Hiya! So welcome to This Time 'Round. I've wanted to write a Doctor Who fanfiction for a long time, but I couldn't really get anything together and I didn't really have the time. But I've got an idea in my head and hopefully I can get it all together. I wrote and rewrote this chapter to many times to count. It was so hard deciding a believable way to have Ivy meet the Doctor and then decide what episode I wanted her to start at. But I like this and I'm sticking with it. Hopefully you do as well. Please let me know what you think, but no flames please.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC and her backstory.

Ivy woke with a start, the familiar terror threading its way through her body, consuming her. She twisted, throwing the constricting covers off her and gasping wildly for air. Button, her Golden Retriever, came to her side, her cold nose pressing against her sweaty palm and let out a long, sad whine. She was slowly coming back to herself, her fingers weaving through the soft golden fur as her breathing slowly calmed. It was a familiar routine, one her and Button had gotten down well over the years.

As she calmed, Button perked up, her ears flicking forward and her tail thumping against her now sweaty sheets. She gave a shaky smile, scratching behind her ears in thanks. "Good girl." She whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

After a couple more minutes of calming down, she slid out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. Button followed after her dutifully, watching her cautiously as she moved around the kitchen and began to make coffee. Going back to sleep was never an option after the nightmares, so she grabbed some textbooks and began her homework.

Hours later, after finishing all her chapters, her homework and even doing some research for her paper not due for another few months, the sun began to rise outside. She paused, rubbing her face tiredly before grabbing her coffee and walking out to her balcony. She sipped at it, seating herself on the lawn chair and absentmindedly rubbed Button's head as the sky began to lighten. After a couple minutes she slowly stood, gazing out at skyline before heading back inside and getting ready for work. She paused at the door, her brow furrowing as she glanced at Button. Instead of following her as usual, she had hesitated, staring out at something outside. She rolled her eyes, grinning at the dog. "Come on, Button." She prompted, trying to tear her away from the squirrel or bird that had caught her eye, and the two headed inside to start the day.

~DW~

"Just listen, Ivy!" Emma begged, trailing after her through the hallway of the cafeteria of the college. Ivy sighed, trying and almost failing to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Emma walked a bit faster to catch up with her. "I'm serious, Ivy. He's so sweet and funny and nice-"

"Then you go out with him, Emma." Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes as she grabbed another cup of coffee from the barista and headed toward the salad bar. Emma trailed behind her, grabbing a couple of snacks along the way and trying to keep up with her at the same time, all while still talking. Ivy was still annoyed, but couldn't help but be impressed.

"I'm still dating Eli." Emma muttered, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "Just give this one a chance. You didn't even try last time."

"In my defense, I was trying." Ivy said, pausing to give her a look. "Then he said he lived with his parents. So..."

Emma rolled her eyes, throwing her yogurt down on the table and glaring at her. "Okay, that was one guy." She muttered, giving her a sheepish look. "But this one is different-"

"Look, Em." She said, cutting her off before she could give another spectacular description of this lovely, perfect guy. "I'm 26. I'm too old to be set up." Emma gave an incredulous look, opening her mouth to protest, but she quickly cut her off again. "Seriously, Emma. No more."

She gave Ivy a hurt, offended look and moodily stabbed at her yogurt. Ivy knew she would be mad at her for a little while, but she didn't really care. All she wanted was for her to stop with these dates. She knew Emma's heart was in the right place... it always was, but it was just too painful.

Not that Emma knew why it was so painful, so she couldn't really blame her friend. Like she said, her heart was in the right place.

"Speaking of dates, how was the one with Eli?" Ivy asked, knowing that would tide over her anger just a bit. Emma's cheeks turned red again, but she gave a delighted smile before she launched into a play by play of the date from that weekend. Ivy half listened, nodding and making an affirmative noise in the right spots. After a little while they parted ways, Ivy heading home and Emma heading to her last class of the day.

