Title: Take It Away
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Frank Martin
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: VRD challenge - Blue, 5_prompts
Prompt: Off we go into the wild blue yonder
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.

***

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Frank?" the Doctor asked softly as the two of them headed for the Tardis. "This isn't the safest thing that you can do for yourself, you know. There are other species out there in the universe that are more dangerous than the Daleks."

Frank had assured him over and over again that he wanted them to be together, but he had to be absolutely sure in his own mind that he was doing the right thing. He could always bring the young man back, but he didn't want to have to make that choice.

The young man looked over at him and nodded, heaving a sigh. "Doctor, I don't know how many times I can tell you that this is what I want. I don't have any illusions about what I'm going into. I know it's not going to be all fun and games."

"Indeed it won't," the Doctor said, his own sigh echoing Frank's. "I've got a lot of enemie in the galaxy, and not a one of them will hesitate to use you against me if they know that I care about you. So that's one thing we'll have to be careful of."

"You mean that we'll have to hide what we feel for each other?" Frank asked, a frown settling onto his features. "That's something we shouldn't have to do, no matter where we are. I've had enough of that here on Earth. It's ridiculous that we should have to hide."

"No, that isn't what I mean," the Doctor hastened to explain. "We don't have to hide what we feel, but it's probably going to be advisable not to shout it from the rooftops. The last thing I want is for one of my enemies to try and kidnap you."

"I'm not going to let that happen, Doctor," Frank told him firmly, shaking his head. "I'm good at getting out of bad situations. You've already seen that. Believe me, it's not going to be easy for any of your enemies to get the better of me."

"I hope you're right," the Time Lord said softly as they approached the Tardis. He laid a hand on the door of the ship, turning to Frank before he pushed it open. "What you're going to see may take some getting used to. Don't try to take it all in at once, all right?"

Frank nodded, taking a deep breath as the Doctor pushed the door open and held it for him to step inside the ship. His eyes widened as he stopped at the foot of the steps, looking around dazedly as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Is this real?" he asked, his tone filled with wonder. The Doctor moved behind him, slipping an arm around the young man's waist and helping up the three steps that led into the control room. "It doesn't seem like something that's part of this world."

"That's because she isn't," the Doctor told him, keeping his voice soft and reassuring. "I've told you that I'm not from our planet, Frank. You know that. And the Tardis isn't either. She's from my home planet, Gallifrey. And she's much more than just a ship."

"I guessed that." Frank laid a hand on the Tardis' console, then pulled it away, as though he expected the ship to take offense at being touched. "Is it okay if you take me on a tour of the ship?" he asked, his voice hesitant. "I want to see everything here."

The Doctor laughed, leaning against the console and crossing his arms over his chest. "It would take you years to see every part of the Tardis," he told his companion, his dark eyes sparkling. "But yes, I'll take you on a bit of a tour later. First, we need to decide where we're going."

"We can go anywhere, can't we? Anywhere in time and space?" Frank asked, his eyes widening as if he had just realized exactly what those words meant. "We could go back into ancient times, or forward into a future I've never even dreamed of."

The Doctor nodded, smiling at Frank's wonderment. "Yes, we can. There's so much for you to see, things that you would never have thought could be possible. You may have a bit of a hard time adjusting at first, but I've no doubt that you will."

"I plan to," Frank laughed, recovering his equilibrium and looking around. "This is a lot to take in, but I'll do it. If I could wrap my brain around the Daleks, then I think I could get used to anything. I've seen some pretty bizarre things, you know."

"The Daleks are only one of the strange things you'll see in the universe," the Doctor told him, shaking his head. "There are the Cybermen, the Vashta Nerada -- though I hope we won't run into them -- and ...." His voice trailed off, a scowl replacing his smile.

"And what?" Frank asked, curious about what the Time Lord had been on the verge of saying. "What else could there be that's worse than the Daleks? Whatever it is, it must be one hell of a scary thing to face, judging from that frown."

"The Master," the Doctor said in a soft voice. "Another Time Lord -- one that I've known since we were just children, centuries ago. He ran mad long ago -- and if I have one single deadliest enemy in the universe, then he would be it."

"Well, he'll have to face the two of us if we happen to run into him," Frank declared, turning to face the Time Lord. "So when do we leave? I'm ready to head off into the wild blue yonder any time you are. Just say the word, and tell me where we're going."

The Doctor took a deep breath, his gaze meeting Frank's and a smile spreading over his face. "Right you are!" He moved towards the console, looking down at it and then back at Frank. "Is there any special place you'd like to go? Or should we just spin the wheel of fortune?"

"Let's go to the future!" Frank exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as his gaze met the Doctor's. "I want to see everything. I want to know what the future of Earth is like, and I want to see other planets. I even want to go back in time. Maybe see a Shakespearean play."

"You want to do a lot, don't you?" the Time Lord teased, smiling at Frank's exuberance. "Well, we've got time," he said, leaning over the console and pressing a button. "We should be on our way to the future in a few seconds. I hope you're ready to be carried away."

"Take it away, Doctor," Frank laughed, coming to stand beside the Time Lord. He slipped an arm around the Gallifreyan's slim waist, pulling the Doctor close against him as they both felt the displacement of time and space that told them the Tardis was on her way to a new destination.

***