Author's Note: Hello, hello, and welcome to Stars Belong With You. My first foray into the Doctor Who fandom, and writing a full OC in it.
This story will be a retelling of season one, if you were to add an additional person, with a few original adventures added into the mix.
I am aiming to write a story for every Doctor, we're just starting with the 9th as he is the Doctor I originally fell in love with when I started the show.
I've consumed quite a bit of fanfic, if I'm honest, in the span of a few weeks, which is what inspired me to write this, and the one trope I will be following through is the idea of soul mates, that I noticed several authors use, which isn't so surprising. I do have plans for a bit of a twist of it on my own, and am excited to share with you my take on this beloved trope, and what it means for our Doctor and Time Lord.
You will see that I will not call the Female Time Lord, 'Lady,' as it is mentioned in the show itself that it doesn't matter if you are male or female, you are a Time Lord. Additionally, unlike some of the previous fics I have read, I am intending for my OC to have had male regenerations in the past. I am unsure if she will have a male in the future just yet, but as of now, I've planned for female.
Onto my OC!
Her name is Alessia Orellana, and I picture Gina Rodriguez when I write her. She is a Time Lord on her 9th regeneration, though at the start of the fic she is not aware that she is a Time Lord. She will appear human for several chapters, and while I do have plans on when I want to reveal it, I could change this in the future.
Each chapter will range from 4000 to 6000 words, with plans to update two-three times a week, depending on what I've got going on. I will be breaking up the episodes into two chapters as well. Currently, I have about four chapters written and will try and stay up in advance for that as well.
Additional Note; This story is Rated M for mature due to the themes revolving around Mental Health, Death, Sexual conversations, etc. I will trigger those chapters before you see it...which now is a good time to say that the beginning of this story does involve death.
And as a disclaimer, I owe nothing from Doctor Who except my OC, who I hope you all enjoy as well. I will also be cross-posting this on AO3.
Chapter 01: No More
The city was lit with flames, the screams of children and parents a shrill resounding sound as they looked around. Their hearts were breaking as they watched around them before hearing the dreaded words.
"EXTERMINATE!"
A blaster out, The Guardian quickly worked with another to dismantle the Dalek before taking off. There was another cry, one of a child so familiar to them. "Mama! Papa!" Too young to be out there, too young to die. Sprinting as fast as they could, The Guardian watched in despair as their partner stepped out, the woman taking the bullet for their child before their child let out another scream. 'Terra,' they screamed out mentally, directly to their child, a hand reaching out to pull them to the side.
It would be too late, The Guardian fell to their knees as the child fell backward, tear tracks on their face, their hearts breaking as they realized what had happened. "No more…No more." The Guardian whispered brokenly, begging for death, for anything to end this pain. They didn't bother even trying to fight the Dalek that rolled closer, ready to give it all up when a loud blast was heard, a familiar voice calling to them. "Come on! We need to get out of here-" They looked up, eyes filled with grief as they looked at their friend.
"Go on without me, I can't…I can't."
"I'm not leaving without you! We promised! Now come on!" So stubborn, and yet…The Guardian slowly lay their child to rest, closing their eyes before taking the other's hand.
Running faster than they ever had, the two ran towards where they knew they could escape, it was the only hope they had. "We'll find each other again. Always."
-x-x-x-
An alarm was blaring on one side of the room, far away, so she would have to get up to turn it off. Probably for good reason, the old thing was abused as it was. Blinking wearily, she let out a low groan, the dream she'd been having fading away as she ripped the blankets off.
It was a half stumble, half walk that had her moving over to the alarm, a sigh leaving her as she finally turned it off. "Right, Miss Orellana, it's time to run." She murmured quietly to herself, eyeing her reflection in the mirror. A nod of her head and she was pushing away, quickly changing out of the pajamas she wore and into something suitable for a run.
Earbuds in, her MP3 player already going, she was quick to leave the one-bedroom apartment, and jog down the stairs, keeping quiet to not disturb her neighbors. It would only be when she had reached the bottom of the Powell Estates that she'd break into a full run, following the route she had learned in the eight years she'd lived there.
It was quiet, only the sound of the music she listened to and the pounding of her shoes on concrete heard as she moved, enjoying the solitude for what it was. It was where she was able to figure out her plans for the day, able to push the remnants of a dream and nightmare from her mind. It was on the last corner she'd make before heading home that she'd see the man, one she had seen almost ritually, an old world war two jacket on as he leaned back, appearing to read a newspaper.