She opened the door to her small, dinky apartment, expecting Button to rush her as soon as the door opened as she usually did, but was surprised when the dog was nowhere to be found. She paused, slowly setting her backpack down as she listened for Button, an eerie feeling filling her when she heard nothing at first. She slowly moved down the hall, still listening intently.

"...you're quite welcome... is good to see you again... Oh! It is so cool..."

She paused, her heart hammering in her chest as she quickly began to fumble around her purse for her phone and the small can of pepper spray she kept with her. She cursed as the purse fell from her shaking fingers and pens, Chap Stick and spare change clattered loudly onto the floor. She quickly crouched down, grabbing for the pepper spray before she heard the footsteps, the intruder coming closer and closer before she finally grabbed it, whipping around just as the man was before her and got him straight in the face.

He let out a yelp, stumbling back and falling into the wall. Ivy stumbled back as well, trying to get as far away from the strange man as possible, the pepper spray still held up. She finally got a good look at the man and for a moment was struck by odd he dressed for a thief. He was tall and thin, with a boyish face, a flop of brown hair and wore an odd tweed jacket, suspenders and a blue bowtie. He looked more like a nerdy professor than a thief or a criminal.

"What did you do that for?!" He cried with a British accent that was out of place in the middle of Indiana, even for a college town. "I apologized for what happened on Mars!"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?!" She snapped, watching him rub his eyes harshly, trying to clear the pepper spray from them and making the skin around his eyes a bright red.

"I'm coming to get you! I was going to take you to see the Beatles, but as I'm blind now, that might be a problem!" He cried, rubbing his eyes one last time before throwing his hands down and giving her a pathetic glare through red, tear filled eyes. He looked angry with her, but even that didn't look threatening. In fact, he was looking at her as if he knew her. So not a thief, a crazy stalker. A crazy stalker that was obviously delusional thinking he could take her to see the Beatles.

"Who are you?" She demanded, still pointing the pepper spray at him as she slowly moved toward her phone on the ground. He had been blinking rapidly and rubbing his tears away when she asked this and to her surprise he stopped, his hands falling to his side and he gave her a look that was a mixture of horrible sadness and shock.

"Ivy," He muttered, looking like a kicked puppy. "You know who I am."

She backed away just a bit, her brow furrowing as she stared at that hurt face. He looked so genuinely disappointed, so sad that it caught her off guard. She knew from some documentary that stalkers often made deep connections with their objects of affections where others wouldn't and she tried to remember where she ever would of came across this odd man. She was 100% sure she had never met him before, even in passing. Somehow she was sure she would remember someone who looked like him. "I really don't." She said, watching that sad look cross his features again. It was only on his face for just a moment this time before he gathered himself, adjusting his bow tie and straightening himself.

"Somehow it makes me feel a bit better about the pepper spray." He muttered, wiping at his eyes one last time before giving her a giant grin. "Not the first meeting I wanted though. No wonder you would never tell me."

Ivy felt her fear begin to dwindle and instead she began to wonder if the odd man was simply sick. He was talking like he was completely insane and he certainly dressed like he was a bit off. "What are you talking about?"

"We know each other. Or at this point in time, I know you." He stated, dusting his jacket off before he bent down and began to gather her things from the ground. Before she could dive down and grab her phone he had already taken it, but to her surprise he held it out for her. She snatched it from him, her fingers poised over the emergency call button but she was slowly becoming less and less sure about involving the police. He seemed to be just confused and maybe a little mentally off, not dangerous. Maybe she could talk him into coming with her to the hospital?

"So you know me. Have you been... watching me or something?" She asked, keeping a good distance from him as he walked past her toward the hangers she had by her door and setting her purse on a hook. He gave her a confused look, tilting his head at her question.

"We travel together. Starts now I suppose." He muttered, turning the corner toward her kitchen and she followed after him, trying to keep an eye on him. "Gather what you want, we won't be back for a while!"

"Look I'm not-" She came to a dead stop, staring in horror at the large blue police box sitting in the middle of her tiny kitchen. "What did you... how..." She stepped forward, studying the thing in anger and disbelief. It was one thing to break into her apartment, it was another to bring some giant box with him. Who broke into someone's apartment to bring in an old police box? Not to mention... how? "That's it. I've had enough."

