.

***

Jamie leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch in the library of the Tardis, smiling as he did so. How long had it been now since he had first begun to think of this place as his home, and to lose his fears that the Doctor would tire of him eventually?

It seemed like only a few days ago when the Doctor had made the choice to take him away, to leave all of the people who thought that they shouldn't be together standing on a beach and probably cursing the two of them. But really, a lot of time had passed since then.

There had been so many times when he had worried that someone would find a way to convince the Doctor that they didn't belong together, that he should be given to that spoilt child who didn't love him; he would rather die than live that sort of life.

She had never loved him; she had only wanted him because he was part of the Doctor. If she hadn't been able to have the Time Lord, then she wanted someone who looked just like him, someone who had his memories and was his clone in so many ways.

But that would have been a fate worse than death, he told himself with a shudder. He would never have been happy -- and he was sure that he wouldn't have found himself cherished or even wanted for long, once he started to grow older and looked less like the Doctor of her memories.

No, at some point, he would have been thrown away, left behind. He had been so afraid that would be the life he was condemned to -- and there had been a point when the Doctor had felt that he had no choice but to do that, though it would hurt them both.

Fortunately, he hadn't, Jamie told himself firmly, pushing that memory away from him. The Doctor had flown in the face of everyone's expectations, taking Jamie away with him and making the choice of where Jamie belonged and who he should be with crystal-clear.

How long ago had that been? Jamie frowned, trying to come up with an exact calculation of time and finding it impossible to do so, at least for the moment. He could have already been with the Doctor forever and a day, and it still wouldn't have been long enough to suit him.

He wanted to be here with the Doctor forever, traveling the stars, seeing new planets, drinking in all of the experiences that the universe could give them. And now that he had become a Time Lord, that wish was capable of coming true.

It still seemed incredible to him that his wish had been granted; he would never have thought even in his wildest dreams that it would be. That sort of thing only happened in fairy tales, when a fairy godmother waved a wand and made any situation end happily ever after.

Well, he hadn't had a fairy godmother, he thought with a rueful smile. And he'd had to die for his wish to come true -- which had caused the Doctor a great deal of pain. But it had all come right in the end for both of them, and that was really the only thing that mattered.

He was here forever, by the Doctor's side. Nothing was ever going to take him away from the man he loved; he had been given the greatest gift he could possibly have, the one gift that he would treasure above all others. He would be eternally grateful for that.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would be here forever. The Doctor had set his thoughts at rest on that subject; he would never again doubt that his lover wanted him here -- and even needed him. He was exactly where he should be.

Forever was a long time, he told himself with another smile. Yet it still didn't seem like enough time to be with the Doctor, to tell the Time Lord that he was loved and cherished. It was a fleeting moment, one that had to be held close so that he could make the most of it.

It didn't matter how long he had already been here; what mattered was the quality of the time that he had spent with the Doctor. He had only begun to love the Doctor during the time they'd been together; being here forever would only make that love grow stronger over time.

Forever was a very long time, Jamie thought as he got up from the couch and left the library in search of the Doctor. And he intended to cherish every moment of that time, to hold it close to his hearts and be grateful that it had been granted to him.

***