Ever since he was a child, he dreamt of the stars. He was told of adventures of those pioneers of space and time, and of how they always travelled with friends and like minded individuals. Even as a young child, he promised that he would one day be like one of them, and travel those stars. As time would go on, however, he would learn that fate would have its hand. His promise slowly became a small sliver of hope. A hope that one day he will travel the stars.
And for a time, it was indeed just a hope, or a small dream.
It wasn't until Susan, that he realized how much he needed to see the stars. Susan was not any ordinary Time Lord child. When she was only a few months old, he saw her watching the night sky. And instead of playing with the other children, Susan would often be found alone, staring up into that brilliant orange sky. He saw this child as a sign. A sign that he was not meant to live on Gallifrey.
When Susan finally became an age of reasonable and rational thinking, it was when the two finally realized that Gallifrey was no longer their home. As they snuck into that repair shop, a Time Lady spot them. Instead of calling security, she helped them select their ship. He never met that woman, but it didn't matter. He would probably never see her again. He probably would never see his planet again. But that was okay. He would finally see the stars.
The moment he entered that ship, he froze. He looked up at the ship's interior and could not stop smiling. He felt like crying. His hearts were filling with such happiness he couldn't contain it. It Susan, who was skipping and laughing with joy, that brought him out of his trance. He immediately regained control over his emotions and placed his hands atop the console panel of the ship. He looked around.
The Doctor smiled as the ship began to groan and tremble. It was the start of something absolutely amazing. He could just sense it.
Years would pass. Many years indeed. Centuries passed. And he was right. His adventures would be amazing. He saw it all; wonderful planets, brilliant civilizations, and incredible moments in history. Yet, while he met those incredibly kind creatures, he found one planet, with one species in particular that he would grow found of. Planet Earth, home of the Humans. He found himself befriending the people of this world, taking them to see those cosmos that he had once dreamed of seeing. Many different people walked through that door of his ship. And they all had the same look about them; the spirit of curiosity and adventure. But he always failed to remember the price of these "companions"...
They leave him. Yeah, sometimes he would leave them. Often times it was for the best, for their safety. But it didn't matter. It always hurt him. And no matter what he said, no matter what he told others, he always found himself befriending the humans and taking them with him. But behind his poker face, those smiles that said goodbye, he was braking.
When that Last Great Time War had drawn to a close, he looked at his reflection on his ships console. A new face. A new chance to travel. He had been alone for sometime now... After he entered the war, he stopped traveling and started to fight. But with his race gone, he again remembered that Gallifrey was no longer home. He promised he would redeem himself for those actions. He would defend those who were defenseless. And with that he set a course for Earth. The Doctor reborn. A "Ninth Doctor".
As time went on, he met many new people, traveling with new companions, Rose and Jack. However, he would say goodbye to the two. Jack would move on to greater things and Rose... He lost Rose... Rose brought him back. She showed him the good in him, and for that, he loved her. But she was gone. He promised that he would travel alone. But no. He could not find himself to do so. Instead he promised to love no other. He met Martha. He showed her the past and future, but it became to much. She couldn't bear to be with this man who couldn't love on a deep level. Then came Donna. This woman was different as she did not wish to seek a romantic interest, but rather be someone who was worth something. And together, he showed her that she was important. But at the end, the cost of their travels put her in danger. He wiped her memories of him, and he would never be able to see her.
At the end of his so called, "Tenth", he was still alone. But at the start of the "Eleventh", he decided he would travel again with others. The couple Amelia Pond and Rory Williams traveled with him. Sharing adventures and times that he would never, ever forget. He found something that he had lost a long time ago with the two: A family. And he was happy. However, they both learned that it was safest for them that he travelled alone. Or at least, they learned that they would simply travel with him from time to time. It did not matter for him.
The Doctor was his family. And he was happy.
He forgot the price of having companions. They leave him. It was in that New York cemetery that he lost his Amelia and Rory. To say that this destroyed him would be a massive understatement. If not for River Song, who knows if he would have kept on living. He instead withdrew himself. He hid himself away from humanity. He swore to himself that he would never grow close to these humans, for all it ever did was hurt him. He retreated to a time when he knew that there would not be any danger to humanity, so that he would not be tempted to save them. So he would not be tempted to befriend them.
However, fate had, once again, a different plan, when one night he walked through the cold London streets. A nighttime flurry had been falling over the city. He only went walking at night, walking in the darkened alleyways. He did his best to ignore others when they spoke to him, or to just simply keep his answers short. But this night, he would have no idea what would be before him. As he continued walking, he passed by a short woman and a snowman...
Clara. Her name was Clara. She died helping him fight against an ancient enemy of his. And he felt it was his fault that she had died. But she was different to any other companion he had ever met. In fact, he had met her before. And now, he promised her that he would meet her again. He ran to his ship with the mission of finding her.
The Doctor smiled as the ship began to groan and tremble. It was the start of something absolutely amazing. He could just sense it. Just as he had so many years ago...