She began to dial for the police, but before she could press the call button he lunged forward, grabbing for the phone and stealing it away from her. She gave a cry, trying to grab it back but he shoved it into his pocket and held his hands up. "How dare you-"

"I'm the Doctor!" He cried, dodging her as she tried to grab for his jacket. "I'm a time traveler. Me and you, we travel together, but never in the same order. This... this is the beginning for you, but for me... I've known you for hundreds of years."

She shook her head, slowly backing away from him. "You're insane." She breathed, her heart hammering in her chest. She had been wrong. He was some dangerous stalker.

He held a long finger up suddenly, giving her a desperate look before he shoved the door of the Police box open and she gaped, staring in disbelief at the inside at a room that couldn't possibly fit inside the tiny box. "My ship." He whispered, watching her as she carefully stepped forward, to curious and mesmerized to remember she had just been running away. It couldn't possibly be real. It had to be some sort of hologram or fake background.

"That's not possible." She muttered, stepping close to the door and reached out for the false back or to find the camera's projecting the hologram inside. Just as she was about to tear herself away, Button brushed past her, heading straight into the large room and instead of hitting the other side of the wall, she kept going. She padded right down the steps, sniffing here and there before circling the console and then looked back out at Ivy with her tongue out and her tail wagging. "H-how..." She gasped, taking a step inside despite her fear and she slowly began to make her way down the steps toward Button.

She heard footsteps just behind her and it was only then she realized she had completely forgotten about this strange man calling himself the Doctor. He stood in the doorway, gazing out at her and Button with a small smile, her apartment just behind him. It was an odd crash of realities and she couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. "Who are you?" She breathed, an odd mixture of fascination and fear swirling in her chest.

"I'm the Doctor." He answered, following her slowly down the stairs. "I've known you for hundreds of years. We've been through danger and adventures and boring days together. And this is when it begins."

She stared, so confused and scared. He was looking at her with those bright blue eyes and looking so sincere, so truthful it terrified her. The things he was saying just couldn't be true. She slowly backed away from him, shaking her head. "That's not possible!" She muttered, shaking her head as she backed straight into the console. She didn't have long to dwell on all this, because as soon as her hands fell against the cold metal to steady herself a horrible jolt ran up her spine, pain erupting in her head. She gave a cry, her knees buckling and she went crashing to the floor. Button was at her side immediately, nuzzling her and whining as she did after her nightmares. The Doctor followed, gathering her head in his hands and brushing her hair back from her face. "W-what's happening?" She cried, gasping as the pain spread from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. It was unbearable and she had never felt anything like it.

"I'm so sorry, Ivy. I told you this is where it begins." He whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and pulling her against him. Any other time she would have fought off such affectionate gestures from a complete stranger, but she couldn't bring herself to do much more than cry. "Listen. You have to listen." He said firmly, lifting her chin and meeting her eyes. "I might not have the same face when you wake up. I might be a different man, but it's still me. You'll always find me, no matter where you jump, okay?"

"I d-don't..." She gasped, but she couldn't finish the sentence because her vision began to blur before it went completely black.

~DW~

She knew it was a dream. She had no idea where it came from... most nights she didn't dream or had just nightmares. She wondered where it had come from.

She snuggled deeper into her soft sheets, burying her head into her pillow. She still had a head ache, probably where part of the dream had come from, but it wasn't too bad and if she got back to sleep, she was sure it would go away. She sighed, trying to get back to sleep, drifting further and further before-

"Are you awake or doing that fake sleep thing again?"

Her eyes shot open, revealing a thin, handsome man grinning at her. He wore a blue and brown pin striped suit with a nice tie and had a pair of black glasses perched on his nose. He had intelligent brown eyes that were giving her an amused look, a mess of freckles across his nose and brown hair that was gelled into a messy perfection. She gave a cry of alarm, whipping that grin right off his face as she scrambled off the bed and across the room. "Get out of my room!" She cried, making him scrabble up from the chair, alarmed and confused.

