Title: Lucky Star
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Peter Carlisle
Fandom: Doctor Who/Blackpool
Rating: PG-13
Table: VRD challenge - Green, 5_prompts
Prompt: Shamrock
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.

***

"Why are we looking for a shamrock, Peter?" the Doctor asked, frowning as he raised his head from the patch of grass he was kneeling in. "I know that they're supposed to be a lucky charm, but do you really think that we need one of those?"

Peter laughed as he looked over at the Doctor, reaching to take his lover's hand and squeeze it gently. "We don't, not really. Hasn't it been fairly obvious that we've made our own luck since we met each other? But a lucky charm is always a good thing to have."

The Doctor laughed, returning the squeeze. He agreed with his lover to a certain extent, even though he had no belief in the superstition of lucky charms. But there had been times when he could use some good luck, and maybe a shamrock would help with that.

What was he thinking? the Doctor asked himself, shaking his head. This was silly; there was no such thing as a charm that would bring them luck. The two of them would make their own luck, just as he'd always done during the long centuries of his life.

"We can make our own luck, you know," he said quietly, looking up at his lover. Peter seemed to be absorbed in his search for the shamrock, not speaking for a few moments. But when he did look up at the Time Lord, his expression was serious.

"I know we can, love," he said softly, sighing and shaking his head. "But I've always believed in lucky charms. I'd feel better if I had one. As silly as it may sound, it's something that I take comfort in. Never underestimate the power of a symbol."

The Doctor thought about Peter's words for a few moments, nodding slowly. "I suppose you're right. A symbol can mean a great many things to people -- and even if I don't carry my own belief, I'm not going to deny you having yours."

"Maybe I can bring you around to believing in the power of a four-leaf clover," Peter told him with a grin. "I've always found them to be pretty powerful when I'm in need. I wouldn't say that they've saved my life, but they've given me inspiration when I needed it."

"So, let's try our best to find one," the Doctor said, laughing and resuming his search. After another few minutes, he found himself sitting back on his heels and blinking. All of the individual shamrocks looked alike to him; he was sure that he'd never find one with four leaves.

"Ah! I've got one!" The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise when Peter spoke. He looked over at his lover, laughing when he saw the expression on Peter's face. He looked as though he'd found the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Could Peter have looked any more adorable as he stood there gazing at the shamrock in his hand? The Doctor didn't think so; he wanted to capture that look of wonderment on Peter's face and hold it in his mind's eye forever.

The Doctor squinted at the shamrock in Peter's hand, moving closer to his lover to get a better look at it. It did indeed have four leaves; he was amazed that Peter had been able to find it amidst this field. He himself would have given up on finding it long ago.

"Now that you have it, what do you intend to do with it?" he asked with a soft laugh. "Are you going to wear it like a lucky rabbit's foot? Or are you simply going to keep it somewhere that you'll can think about it bringing you good luck?"

"I'm going to keep it with me all the time -- and when we need a bit of good luck, we'll have it right there at our fingertips," Peter told him, his voice oddly serious. "Never laugh at the power of belief, Doctor. You'd be surprised at how much it can accomplish."

"I don't doubt that for a moment," the Doctor said softly, his eyes meeting Peter's. "I've seen what belief can do, love, more than most people have. And I won't deny you that belief, even if it's something that I have a hard time seeing for myself."

"Try to believe in something like this once in a while, Doctor," Peter said, holding up the four leaf clover and studying it. "It's something that's not easy to find -- and people who do usually have better luck than those who search and never discover one."

The Doctor wanted to laugh at Peter's assertion, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was obvious that his boyfriend did believe that the small green clover could bring them good luck if they needed it -- and who was he to question that belief?

His own beliefs might seem strange to some people. Not that he had many beliefs left after over nine hundred years of living -- he'd become far too jaded for some of the things he'd believed in when he was much younger and still learning what it meant to be a Time Lord.

But the few beliefs that he had, he clung to with a tenacious force that surprised him sometimes. He still believed that the universe was filled with people who were primarily good -- and he had dedicated his life to protecting those people.

Who knew if a shamrock could actually bring them any luck or not? Peter obviously thought that it could, and he wasn't going to ridicule that belief. There were certainly times when they could use all the good luck that might decide to come their way.

Another thought crossed the Doctor's mind as he looked at the other man, a soft smile curving his lips. For him, Peter was all the good luck he needed. This man was his lucky star, his good luck charm, his four leaf clover. Having Peter with him made him the luckiest man in the universe.

Rising to his feet, he held out a hand to Peter, smiling as he watched his lover carefully putting the four leaf clover into his wallet and replacing it in his pocket. He would let Peter have his beliefs -- and maybe one day, he'd be able to believe in them as well.

***