Title: The Distance To Here
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Giacomo Casanova
Fandom: Doctor Who/Casanova (Masterpiece Theater)
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5, sound_of_drums
Prompt: 35, Distance
Author's Note: The character of Giacomo Casanova is based on the BBC version of Casanova starring David Tennant.
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 Giacomo Casanova. Please do not sue.

***


The Doctor looked down at the instrument panel on the Tardis, a smile on his face. It would only be a few minutes now until he was back in 18th-century Italy, with Giac. It seemed like forever since he'd seen his lover, though it had only been a short time.

How long had it been? he asked himself, leaning on the console and propping his chin on his hands as he thought. By his calculations, it had been a bit over three months. But he was going back to only a few days after he'd left -- at least, he hoped he was.

He couldn't bear the thought of making his beloved Giac wait months at a time for them to see each other again, even though he himself suffered through a great deal of time away from the man he loved. But that was one of the drawbacks of being who he was.

Hopefully, he would be able to get the Tardis back to the point in time that he wanted to be at. There had been a few times when he'd overshot the mark a bit, and he'd gone back months in the future instead of days, which he hated to do.

That was worrisome; he really should know how to pilot the Tardis better than that, considering how long he'd been doing this.

But that was just another of the vagaries of being himself, he supposed. Besides, the Tardis could have a mind of her own -- if she decided that she didn't want to be where he'd directed her to go, she could easily take it upon herself to end up in another place.

He wondered how long it would take him to find Giac once he was there; he always worried that he'd show up when his lover was having one of his bad bouts, and find the other man in a debtor's prison, or worse. But so far, that hadn't happened.

For some odd reason, Giac always seemed to somehow know when he would be there. He wasn't really waiting, but he never seemed surprised to see the Doctor -- and they always seemed to meet easily, as though Giac had known he would appear.

Maybe that was what being deeply in love did to someone, he thought with a smile. Giac could sense that he was near, even when he had no warning of it. It was somehow comforting to know that there was someone in the universe who sensed his presence.

It didn't matter if that person was from another time than what he was used to. The emotions were what mattered, not the time period they were given in.

There was always so much distance separating them, the Doctor thought sadly. If only it was possible for him to be more a part of Giac's life, to spend more time with the man he loved. But he'd known from the beginning that it couldn't happen.

He had to be happy with what they had, and not ask for more. It was enough that he had Giac's love, that he would always be the person closest to his heart. He had to remember that this man had a life to lead that didn't involve him, a life that would go down in history.

It had to be enough for him to be a part of Giac's soul. That was more than most other people could say they had of him, even if he was their lover for however brief a time. They were only passing fancies. They didn't own a piece of Giac's heart.

But sometimes, the distance between them seemed insurmountable, especially when he was far away, in another galaxy and another time. Then, all he wanted to do was reach out for his love, to be held in those strong arms and told that he never had to fear being alone again.

Being alone was the price he paid for being who and what he was. But at least there were times when he could lie in Giac's arms and know that he was loved.

He felt a slight displacement, and then a barely audible thump. The Doctor smiled as he straightened up and looked towards the door; that told him that the Tardis had materialized, and from whta he could tell, he was where he needed to be.

She hardly ever placed him somewhere that he shouldn't be when she brought him back to this time. Of course she wouldn't do that; the Tardis knew how he felt about Giac, and she seemed to have a warmth towards him herself.

He couldn't help smiling at that thought; the Tardis was something of a typical female in that respect. Giac was impossible to resist, at least in his mind -- so it didn't surprise him at all that his ship was also charmed by the man he was in love with.

Heading for the door, he took a deep breath before reaching out his hand to open it. Would Giac be there, waiting for him, somehow having known that he would be there? Or would he have to go looking for his lover, as he'd done a few times before?

The only way to find out would be to step outside of the Tardis. He pushed the door open and exited the ship, looking around him with interest.

Giac wasn't there, but the Doctor had no doubt that the other man would find him soon enough. He always did; there seemed to be some emotional current that connected the two of them and led Giac unerringly to his side.

As his love had told him more than once, he traveled a great distance to be here, and the least that he could do was be ready and waiting when the Time Lord arrived. He wasn't really aware of what that distance was, but the Doctor appreciated the thought.

The Tardis had landed in an alley, not far from one of the many bridges overlooking a canal. The Doctor strolled down the street to the bridge, leaning over the parapet and watching the quickly flowing water. How long would it be before Giac found him?

That question was answered quickly enough; he felt a pair of strong arms slipping around his waist, heard Giac's soft voice in his ear. The other man had located him within minutes of his arrival, as surely as though he had some sort of compass to guide him.

"Hello, my love." That softly accented, flowing voice, those soft lips brushing against his cheek. The Doctor leaned back into Giac's arms, a smile curving his lips.

"Hello yourself." This was where he belonged, the only place that he ever wanted to be. He missed this more and more every time he had to leave; it was comforting to know that he could always return, and Giac would always welcome him with open arms.

"I've missed you. Have you been well?" It was the usual conversation that they had when the Doctor first showed up, but there was nothing stilted or awkward about it. It was the conversation of two long-time lovers who were used to each other.

"As well as I can be without you." The Doctor turned to face Giac, sliding his arms around the other man's waist. "I've missed you terribly. It's good to be back, love. And I plan to stay for a few days this time, so we'll have a bit of time together."

Giac's handsome face broke into a smile, his dark eyes locking with the Doctor's steady gaze. "Even over the great distance, I could feel that you were coming to me. And you know that I am always here to welcome you -- and to love you."

The Doctor rested his forehead against Giac's, his arms tightening around the other man's waist. No, the distance to here wasn't so great. Not when their hearts connected over that distance -- and they were both sure of the love and security that awaited them.

***