Title: Parallel Lines
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ten.5
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1
Prompt: 60, Last Human
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.

***

The Doctor opened the door of the Tardis, peering out and frowning. It didn't look as if there would be any problems for himself and John as far as the atmosphere, but he had to keep in mind that the other man was human. That would pose problems on some planets -- though he didn't really know much about this one. Not yet.

He'd begun thinking of the other man's humanity more and more lately, and wondering if he'd been anything like him when he'd been in his John Smith guise. It was a pity that he couldn't remember much of what he'd done -- though he could remember how things had turned out. That was something he hadn't been able to control, as much as he wished that he could have.

He hated hurting people -- even people who he had no particular feelings for. He hated leaving behind bad feelings, and knowing that there were lives he'd interfered in that might have been happier with his advent into their midst. But he hadn't had a choice with that; he'd either had to hide, or be taken captive. And that wasn't an option.

Still, he didn't think he would have to become John Smith again -- and really, he couldn't, now that he'd given away the Chameleon Arch. He'd done it of his own free will, and hadn't regretted it for a moment. But there were times when he couldn't help wondering if he'd need it again ....

The Doctor pulled his mind away from those events, telling himself sternly to focus on the present. John had his name now -- his human name -- and he should be glad that he'd been able to give the man he loved a name and an identity, one that didn't mirror his own.

But John was a mirror of himself, in so many ways. He shook his head, firmly pushing that thought away. Not something he needed to think about now, not when they were on the verge of some great adventure on a planet that he'd never been to.

What would they find here? he wondered, squinting as he looked around. It didn't look much different from most other places he'd been -- well, unless you took into account that this was a planet that didn't seem to be overly advanced. But he couldn't be sure of that -- perhaps the beings that inhabited this place thought that simplistic was better.

Why weren't there any people around? No one walking through the streets, no vehicles, no sign of life. All the people here couldn't just be inside the buildings -- there seemed to be no one there, either. The place was, for all intents and purposes, abandoned.

That was strange. Why would the Tardis have brought him to a place that was uninhabited? He didn't know of any worlds that didn't have at least a few cities on them, though those places might be primitive compared to his own species. Some of them were even primitive compared to the Earth he was used to, but they would evolve.

Still, this place seemed to be .... wrong, somehow. It had a strange air about it, as though it was holding its breath, waiting for something. As if there was an anticipation in the air, a sense of impending change. Or impending doom. He couldn't really tell which.

But wait .... the Doctor frowned, turning back to the inside of the Tardis and closing the door. He wasn't entirely sure where they were, but something about this seemed familiar. Familiar .... and strange, at the same time. As though he was in a place that he should know well, should be used to, and it was somehow off-kilter. Skewered a bit.

He bounded up the two steps into the Tardis, going to the console and leaning over it. Yes .... the coordinates were right .... what the hell? No. This shouldn't be. He'd been to Earth in the future before, and it had never looked like this. He'd seen Earth in so many different ways -- but never like this.

What he'd seen outside of the Tardis had looked as though it was completely abandoned, devoid of any life. That coldn't be. This couldn't be some form of Earth. If so, it was one that he'd never seen before, and that in itself couldn't be possible.

He studied Earth, through all of its time periods. He'd made it a point to know Earth history -- and even to meddle in it a few times, when it had been for the planet's own good. He knew Earth more thoroughly than anyone. He was willing to stake anything on that. Well, nearly anything.

Why did it seem as though there were no people here? Earth couldn't be .... dead. There had to be humans somewhere. But from what he could tell from looking at all the readings that the Tardis was giving him, there was no sign of human life. None but ....

He turned his head as John came into the main room of the Tardis, holding out his hand to his love. It shouldn't be possible, but there it was. Somehow, something had happened to Earth -- at least in this timeline. Unless something had gone terribly wonky with what the Tardis was telling him, John was, apparently, the only human life here.

They were apparently both the last of their kind -- well, at least in this time, the Doctor thought with a shock. This was something he definitely hadn't expected. How in the hell was he going to tell John that he was the last human on Earth?