Raising an eyebrow at him, Alessia gave him a quiet wave, the man grinning at her and doing the same before he was walking off leaving her to shake her head. It was like he waited for her to get back to her apartments, almost as if watching over her like a guardian angel. Maybe he was just a figment of her imagination, wouldn't be the first time.
Up the stairs and waving at her neighbor through her window, Alessia made her way back to her apartment, leaving it unlocked as she made her way inside. She knew it wouldn't be long before her best friend walked through the doors, likely raiding her cabinets.
She had just gotten out of the shower when she heard the blonde walkthrough. "Ready to go?"
"Give me ten, just need to get dressed. Kind putting the kettle on?"
"Of course!" Alessia grinned to herself as her friend started to work, pulling out a pair of slacks and button-down to go on. "What do you think? This scream, 'I am a professional adult, just call me Doctor Orellana?'" She asked as she stepped out, a grin on her face.
"Oi, you may be a doctor now, but you gotta live a little, Lesi, c'mon!" Her friend said, pulling her back to the bedroom. A short while later the two would leave the apartment, the button-down blouse replaced with a flowy blue top, and a pair of matching flats to complete the outfit. "I can't believe you're not at the shop with me anymore," she was saying, Alessia shaking her head.
"We're still in the same complex, can grab lunch when you're not too busy flirting with Mickey," she teased in response, causing the blonde to blush.
"We do not flirt the entire time!"
"Rose…last week Mickey got shit on by a bird and didn't realize because you two were too busy sucking face." Looking like she wanted to argue, Alessia just grinned, before the two laughed between themselves. Swiping their oyster cards they were quick onto the bus, leaning close as they continued to talk to each other.
"Besides, I'll still probably pick up shifts on the weekends. This is more of a secretary position, as I don't have any patients yet anyway."
"True…how are you feeling about that? Working with the courts and stuff?"
Alessia was quiet, biting her lip in thought. How did she feel about that? It was…"Nervous, if I'm honest. Masters in psychology and political justice and you'd think I'd be ready to dive into criminal psychology but…eh. What if I can't help anyone?" Rose shook her head, not surprised that the brunette was nervous about such a thing.
"Hey! Stop that, you were the one who helped mom and me after Jimmy Stone, remember? And you're helping me study even though I never got my A-levels. You'll do great," Rose said pointedly. Alessia just gave her a small smile as the two stepped off the bus. "Have you phoned your parents about the new job?"
She shook her head. "Nah, you know how they are. Dad is busy with the boys and school and Mum is at the hospital. Still trying to get me to move back down to work with her but…"
"You are not going back to Bath." They laughed, Alessia nodding her head in agreement.
"Not in a million years." Eventually, they would reach their workplaces, Alessia waving as she watched Rose walk into the shop. Waiting until her friend was inside, she turned around, brushing past a tall man with a leather jacket as she hurried across the way, towards her new job.
"Good morning, Alessia Orellana for orientation?" She said to the secretary.
-x-x-x-
"There she is!" Mickey called with a grin as she approached the water fountain, Rose holding up a basket of chips. "Our working girl!"
"Oi!" Alessia snickered at the offended look on Rose's face as she took the basket gratefully, her bag sat in front of her and she shook her head. "Thank you, dear," she said with a wink, poking Mickey's shoulder towards the fountain.
"Careful there, I may steal your girl," she told the man with a grin.
"Never! We're siblings! There are rules," he responded just as teasing, Rose rolling her eyes at the two. They'd always been like that since Alessia had arrived at the apartments eight years before. A six-year age difference between them didn't stop them from being close, and Mickey and Alessia had easily fallen into a sibling-like relationship when the boy had seen how protective she'd been of Rose.
It had been set in stone from there, the three close and her helping them get back together after the mess of Jimmy Stone. "You two go, I know Rose has to get back soon," Alessia said to them, still smiling as the couple ran off. She shook her head fondly at the pair, a call out to meet Rose at Hendricks after work before she turned around to people-watch as she munched on her food.
She tilted her head to the side curiously as she eyed the man from that morning, his leather jacket hard to miss as they met one another's eyes. She smiled, wondering how he could seem so familiar before looking away, missing the smile he sent her way.
-x-x-x-
By the time the day was ending, Alessia was more than ready to get out of the office. Waving goodbye to her new coworkers, she shot a grateful smile to one of her new coworkers. "'Til tomorrow," they said, the woman shaking her head as she hurried across the way.
