Title: Breathe Deeply Now
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ten.5
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: Cadenza challenge, 5_prompts
Prompt: Chorus -- Breathe in deep
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.

***

Jamie took a deep breath as he looked out of the Tardis at the sparkling water that seemed to stretch forever to the horizon. It didn't seem possible that they were back on the same beach they'd been on when he had thought he would have to leave the Time Lord.

For just a moment, Jamie's resolve to take a walk on that beach faltered, his thoughts turning dark and disturbing. Was it possible that the Doctor had brought him here for some reason other than simply being together, taking a walk on a beautiful stretch of clear beach?

Could the Doctor have brought him here because he wanted to be on his own again? Could she be somehow waiting somewhere, ready to wrap him in misery and whisk him off to a life in an alternate dimension, a life that he didn't want -- a life without the Doctor?

No, he told himself firmly, shaking his head and stepping out of the Tardis on bare feet, out onto the firm warmth of the golden sand under his feet. The Doctor wouldn't do that to him. He'd already said so many times that he would never give Jamie up.

He wasn't going to be abandoned, not to anyone, and least of all to her. He was a part of the Doctor's life -- not ony his life, but his hearts and soul, his very being. The two of them were far too close for either of them to think that they could be separated.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he headed out to the waves, his head down, not looking around him. The beach was deserted; there was no one else there, but he wanted to concentrate on his own thoughts for a few moments.

The Doctor had told him that he was a part of this planet, part of the billions of people who existed here, simply because he was human. If that was true, then the Doctor himself was connected irrevocably to this planet by virtue of being half-human.

The Time Lord had never denied his human side; in fact, he'd embraced it by letting himself become so involved with Earth and so many of the people there. And now he had someone else to make his ties to Earth even stronger, Jamie reflected, kicking up sand as he walked along.

He was slowly growing used to the fact that he was in a human body, that he didn't have two hearts any more, and that he had to accept the fact of his ridiculously short life span. He couldn't allow himself to think like a Time Lord any more, even though he had a Time Lord brain.

He wasn't a Time Lord. Not any more. He had the Doctor's memories, and a brain capacity that was more than anything a human could imagine, but he was trapped within the frailty of a body that was all too human, and too vulnerable.

Jamie didn't hear the Doctor moving behind him until the Time Lord slid an arm around his waist; he gasped softly, his head jerking up, his dark eyes widening. His senses weren't as acute in this human body; he hadn't even realized that his lover was following him.

"What are you thinking about, love?" the Doctor asked him, his voice soft and gentle. "I could sense that you're disturbed about something. I was hoping that coming here would soothe your mind, not make you feel more agitated. What's wrong?"

Jamie shook his head, at a loss to describe exactly what he was feeling. "I'm not sure, really. I guess I just feel .... a little unsettled, being here on the same beach where I thought that I was going to be forced to leave you forever."

"Maybe this wasn't the best place to go -- but it's so beautiful and peaceful here," the Doctor murmured, looking out at the waves. "I know the beach isn't one of your favourite places because of everything that happened here, but we both have to move past that."

"I know." Jamie stopped walking, looking out at the horizon where the sky met the sea. He had to admit that there was something comforting about knowing that he was part of this planet, part of the race that made its home here, part of a place he could call his own.

No matter where the two of them traveled in the galaxy, he would always belong on Earth, in some ways. He was human -- and there was some inner connection that pulled him towards this planet. He might not feel that he fit in yet, but maybe that would come with time.

He drew in a deep breath, then another, letting the sat air of the sea fill his lungs. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before -- somehow, just breathing in the cool sea breeze of this beach where his short life had taken a turn for the better made him feel .... well, free.

What was it about this place that both attracted and repelled him? He knew why he felt uneasy here; he was expecting her to turn up at any second, holding out shackles to chain him to her, to force him into a life that he would never be happy in.

That wasn't going to happen, Jamie told himself sternly. She was back in that alternate dimension -- and the Doctor had made sure that she wouldn't be able to make any more attempts at destroying worlds simply to satisfy her own selfish, childish desires.

He had nothing to fear here. This was part of Earth, the planet that he had more of a connection to than any other place he could possibly go. This was the place where the Doctor had made the decision to take him away in the Tardis -- the place where his life had truly begun.

He drew in another deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to let the peace of the place sink into him. This place was beautiful; it could be somewhere that he found peace and tranquility, if he could push the remembrance of the last time he'd been here out of his mind.

The Doctor was standing behind him, sliding both arms around his waist and letting him lean back into a warm, comforting embrace. "Breathe deeply now," the Time Lord whispered into his ear. "Breathe in the sea air, Jamie. Let yourself relax."

Jamie nodded, closing his eyes and doing as the Doctor told him to. Behind him, he could feel the other man's chest expand as the Time Lord took a deep breath along with him; he could feel his heart beating a little faster at the thought that they were in such accord.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes, his gaze focusing on the horizon again. The sea looked never-ending; it was amazing how it seemed to go on and on forever, until it met the sky. He knew that it didn't, of course, but it was a fascinating illusion.

"There's something about this place that draws me in," he said softly, not taking his gaze from the waves as they rolled in to froth on the sand. "I don't know what it is, but I feel more comfortable here than I'd thought I would. Maybe it's just because this is where I feel my life really began."

"It's where our life together began," the Doctor told him, bowing his head to press a gentle kiss against Jamie's cheek, his soft lips trailing a line of fire down the other man's throat. "So it's only right that we should come back here once in a while, isn't it?"

Jamie nodded, drawing another deep breath into his lungs. He was getting used to the scent of the sea; breathing deeply released all of his doubts, letting them seep out of him to float away on the sea breeze as though they had never existed.

There was nothing in his life that he need worry about, he told himself, feeling the tension ebb out of him. He was with the man he loved, and that was where he would stay. They could go anywhere in the world -- they had a whole universe to choose from.

But they would always come back here, to the planet he was a part of. The Doctor was a part of it, too, in some ways -- and both of them had a sense of belonging here. It wasn't a home in the sense that most people thought of home, but it was enough for the two of them.

Jamie took another deep breath, smiling as he turned in the Doctor's embrace to face the other man and slide his arms around that slender waist. As their lips met, he knew that both of them were exactly where they belonged, and that this planet would always be home for them from now on.

***