And .... what could have possibly happened here? He wanted to find out, but he didn't want to throw John into a situation that he might not be able to deal with. For all he knew, the human race in this timeline could have been exterminated by some hostile race -- and if they were still around, taking John out there might put him in danger.

Could they have somehow slipped through a rift without him knowing it, and be in a parallel universe? The thought chilled the Doctor's blood in his veins. What if it were the same universe that she was in -- and she demanded that he leave John there with her?

He couldn't do it. He wouldn't do it. John was his, dammit. He wouldn't give up the man he loved for the whims of some petulant child who had no idea what real love was, and only based her feelings on how he looked and what he could do for her. That was no kind of life to condemn John to, with a spoiled, selfish brat. No. He'd never even consider it.

And he couldn't be forced to give John up. He would die first -- and let John die with him. It wasn't something he wanted to do -- more for John's sake than for his own -- but if it came down to that, he would sacrifice them both.

If they had come through some sort of rift .... then there was a way to go back through it. Well, he could only hope so. If he could set the coordinates of the Tardis to take them back the way they had come, then they should be all right. Of course, he had no idea if they actually had fallen into another universe -- but he would have to take that chance.

The strange thing was, here, the playing field was somehow evened between John and himself. They were more akin than ever if John was indeed the last human in this world. Both of them, the last of their kind. The last Time Lord, the last human. And both cut from the same cloth.

That thought almost made him want to stay here -- in a place where he could feel on equal ground with the man he loved. Almost. But not quite. No, there was an ominous feeling here, one that he wanted to get them away from as quickly as possible.

John had approached the console and was looking down at it, a frown on his face. The Doctor glanced at him, wondering why he was studying the console so intently -- after all, he didn't know what the readings meant. Jack had managed to learn quite a bit about the Tardis when he was with the Doctor, but no one else had really seemed to have the aptitude ....

With a shock, it occurred to him that John did actually understand the workings of the ship. After all, John was a reflection of himself -- he might have a human body, but he had a Time Lord brain. He would know just as much about the Tardis as the Doctor himself did, and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to shed some light on this.

Maybe John could see something that he himself had passed over. He moved to stand beside his lover, glancing down at the console and then at John's face.

"We can't be on Earth -- at least, not the Earth that we're used to in our dimension," John murmured thoughtfully, his eyes still on the console. "There are too many differences. Minute, yes -- but it's obvious that this isn't the Earth we're used to being on."

"Yes, I'd thought that myself," the Doctor said softly, watching John covertly, wondering just how much he might be able to put together about where they were. It was a new experience for him, having someone by his side who knew as much as he did about so many things. It was a bit humbling, as well, to realize that this man was his equal mentally.

Of course he was, the Doctor chided himself. John was him -- they had the same mind, the same memories. If he thought about that fact for too long, it would seem bizarre, unreal, something that couldn't possibly happen.

And it would make his head ache. Better to put the thought out of his mind.

"I think we should go back the way we came," John told the Time Lord, looking over at him with an anxious expression. "Being the last human on something that looks like Earth and isn't is starting to make me feel .... hunted."

The Doctor nodded; he knew that feeling all too well. He'd been hunted himself, many times in the past, and he didn't want to put John through the same kind of fear that he'd felt at the time. He had enough to contend with; he didn't need anything else added to his problems.

"She could be waiting for me," John said in a small, trembling voice, biting his lip as though he was trying to keep his words from faltering. "She could have brought us here, trying to get to me in any way she can. I know it sounds fantastic, but --"

"I'd had that thought, too," the Doctor said softly, taking John's hand in his. "Don't worry, John. If that's the case, then I'll get you out of here as quickly as I can. I'm not giving you up -- you know that. I'll fight to keep you with me, no matter what I have to do. I'm not surrendering you to anyone -- least of all her. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know you won't," John said, his voice still wavery but sounding stronger. "And I won't leave you, no matter what might happen." He looked towards the door, obviously afraid of what could be waiting out there for them, but trying his best to hide it. "Maybe it's best if we don't go out. I don't think anything good could be waiting for us."

"I couldn't agree more," the Doctor said in a low voice, trying to hide his own nervousness from John. "This could be a trap, and it's not one I intend to fall into."