The store was just closing when she entered, waving at a few coworkers as she gripped her bag. Leaning near the door she fiddled with a charm on her bracelet, waiting almost impatiently for the blonde to appear. "Lesi!" Glancing up, she smiled as the very person she was thinking of appeared, waving. "Hey! You ready to go?"
"Yup!" Turning towards the exit the two made their move to leave when the security guard stopped them, holding out a small bag for the lottery. Huffing, Alessia reached to grab it to take it down, knowing Rose wasn't a fan of going down to the basement when her friend shook her head. "I got it. Meet me at the house?"
Alessia frowned, watching her friend for a moment before slowly nodding her head. "Sure, I'll see you there." Something sat in her stomach, something telling her not to go but… "Rose!"
"Hm?"
"How about we go together?"
"No, no! I got it. You go home, mum wants you over for dinner anyway." Sighing, knowing there would be no point in arguing, Alessia listened to her friend and left the building. "See you in a bit!"
Little would she know the mistake she was making, not seeing the man from the morning watching her as she ran to catch the bus back home.
-x-x-x-
She was just getting out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair when she heard a crash next door. It was without a second thought that Alessia was leaving her apartment and nearly throwing herself into the Tyler apartment, a baseball bat she kept by her front door in her hand. She paused as her eyes met Jackie's, seeing the tears in her eyes before her own went to the TV, the sinking feeling back in her stomach. "N-no." The word came out broken, guilt and self-hatred for not staying with her increasing as she struggled to not collapse.
No, that…no. Instead, the brunette reached over to pull the shell-shocked mother into her arms, holding her tightly as both looked at the television. "Have…have we tried-"
"A hundred times, she's not picking up," Jackie said brokenly, Alessia feeling like her heart couldn't break any further.
"I am…I am so sorry, Jackie." She whispered, holding the woman tighter. "She'll be okay, you know Rose. She's your daughter, and you are one of the strongest women I know. No way she is…no. We'll just sit here and wait for her to get here, okay?"
Huddling on the sofa next to each other, Alessia leaned against Jackie, the two only getting up when the kettle went off, the younger of the two easily preparing two cups of tea before sitting down again.
They were each in their second cup when the door opened, Alessia just barely catching the cup Jackie dropped, watching as mother and daughter reunited tearfully. She didn't bother trying to listen to the ramblings of the elder Tyler, setting their cups down instead as she waited her turn. It would only be when Jackie went to call her friends on the house phone that Alessia would pull Rose to her, holding the younger girl tightly.
"Never again, Rose Tyler. Never. Again." She just felt Rose's grip on her tighten, Mickey soon joining the house as he ran in. Stepping away, Alessia eyed the plastic arm that she'd set to the side with a raised eyebrow, before shaking her head. "I'll leave you two…and toss this out." She said quietly, picking up the object.
It wouldn't take her long to run down the stairs and over to the dumpster, tossing the offending object before she was back upstairs. Walking passed the Tyler residence, she gave a wave to Jackie before heading into her own home. The bat that she'd taken over earlier was placed back in its spot, door locked. "One more day," she murmured quietly, eyes glancing around the mostly bare apartment.
Stepping into her room, Alessia was able to ignore the emptiness that followed her, able to ignore for a moment the loneliness. She supposed….she supposed that was why she had been quick to befriend the Tyler's all those years ago. Moving so far from home and not in contact with her family much, she had no true friends or family, until she'd met them at least.
It made things easier, she mused as she sat on her bed, fingers reaching out to grab the chain sitting on the bedside table. Her fingers traced the edges of an old pocket watch, Alessia not really looking at it as she followed the familiar feeling and fell back. Her own job had been taken out by the blast, as she'd seen on the news, so there would be no point in waking up early.
It would be gripping the pocket watch that she would fall into a restless sleep, the dread she felt in her stomach weighing heavy on her soul. This wasn't the end of it, she just knew it.
-x-x-x-
Another restless night, nightmares of what could have happened to Rose keeping her tossing and turning, Alessia let out a loud groan when her alarm glared. She knew she should get up, should go for a run, get those thoughts out of her mind but she didn't want to. Cursing everything that existed, she pushed her blankets away to get out of the bed. A hand slammed down on the alarm to turn it off.
Ignoring the stinging of her palm, Alessia reached over to pull her duvet and wrap it around herself, still clutching the watch in her left hand. Dragging herself to the lone loveseat, Alessia curled in on herself, burying herself in the covers as she worked out her latest dream.
