Title: Forget Me Not
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Frank Martin
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 30_forbidden
Prompt: 11, Forget
Author's Note: Frank didn't have a last name on the show, so I took the liberty of giving him one. Slight spoilers for Daleks in Manhattan & The Evolution of the Daleks.
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 Frank Martin, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

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The Doctor sat back in his chair at the Tardis' console, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't planned on going back to Earth, but that was exactly where he was heading -- though he couldn't say just why he was on his way there.

It seemed a long time since he'd contemplated going back to Earth, but he couldn't help feeling as though there was something drawing him back. Some sort of unfinished business, something that he'd said to someone that was scratching at the back of his mind.

Why wasn't his brain taking him back to that moment in time? It must have been something important, since it was still scuttling around in his head -- but for some reason, he couldn't quite bring that bit of business to the forefront of his thoughts.

What had he said -- and to who? The Doctor's brow furrowed in concentration for a few moments, then cleared as a smile began to spread over his face. Ah, he remembered now. He'd gone back in time to New York -- and he remembered those words as though he'd only said them yesterday.

"You can kiss me later. You too, Frank."

He hadn't meant those words in relation to his companion at the time. He hadn't wanted her to kiss him; she'd already been dangerously obsessed with him, and though he'd considered her a close friend, the fact that she wanted a romantic relationship with him had been annoying.

But Frank hadn't seemed to want anything of the kind. He and the Doctor had hardly spoken -- there had been too many people around in the few times they'd been in each other's company -- but there had been an attraction that the Time Lord had wanted to act on.

Unfortunately, he'd had to leave before he'd had a chance to act on those feelings -- and now, he had no idea if he'd be welcomed back with any kind of enthusiasm. He wasn't even sure that he could get back to that time, even though he meant to try his best to do so.

Would Frank still remember him? Or would he have forgotten the Doctor as though they'd never met? Maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to try this; there was always a risk in trying to rekindle something that might never have happened in the first place.

He had to go back, the Doctor thought with an inward sigh. He couldn't forget Frank, even though he'd told himself time and time again that it would be best if he did so. There had been such sparks between the two of them, sparks that he wanted a chance to ignite.

What would Frank say when he saw the Tardis? Would he want to come with the Doctor, explore the stars and other worlds, be his companion -- and maybe more than that? Did he feel the same attraction that the Time Lord hadn't been able to shake off?

The Doctor sighed as he sat up, looking at the coordinates he'd programmed in and hoping that they would get him back to where he wanted to be. If he'd done this right, he should be coming back within a few days of the time that he'd originally left.

What would he do once he got there? He knew how to find the little camp that he'd left behind, but he had absolutely no assurance that Frank would still be there. He had no way of knowing if the young man he remembered was even still alive.

No. He wasn't going to think like that, the Doctor told himself. Frank wasn't dead. He'd survived the Daleks; he couldn't have died in some other way, something mundane and completely unwarranted. He would still be there -- the Time Lord was sure of it.

And with any luck, he would remember the Doctor's words.

Would he have taken those words seriously? The Doctor's hearts quickened in his chest; he didn't know if Frank had taken those words seriously, or if he would have forgotten them almost as soon as they were uttered. He didn't even know if Frank was attracted to men!

Maybe this was a mistake. The Doctor sat up, looking over at the console and almost reaching for it. All he would have to do was program new coordinates, and he wouldn't go to that particular place and time. He could let himself forget about Frank, push the memory to the back of his mind.

But what if Frank remembered what he'd said -- and was waiting for the fulfillment of those words? They hadn't exactly been a promise, but they'd carried a deeper meaning, one that the Time Lord hoped no one else had picked up on.

Those words hadn't been meant as a joke -- that was what they'd been on the surface, but the Doctor hoped that the brief look he'd exchanged with Frank had told the young man that they weren't meant to be merely fun and games.

The Doctor felt the familiar displacement of time and space as the Tardis materialized; he stood up, moving to the console and looking down at the date and time. If he remembered correctly, that was a week to the day that he'd last been here.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a few moments, bringing Frank's image to mind. Yes, this was what he wanted to do. He had no idea what might happen, but he was willing to hold out a hand and take the risk that it might be rejected.

He had to take that risk. He had to know if what he'd felt was mutual -- and if it was, he had to hold on to the hope that it could be more. Heading towards the door of his ship, the Doctor turned his thoughts to what could be waiting for him, hoping that he hadn't been forgotten.

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