Title: Family of Two
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Michael Cutter
Fandom: Doctor Who/Law & Order
Rating: PG-13
Table: 100_tales
Prompt: 24, Family
Warning: ongoing story, past non-con
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 Michael Cutter, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***


The Doctor rolled over onto his side, looking at the man sleeping comfortably beside him. It wasn't often that he could watch Michael like this; the other man was a light sleeper, and if the Doctor awoke at night, he usually did too.

But tonight, Michael slept on, apparently unaware that he was being observed. The Doctor reached out to trail gentle fingertips down the side of his lover's face, not taking his eyes away from those handsome features. He couldn't have pulled his gaze away if he had wanted to.

What was it about this face that had captured him from the first time he'd laid eyes on Michael Cutter? That seemed so long ago, even though it had only been a few months. So much had happened to the two of them since then.

They'd had so many marvelous times between them: walking in the park, watching the sun set on the roof of the building that Michael lived in, the long hours they'd spent making love. But there had also been bad times, though he didn't particularly like remembering those.

A slight shudder went through his thin body as the less palatable memories of his time with Mike swept over him: Michael's kidnapping and rape, then being forced to bow out of his job as ADA because there were some intolerant people who couldn't deal with him being gay.

They were well away from the world that Michael had existed in before, the Doctor told himself firmly, pushing those thoughts away. It wasn't a place where either of them belonged.

Michael had adjusted well to traveling on the Tardis; in spite of having a bit of a difficult time wrapping his mind around the fact that he was involved with an alien, and the fact that the Tardis was indeed a ship, he'd really been a wonderful companion.

And he would continue to be, for years to come, the Doctor said to himself, moving closer to Michael under the covers. Unless his lover told him that he wanted to go back to Earth, the Time Lord planned for the two of them to be together for a very long time to come.

Of course, they would probably go back to Earth periodically, he told himself with a slight sigh. He'd never been able to stay away from that planet, and even though he'd always run in very different circles than those Mike knew, they would undoubtedly spend time there.

He had no idea if Mike would want to see his family; his lover had never talked about his parents, or any siblings he might have. The only people he had ever mentioned being close to were his colleagues at work, rather than those he had blood ties with.

It was a bit strange that a human would have that sort of attitude, the Doctor thought with a frown. Those he had known well generally had fond memories of their families.

But there could be some sort of family rift in Mike's background -- possibly due to his being gay, the Time Lord thought, brushing a few strands of hair back from his boyfriend's forehead. There was really no telling what the situation was without talking to Mike about it.

And besides, did it really matter? he asked himself. It wasn't his place to inquire into Michael's family background. Unless the other man brought it up, he really had no right to ask questions, even if he was interested.

What was Michael's family like? He'd never brought up the subject with his lover, feeling that if Michael wanted him to know, then he would tell. But he couldn't help feeling an interest in these people, since they had, in some ways, shaped who his lover would become.

Had they been supportive of his ambition to become a lawyer? Were they proud of him, or had they wanted their son to do something different with his life? Were they accepting of the fact that he was gay, or had they turned their backs on him once he came out?

Or -- and he knew that this was a very big possibility -- had Michael never come out to them, letting them believe that he was interested in women?

He knew that Mike had been with women, so that was a very plausible scenario. But there was something about the thought that didn't quite ring true. Michael wasn't the type of person to hide who he was from his family, or from the people closest to him.

What were these people like? Did they love their son, and accept him for who he was? Or was there a reason that Mike never talked about them, and didn't seem to be particularly close to his family? The Doctor couldn't keep the questions from crowding into his mind.

One thing was definite, he thought, a smile forming on his lips as his fingertips traced the curve of his boyfriend's cheek. Michael had certainly inherited good genes from his family; if he'd ever chosen to have children, they would have inherited a consummate beauty.

Did Michael look more like his mother, his father, or a combination of the two? The Doctor couldn't help but smile wryly at that thought; he himself had looked like neither of his parents when he was younger. And now .... well, he'd been in ten different bodies.

He certainly couldn't be expected to carry any familial resemblance to his parents now, even if they had still been alive for anyone to make a comparison.

In a way, he envied Michael the ability to be able to look at two people and trace his ancestry back through them. There were times when he wished that he could look at his parents and see himself in them -- at least in the physical sense.

But he had given up the ability to do that when he'd become a Time Lord -- just as he'd given up other things. And he'd never regretted that for a second. The advantages of being who and what he was far outweighed the disadvantages.

Would Mike have given in to what seemed to be a constant societal pressure amongst humans and had children if he had stayed on Earth? The Doctor couldn't help wondering about that, either. And whether or not Mike would have eventually gotten married.

Of course, he could always have adopted, if he was in a relationship with a man. But given the rather straightlaced profession he'd been in, there would have been so much pressure on him to be married, to have a family -- and there was no telling which route he would have gone.

The Doctor smiled and shook his head, dismissing that thought as soon as it came into his head. He knew what Michael would have chosen to do.

Michael would have been true to himself, and to who he was. He wouldn't have gotten married; he would never have lied to himself and to the rest of the world about who he was. He wouldn't be with someone he didn't love just for the sake of appearances or propriety.

This man who he'd fallen in love with adhered to principles that most people would turn their backs on if they seemed too hard. It was only one of the many reasons he'd lost his heart to Michael, but it was one of the most important ones.

If Mike's family didn't accept him, then that was their loss, the Doctor thought to himself, wrapping both arms around Michael's waist and pulling him closer. The other man stirred in his sleep, resting his head against the Time Lord's shoulder but not waking up.

He'd have to ask Mike about his family sometime, but he'd wait until his lover seemed in the right mood to bring up the subject. He wasn't prying, not really. He just wanted to know what Michael's home and family had been like; it was natural to be curious about that sort of thing.

And it really didn't matter if his lover wanted to cut all ties with his family, the Doctor thought as he closed his eyes and snuggled down under the warm covers. He'd support that decision if it was what the other man wanted, with no questions asked.

As far as he was concerned, they were a family of two. He didn't need more than Michael in the way of family to make him happy -- and if his lover felt the same way, that was a decision that he would be happy to accept.

***