Title: Brave New World
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Arthur Eddington
Fandom: Doctor Who/Einstein and Eddington
Rating: PG-13
Table: Buffet 2, fc_smorgasbord
Prompt: 31, Discover
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 Arthur Eddington. Please do not sue.

***

The Doctor sighed softly as he looked over at Arthur; the two of them were making their way to where he was keeping the Tardis, in a lonely copse of woods near Arthur's home, and he was of two minds as to whether he was doing the right thing.

Did he have the right to expect Arthur to understand his existence, and to share it? This man was part of this world; would he be able to live in the Doctor's world without some major adjustments and problems? Or would it be better for him to stay here?

No matter what might happen, he knew that he couldn't simply leave this time period and leave Arthur behind. He was in love with this man; if he left Arthur, he would be leaving his hearts behind, and no matter how many times he might come back, there would always be regret.

He had to convince Arthur to come with him. Though he wasn't going to push, the Doctor told himself. He was going to let Arthur make his own decision -- and if that decision was that he needed to stay in the world he was in, he'd have no choice but to accept it.

Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't do his best to talk Arthur into coming with him -- even though he didn't think he would have much of a hard time doing that. Arthur was a scientist; he would love to see the universe, to see the future and what lay ahead.

But was it right to take this man from the world he knew? Arthur was so much a part of his own time period that it might be a grave mistake to uproot him, to take him away from the life he had made here on Earth. He might be doing the man he loved more of a disservice than a favor.

He couldn't make up his mind if he was doing the right thing; the more he thought about it, the more hopelessly tangled his thoughts and emotions became. All he knew was that he desperately wanted this man to stay with him, to travel the stars by his side.

Arthur would probably want to come with him, to discover new worlds and a new way of life. What did he have here? He'd had his heart broken; he wasn't accepted for who he was by the people around him; he would have to spend his life hiding his true desires.

No one should have to live like that, the Doctor told himself firmly. Especially not a man like Arthur, who deserved so much more out of life. He shouldn't have to hide; he should be able to be proud of who he was, not made to feel that his natural inclinations were wrong.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur's soft voice broke into his thoughts; he looked up from his contemplation of the ground they were walking over to gaze into the face of the man he loved, seeing the worried crease of a frown between his brows.

The Doctor swallowed hard, not wanting to tell Arthur his thoughts, but feeling that he had no right to hold them back. After all, what he was thinking concerned Arthur's future just as much as his own -- and the other man's life would be changed forever if his plans worked out.

"I was thinking about what might happen when I have to leave," he said softly, stopping in his tracks and turning to look at the other man. "I was thinking about asking you to come with me. I don't want us to part, Arthur. I want you to come along with me and not look back."

Arthur's dark eyes widened in surprise; he obviously hadn't expected the Doctor to say anything like this. He stood still, his hands opening and closing at his sides, apparently either at a loss for words or trying to think of what he could say in answer to those words.

"I don't want us to part, either," he finally said, his voice soft. "But leaving behind everything I know and love .... that's not going to be easy for me to do. Even though I do believe that there are great benefits to going away with you, I'm not sure if I can."

The Doctor could almost feel his hearts sinking to his heels; he'd been afraid that Arthur would feel like this, that even with his great love for John Smith, he would be unable to tear himself away from the world he knew to explore a brave new world of wonders.

"I won't blame you if you feel that you can't come with me," he finally said, trying to keep the hurt he felt out of his tone. "But at least don't make up your mind until you've seen the Tardis, and I've explained what the future is like. I want you to know something about what you could be going into."

"I would never turn you down on that offer without having at least gotten a glimpse of what could be waiting for me," Arthur told him, reaching out to take his hand and twining their fingers together. "And I'm leaning towards coming with you. I just need to .... think things through."

The Doctor nodded, feeling more encouraged by Arthur's words. This man wasn't simply going to turn his back on what the two of them could share; he would so some very serious thinking and take the time to be sure that he was making the right decision about what he wanted.

There was so much for the two of them to discover together, so much that he himself hadn't yet seen or experienced. And he wanted to share that brave new world with Arthur; he wanted to guide this man into the future, to build a life with him.

True, it wouldn't be a life like any other. They wouldn't have one single settled place on any particular planet to live in; they would be traveling through the stars, explorers, adventurers, sharing a life that others might find strange or even a little frightening.

But he was sure that Arthur would adapt to that life. The scientist in him wouldn't be able to resist the thrill of discovery, of seeing new places that he'd never dreamed could exist, of blazing a trail into a new world that would open new doors of knowledge for him.

The Doctor couldn't wait for them to start on that voyage of discovery, but he knew that he had to take this slowly. He couldn't simply expect Arthur to want to jump into a new life far away from everything he knew and loved; it wouldn't be easy for him to leave the comfort of the familiar.

"I won't have to hide," Arthur whispered, his voice bringing the Doctor out of his thoughts and back to the present moment. "I can be who I am -- without being made to feel that it's wrong. I can be with you openly, and be proud of what we have together."

"Yes," the Doctor answered, returning the gentle pressure of Arthur's hand in his. "You'll never have to hide again. And you'll be able to discover so much, Arthur. The world of the future is going to be something beyond your wildest dreams. You're going to love it."

"I can't wait to see it," Arthur told him, squeezing his hand and raising his other hand to shade his eyes as he peered ahead of them into the woods. "Is it much further? We told Winnie that we would be back for dinner, you know. I don't want to be late and make her worry."

The Doctor couldn't help smiling at the thought of Arthur's sister; she worried so much about her brother, and now about him, as well. She was someone who Arthur would hate to leave behind, but she would be the first to insist that her brother move toward his destiny.

"It's going to be so exciting, going out into the stars with you," Arthur continued, his tone hopeful. "If that sounds as though I've already made my decision -- I think that I have. I know there will be some drawbacks, but I can't turn down this chance to see the future."

The Doctor could almost feel his hearts leaping within his chest; he couldn't stop the joyful smile that began to spread over his features. He needn't have spent last night sleepless and worried; Arthur was going to come with him. He wouldn't be alone any longer.

Still, he was going to let Arthur make up his own mind about this. He wasn't going to push the other man in any way; this was something that Arthur had to want to do, discoveries that he had to feel he could make on his own, without any urging from anyone else.

It wouldn't be fair of him to bias Arthur in any way. But he had to admit that he wanted this man with him more than he had ever wanted anything; he wanted the two of them to be together, to travel the stars and discover everything in the universe that was just waiting for the two of them.

"There's a brave new world waiting for you to discover it, Arthur, if you're brave enough to reach out and take the chance," he said, hoping that his words weren't going to unduly influence Arthur one way or the other. "But it's your choice to make. I won't push you."

Arthur nodded, a slow smile curving his lips as he spoke. "I think that choice has already been made. It just remains to be seen how we go about tying up any loose ends here," he said, sounding thoughtful. "I already know what I want, even if it's a little daunting to reach for it."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," the Doctor murmured, a wave of relief sweeping over him. Arthur was making this decision on his own. He wanted to discover more of the world than he could ever see here, and his choice wasn't being influenced by the Doctor's desires.

"Onwards and upwards!" Arthur declared, turning back in the direction that they'd been heading in. "I can't wait for this adventure to start. So many discoveries to be made!" The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the eagerness in his voice; he, too, couldn't wait for them to move into their brave new world.

***