She was running again, she was always running really. It was what she was good at, at least according to her mum. When she'd been adopted by the Orellana family they never saw her walk, the little girl running everywhere and continuing that into her teens and on. Just so full of energy. Her mother seemed to think she was running from something, the reasons for her being adopted were sealed even from them, and often said it was likely that. Her father…well he said it was because her mum was a soldier and so Alessia had grown up listening to her and her friend talk of death and war and so she ran because of it. Who knew what the truth really was.
But that…that's all she could remember. Running and hiding. But why did she need to hide? She groaned, eyes glancing to the pocket watch but not really seeing it before she sighed. "Fuck it all," she muttered, eyes closing. Losing herself in her thoughts, it was easy to ignore the real world around her, explaining the yelp that would leave her a few moments later.
CRASH
Jerking up, she let out a scream when she saw something skitter across the street, tugging the blanket closer as she went from half laying to standing on the love seat. "I thought I asked Mickey to nail that flap," she grimaced, looking around for the creature that had likely crawled in. She'd had issues with random creatures sneaking into her apartment for months until Mickey had come to the rescue…well a fat lot of good that did. Another glance that nothing creepy crawly was around she leaped from the loveseat and over towards her front door.
She could see the nails laying on the ground and blinked in surprise before hearing the taps of something moving once more. "Get out, get out, get out," She yelled, quickly unlocking the door and shoving it open. Reaching around her broom, she held it above her head like a weapon, ready to scare it out if she had to.
What she hadn't been expecting was a tall male to peek his head in, eyebrow raised as she looked around for whatever was crawling around her apartment. "What are you doing that for?" He asked, startling the poor girl.
"There's a thing, a thing in here - who the hell are you?"
"Ah right, just…" He pulled out a wallet with paper on it, Alessia blinking as she looked at it. "Estate Management, just making sure that you have no critters crawling about." She laughed, looking at him in disbelief.
"Sure, right, except your paper is blank, is it supposed to show me something?" She asked taking the object from him.
"What? No, that never happens." He sounded surprised, snatching the paper back and stuffing it back into his pocket. "Oh, never you mind." she watched him slowly enter her apartment, eyeing the bareness before looking to the duvet on the loveseat. "You can look out here, if you're helping I'll uh, check my room." She said, not bothering to explain why it was there in the first place. She paused as she moved towards her room, glancing once more as she considered the jacket he wore, how it reminded her of someone, before shaking her head.
Disappearing into her bedroom, she missed the entrance of Rose, both her and her mum having heard the scream. "Alessia, you okay? We heard a- hold on, what are you doing here!?"
"Oh? Me? I'm just here, helping look for an…animal." He said, lying through his teeth. Rose clearly didn't believe him, a huff leaving her.
"They said on the news they found a body. We need to tell someone. Anything, right?" She asked, crossing her arms as he continued to look for the Auton.
"Sure."
"Sure? What does that mean?"
Returning back to the living room, Alessia waved at her friend. "Nothing in there so has to be in here," she told the man eyeing the pocket watch she'd dropped in shock earlier.
"Are you sure? It would look like-" Alessia blinked as a plastic arm jumped out, grabbing the man's face. Rose let out a scream while Alessia looked around. "Rose! Get the bat!" She said quickly, running over to try and pull it from his face.
Pulling at it, the brunette glared, reaching over to pry it off the man's face. "Oi! Stop moving, I can't get it off," she told him, just as it started to loosen. Grinning in triumph, she was ready to tell him he should listen more when the creature turned towards her instead. Another crash was heard as she fell back the plastic on her face now.
'Are you kidding me!? This is not how I'm dying,' she thought angrily, working to pull the stupid things from her face before a buzzing was heard.
Rose was back in the room, unsure how she should swing the bat as she watched the Doctor use a device on the creature, it finally limp. It would be then that he'd be able to pull it from Alessia's face, the brunette panting as she eyed it. "Always knew I hated manikins, just never expected one to try and kill me," she grumbled, even if it was only the arm. This has the Doctor chuckle, moving towards the front door.
"I'll be heading out now, don't worry I'll take care of this!" He called, leaving the two alone. Alessia looked at Rose, and Rose looked at her the two had almost a silent conversation before nodding their heads. "Let me not wear short ass shorts out of my apartment, I'll meet you in a second," she said seriously, watching Rose run after the man before pulling herself off the floor and into her room.
