Title: Don't You Worry
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ten.5
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 100moods
Prompt: 100, Worried
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 tried to suppress a shudder as he stared at the Doctor across the console of the Tardis. "What do you mean, he's back?" he blurted out before he stopped to think about what he was saying. "He couldn't have simply popped in out of nowhere, could he?"

The Doctor smiled wryly before he braced himself for the slight displacement that always happened when the Tardis shimmered out of existence on one plane and entered another. "You'd be surprised at all that the Master can do, Jamie. I shouldn't have to tell you that."

Jamie sighed, knowing that the Doctor was right. "I know how sneaky he can be -- but when we were on that planet, shouldn't I have been able to sense him just as much as you could?" he asked, a frown furrowing his brow. "After all, I should have all of your abilities."

"I don't know about that." The Doctor looked thoughtful, leaning against the console and crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't think you're inferior to me, love, you know that. But when we brought you back to life in the Chameleon Arch, it may have taken some things away from you."

"You mean that I might not have all of the connections to you that I had before," Jamie murmured, hoping that those words weren't true. He didn't want to think that being given the gift of becoming a Time Lord meant that he would have to give up being a part of the Doctor.

No, that couldn't be true, he told himself firmly. He was more a part of the Doctor now than he had ever been -- because something of his lover's spirit had been transferred into him when they had gone through the Arch. They would be more connected now than ever.

That was something he shouldn't worry about. He and the Doctor would always be connected -- not only by their mutual experiences and the fact that he was literally part of the other man, but through the love they would always have for each other.

"We'll just have to wait and see exactly what we both might have lost and gained," the Doctor said, sounding less worried than he had a few moments before. Jamie could tell that he was trying to push those worries away; something was bothering him that he didn't want to talk about.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft and questioning. "I know that you're worried about the Master coming back into our lives, but when you stop to think about it, he's always there. He just hovers around the background, and waits for a chance to jump out and surprise us."

The Doctor looked startled at Jamie's words; his dark eyes widened, and then he slowly nodded, heaving a deep sigh. "You're right, Jamie. He is always there -- in spite of the fact that I like to pretend he's not, if we're not dealing with him directly."

Jamie could only reply with a sigh and a nod; he hated admitting that the Master was never far from their minds, even if they hadn't had to deal with him for quite a while. He would always be there, always disturbing their peace of mind, until they confronted him again.

There would always be a simmering anger inside both of them against the Master, and Jamie was tired of having to harbor such a negative emotion in his hearts. He wanted that confrontation over with, put behind them, so they could get on with the rest of their lives.

But really, he couldn't be the one to hasten that confrontation; the Doctor had to be the one to do so. After all, the Doctor was the one who had faced down the Master innumerable times in the past; it was his right to be the one who stepped up to the plate this time.

It would probably be easier to run from that confrontation, to only deal with the Master when he did something that they couldn't ignore. But if they did that, if they turned their backs and let him wreak havoc, then they could be responsible for untold tragedies in the world.

The Doctor worried about things like that; he always had. And now that he himself was a Time Lord, Jamie knew how much those worries weighed on his lover's mind. He couldn't let the Doctor face those worries alone; he had to share in them, be there by the other man's side.

It was no wonder the Doctor worried, he told himself, sighing again without realizing it. The Master was capable of so much unmitigated evil; he'd seen that with his own eyes, and he knew it from the Doctor's memories. They couldn't let him continue to keep spreading that evil.

The Doctor had a legitimate worry, and he had to admit that he wasn't exactly feeling at ease about having to confront the Master any time soon. He was still getting used to the fact that he was a Time Lord, still trying to adjust to all the ways he had changed.

But one thing hadn't changed, he told himself firmly. His feelings for the Doctor hadn't been diminished -- they had only seemed to grow stronger now that he felt that they were both on equal footing. He felt closer to his lover than he ever had before.

Close enough to share all of his cares and worries, even though the Doctor insisted that he didn't want to burden Jamie with some of those thoughts. Jamie wanted to share that burden, though it was hard to convince the Doctor that he should be allowed to do so.

"I don't know whether I wish I could have sensed him on that planet or not," he said thoughtfully, his words coming out slowly. "But I could definitely see the trouble he'd caused. The suspicions and the fear. That's what's he's always been so good at spreading."

The Doctor nodded somberly, heaving a sigh. "Yes, and that's why I've always felt that I needed to stop him," he said, his voice very low. "I've never quite been able to do that, though. Every time I'd thought that I had, he managed to escape. He's a slippery devil."

"We'll get him eventually -- and put him in some place where he can't bring misery and suffering to so many people," Jamie said softly, hoping that he sounded more assured about that than he felt. "Don't you worry, Doctor. We'll be able to achieve that goal at some point."

"But at what cost?" the Doctor asked, still looking troubled. "I don't want to put any other lives at risk, Jamie. It's bad enough that I have to risk our lives to defeat him. It's far past time that I confronted him for a final time -- but I've learned from experience that final confrontations often end in tragedy."

"It won't this time," Jamie said firmly, hoping fervently that his words were true. "You forget, Doctor -- there are two of us now. And two is bound to be better than one, right? If we put our heads together, and if we stand strong against him, then we'll come out on top in the end."

"I certainly hope so, Jamie," the Doctor told him, heaving another sigh. "There could come a time when the fate of worlds depends on whether or not we can stop whatever plans the Master has laid. I'm worried that might be the case this time."

"Don't you worry," Jamie said again, wishing that he could take the burden of worry from his lover's slender shoulders, but knowing that wasn't possible. All he could do was share that burden, and try to lighten it. "We'll defeat him, Doctor. Together, you and I are unstoppable."

The Doctor smiled at that, his gaze resting on Jamie affectionately. "I think you might be right about that," he murmured, his voice very soft. "I keep forgetting that I'm not going up against him alone any more. And after all -- two Time Lords are better than one."

Jamie couldn't help but smile at those words; he knew that he hadn't managed to eradicate the Doctor's worries completely, but it seemed that he was well on his way to doing so. And anyway, they both had good reason to be worried about the Master's plans.

Their worries might not come to pass -- but Jamie was fairly sure that they would. After all, the Master was devious -- and destructive. He didn't doubt that their nemesis would find more and more new ways of making them worry -- until they stopped him for good.

That wasn't going to be easy to do, he admitted to himself. But they would somehow manage to find a way. He was convinced that he and the Doctor, together, were an unbeatable team. No matter what adversity they faced, they would fight those demons, and win the day.

"We need to stop worrying so much about this, and just try to be prepared to confront him when we need to," he finally said, keeping his voice soft and controlled. "And for the moment, I can think of much better things to do than to let ourselves worry about him."

"Oh, I can certainly agree with that," the Doctor said with a smile, sliding his arms around Jamie's waist and pulling him close. As their lips met, Jamie was sure that he'd managed to take the Doctor's mind away from his worries -- at least for the time being.

***