He swallowed audibly, glancing towards the closed door of the Tardis. They were safe here; nothing could get into his ship. But still, he'd feel safer once they were out of here -- wherever here was. There was an ominous feeling to this place, a feeling that he didn't want to explore, a feeling that made the short hairs at the nape of his neck prickle in a very uncomfortable way.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were somehow being observed; all the more reason to not leave the Tardis, and to get out of here as quickly as they could. He wasn't going to fall prey to his natural curiosity this time; not when he could possibly be putting the man he loved in the path of danger. He wouldn't risk anything happening to John. Not now, not ever.

"You know, this does put us on more of an even keel," he said softly, his dark eyes meeting John's gaze. "The last Time Lord .... the last human .... we're two of a kind, in a way, and even more so now. The playing field has evened out."

"I suppose it has, in a strange way," John agreed, smiling a little. "But I'm not sure that I like the reason for it. I think I'd prefer to be one among billions of humans. This is .... a little lonely."

"I know how you feel," the Doctor told him, looking down. "I've been lonely all my life. And now that I'm the last of my kind, I feel it even more acutely. I wouldn't want to condemn you to that, John. Not ever. It's enough that one of us feels this way -- and I wouldn't want you to be me. Or even be like me."

"I may be a part of you, but I could never be you," John told him, reaching out to take the Doctor's thin hand in his own. "I'm content to be a reflection of you, Doctor. There's only one you. I'm only a copy, no matter what our likenesses are."

"You're not 'only' anything," the Doctor said firmly, squeezing John's hand. "You're the most important person in my world -- and that isn't going to change." He turned back towards the console, frowning as he studied it. "Hopefully, going back the way we came will get us back to where we belong. I don't think this is the best place for us -- for you -- to be."

"I think you're right." John, too, looked towards the door of the Tardis, shivering. "I don't like the idea of being the last human on this planet. It's .... cold. Desolate." He looked back at the Doctor, his gaze compassionate. "I wish you didn't have to feel that way."

"I don't," the Time Lord said softly, returning John's gaze. "Not with you by my side. You fill up that part of me that was empty, John. You've done more to banish that loneliness than anyone else in my life ever could have."

"I'm glad," John whispered, leaning over to press a kiss against the Doctor's cheek. "You'll never have to feel alone again, you know. Not as long as I'm here."

The Doctor didn't point out to John that he was human -- and that meant that he wouldn't always be here. But why think about that now? He had John with him, and he would be here for a long time to come. There was no need to think about the future; it was far away, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that he had John with him as long as he possibly could.

"Let's see what we can do about getting ourselves back to where we belong," he said, his hands moving over the Tardis' console and setting new coordinates. "I think this will work .... brace yourself. This could be a bumpy ride."

He was right about that, the Doctor thought as the Tardis swayed to one side, then the other, almost throwing the two of them off their feet. They were both clinging to the console, holding their breaths as one, until the jolting movement stopped and the disorientation of space and time seemed to stop.

John looked over at him, his face pale and drawn. "Should we .... see if that worked?"

The Doctor looked down at the console, almost afraid to let his eyes wander over the readings. If he'd been right, they should be back on 21st-century Earth -- in their own universe. If he'd messed up .... then they could be anywhere.

He let his eyes wander over the readings -- they looked normal. But he wouldn't know for sure until he looked outside. He glanced at John, a frown on his face. Should he let the other man go with him? If they were still in the same place, and John was indeed the last human in existence, that could put him in danger. And the Doctor wouldn't allow anything to threaten him.

John settled the question for him by going to the door of the Tardis, taking a deep breath before he opened it. The Doctor's heartbeats seemed to quicken, his breath catching in his throat.

They were on what looked to be a bustling city street, crowds of people walking by the innocuous blue police box. A few people gave the Tardis a curious look, but none of them stopped. They were all too busy, too intent on their lives.

Humans. Living, breathing, garden-variety humans. The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding; the tension slowly seeped out of his body, leaving him feeling weak, but in a good way. No danger here. Not that he could see, anyway.

"Come on," he told John, moving to the door and taking the other man's hand. "Let's see what we can manage to get ourselves into this time." He tugged the other man outside and closed the door behind them, the two of them merging into the crowd of people within seconds.

***