It was with a speed that she often lacked that she was dressed, a pair of jeans, her tennis shoes, and a t-shirt on before she was running out of the room. She took only a moment to grab her keys, wallet, and pocket watch, something telling her that she'd need it.
Alessia had just barely caught up to the two as they jogged down the stairs. "-You can't just go swanning off." Rose was saying.
"Yes, I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you." Alessia couldn't help but laugh, grinning at Rose as the blonde shot her a look.
"What? You asked for it," she teased lightly.
"But that arm, it was moving! It tried to kill Alessia!" Now that…
"Actually yeah, how the hell is that possible?" Alessia asked, turning to the man again. "Who even are you?"
"It's called an Auton. Living plastic is controlled by something. And I'm the Doctor." Well, that was one answer at least, even if it told her nothing.
"Doctor? Doctor Who? Wait…Did I see you yesterday? I know I did, we.." locked eyes. The two looked at each other, Alessia's head tilting to the side as she eyed him curiously.
"We did, strange that. We just keep running into each other, hm?"
"And into me! How did you even know it was going to break in? You said I couldn't tell anyone because it's going to go after my family, and I didn't say anything! And it still went after Alessia." Now that did give the Doctor pause, the three close to a blue telephone box.
"It won't attack you again, I promised now off you pop, I've got things to do." He told the blonde seriously, before looking at Alessia. "And you…take care of yourself and her." She shook her head, arms crossing as she watched him.
"You better take care of your damn self, pretty boy," she called as he walked away, a grin on her face at the look he shot her before she was grabbing Rose's arm to pull her away.. "Let's go."
"Pretty boy? Why'd you call him that?" Alessia shrugged, still smiling as they headed in the direction of Mickey's apartment, having seemed to agree on their next location without needing to speak.
A wheezing could be heard behind them, but Alessia didn't look, the familiar twist in her stomach back as she watched her friend do what she refused to do. It wasn't over yet. "But don't you want to know what was going on?" Rose asked.
"Oh I do, and I'm fully intending to steal Mickey's computer when we get there. What did he call the plastic? Auton?" She asked.
"Yes…"
"Perfect, we'll look up those things, and then we'll look up the Doctor. Something tells me we'll not just run into him again but then as well." Alessia gave Rose a smile, the two interlocking their fingers tightly, comfort passed between the two as they walked.
-x-x-x-
It wouldn't take long for the two to get to Mickey's apartment, Alessia grinning as he was quick to pull Rose in for a kiss. "Hey, hey, here's my woman and my sister! Kit off!"
"Shut up," Rose teased with a grin, Alessia rolling her eyes.
"You two want some coffee?"
"Only if you promise to actually wash the cups," Alessia responded with a wink moving towards his bedroom. "I'm using your computer!" She could hear the two joking behind her and smiled, happy that they could still…be even with the thoughts of the Auton and Doctor running in her mind.
Taking a seat, she leaned back as she let the computer load, glancing out the window as she did so. Humming, Alessia eyed the room before her eyes landed on a picture, smiling at the picture taken the summer before. Jackie had taken it, of Rose, Mickey, and Alessia. Alessia was wearing graduation robes, having just gotten her official degree. The four of them had celebrated, her own parents too busy to take the train up with her brothers for it. They'd sent money though, so she supposed that was something.
Still, though, that had been a good day for the group of four. Alessia wasn't sure she could even imagine her blood family being there, quite content in the ones who chose her. Smiling softly to herself, the brunette turned back to the computer hearing Rose enter the room. "Find anything yet?"
"Haven't even started searching, ma'am," she responded with a laugh. Quickly pulling up Google, she was quick to type in Doctor, Auton. She frowned at the results, 56,000. "Shit, uhhh," she quickly backspaced staring at the box again. She looked to Rose for help, the blonde staring intently at the screen.
"Try Doctor Blue Box."
"Blue..box? You're not saying he went in there are you?"
"Pretty sure he did!" With a huff, Alessia quickly typed in what was suggested, an eyebrow-raising at the 493 results. "Still a lot."
"But look there-" Rose pointed to the link at the top. Doctor Who? …do you know this man contact Clive here. Clicking the link, the two let out a breathe as they saw a fuzzy picture of the Doctor.
"Well, well, well. Not as sneaky as you thought," Alessia murmured quietly, knowing that Rose would reach out to this 'Clive.'
