Title: From Now On
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Peter Carlisle
Fandom: Doctor Who/Blackpool
Rating: PG
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 49, Fast Forward
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 Peter Carlisle. Please do not sue.

***

The Doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair, wondering idly where Peter was. It wasn't unusual for him to want a little private time, and the Doctor willingly gave him that; just knowing that his boyfriend was there on the ship with him gave him a feeling of comfort.

Peter wouldn't leave him. Peter was the person who would stay with him -- though of course, he wouldn't be there forever. He was human, after all. The Doctor closed his eyes, pushing the uncomfortable thought away before it could take root in his mind.

There were times when he wanted to turn the clock forward, to see what the future might hold for the two of them, good or bad.

No. He shook his head, pushing that idea away as well. Being able to see the future was something he'd always thought he'd want to do -- until he actually had seen it, and realized that there were things he was better off not knowing.

Besides, turning the clock forward would mean looking into a future where he might not have Peter by his side. The very thought made his blood run cold; he knew that it would happen someday, but he didn't want to hasten that time.

The Doctor resolutely pushed the thought of being without Peter out of his mind. That was something that he wouldn't need to worry about for a long time, and this wasn't the time for it to be troubling his thoughts. He needed to concentrate on something happier.

What would it be like to fast forward time for Peter, to take him into the future? They hadn't done that yet, in the months that they'd been together; he'd taken his lover into the past, but never to the future, as if he'd been hesitant to show the man in his life what that future would be like.

That was a silly attitude for him to take, he admonished himself; after all, it wasn't like they would be seeing their particular future mapped out in front of them.

He'd actually like for Peter to see what the future of Earth was. His lover had spent so much of his life working to make his planet a better place, to keep it safe for people to live in; maybe he'd enjoy seeing that his efforts hadn't been in vain.

The Doctor sighed as he thought of the future of the planet that Peter was from; in spite of the good resolutions humans seemed to make all the time, their future really wasn't too different from the time that Peter was used to living in.

True, they'd managed to keep their planet alive through adversity, and had even done things to improve it; but they still had problems such as war, crime, and disease. It seemed that Earth would never eradicate all the things that were wrong with it.

But wasn't that true of any planet? the Doctor asked himself, lacing his fingers behind his head and looking up at the ceiling of his ship. They all had their good points -- and their faults.

He had to admit that he himself had come to love Earth more and more over time. It was a place full of endless fascination, whether in Peter's time, the past, or the future. He'd never been to a planet that made him feel more .... well, more alive.

The fact that he chose most of his companions from Earth should say something about his fondness for it, he thought, smiling to himself. Not to mention the fact that the man he'd fallen in love with came from there, the man he'd given his hearts and soul to.

Would Peter want him to fast forward, to take him to the future and let him have a look at what it would be like? He wasn't sure of that; Peter seemed to be interested in visiting a lot of time periods, but he had never mentioned the future.

Well, he'd just have to ask his lover, wouldn't he? The Doctor nodded, pleased with himself for having made that decision. He couldn't say just why he felt that way, only that it seemed to give him a new sense of direction that he hadn't previously had.

Maybe that was why he'd seemed a bit stuck in a rut lately. He shook his head, smiling ruefully. He'd have thought that wouldn't happen with Peter here by his side.

From now on, he would look to the future, rather than trekking back into the past so much. And he would try to give Peter more of a sense of the future, too -- it was past time that he'd taken his love there, shown him what was in store for his race.

He sat up and looked towards the door as he heard Peter's light footstep in the hallway, a smile breaking over his face. What would his lover say when he heard that the Doctor was planning to take him to some place he might never have dreamed of going?

Peter would be excited about it, he was sure. He was always ready for a new adventure, always eager to see what was out there inthe universe.

The Doctor got to his feet as the other man entered the room, holding out his hands as he moved towards his lover. This was going to be exciting for both of them -- Peter would be seeing things he'd never thought could exist, and he himself would see them all through new eyes.

Taking the other man's hands in his, the Doctor moved into Peter's arms, nuzzling his cheek against the slight roughness of razor stubble. "I've got something to tell you," he murmured, the smile on his face coming through in his voice as he spoke.

***