"Sorry! Didn't know you'd want your privacy all the sudden!" He said, holding his arms up and shaking his head. "You crash landed pretty good this time, just wanted to make sure you were- OI!"

He barely dodged the picture frame she had launched at him, causing it to hit against the wall and shatter. "Get out of my house!" She snapped, looking around her night stand for her phone but paused, realizing these tables weren't hers. Ivy stared, her heart hammering in her chest as she turned slowly, looking around the room and realizing none of these things were hers. It looked like her taste, with the soft purple walls, the desk full of crafts and the fluffy white sheets. A picture of her and Emma was on the table. "Wh-where am I?" She whispered, turning to glare at the man.

He tilted his head, clearly confused and hurt by her behavior and she had a flash of the sad face the Doctor had made at her when she told him she didn't know him. He must have done something to her and taken her here. "Where's the Doctor? What did that bastard do?"

"Ivy, calm down." The man said softly, which only made her anger flare. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told to calm down.

"Screw you! I just woke up in a strange bed with some guy creeping on me-"

"Creeping?!" He cried, his voice rising to a high octave, looking completely offended.

"Where did he go?" She demanded, grabbing some figurine off the desk next to her and hoping she looked threatening. "Tell me now or-"

"I'm the Doctor!" He said, making her hesitate before launching another random item at him. "And don't throw that! It was your birthday present. You're rather attached to it." She gave him a glare, glancing down at the small figurine to realize it was a little Golden Retriever. "Like Button." He said, slowly coming around the bed. She jerked away from him, but he only grabbed the figurine from her hand and set it back onto the desk.

"You're not the Doctor." She whispered, pressing herself against the wall. "He was all tall and gangly with a bow tie."

"A bow tie!" The man cried, making a disgusted face. "Please don't tell me I start wearing a bow tie."

"You can't be the Doctor!" She cried, glaring at the man. What the hell was happening? Two crazy men in one night. They had to be working together. "He looked completely different. Way more than any plastic surgery would do. There is no way!"

"No plastic surgery." The man stated, still giving a small smile despite her anger and yelling. "How far did you get with the other Doctor? Get to the time travel bit?"

She paused, trying to calm down enough to remember everything the other man had said. "He said... he said he knew me but I didn't know him because he traveled in time. That we met each other out of order. But that isn't even-"

"Did he get to the 'I'm a face changing alien' part?" The man interrupted, seemingly unfazed by her denial.

"Okay," She muttered, rubbing her face tiredly and giving a harsh laugh. "Time travel is one thing but- hey!"

He snatched one of her wrists, pulling her hand against his chest and pressing it just over his heart. She felt the familiar beating of a heart beneath his skin. "One," He whispered, before sliding hand just a couple inches in the other direction. "Two."

She jerked her hand away, clenching her fingers into a tight fist. "Th-that's..."

"Two hearts." He grinned, crossing his fingers over each in an 'x'. "I'm a Time Lord. We have this... genetic quirk. Instead of dying when we get sick or hurt, we regenerate. The Doctor you saw, sounds like a future version."

She sighed, falling back onto the bed and staring up at him. He was leaning back against the wall, his hands stuck in his pockets as he watched her process this. "You seriously expect me to believe this crap? Different faces, time travel. I mean," She gave a laugh, shaking her head. "Come on."

He took a deep breath, coming to sit next to her on the bed. She watched him cautiously, feeling uncomfortable with someone she was sure was half crazy so close to her. "Got those scars on your knee at 9 when Brian Vick, the Vick family's biological son, shoved you down a hill. Tumbled down, right into the giant rock at the bottom. Got right back up and punched him in the face." She glanced at him, looking slightly alarmed by the knowledge and she covered her left knee with her hand self-consciously. But he continued on. "You had 10 foster families growing up. At 16 you called it quits though, lived in your car and finished high school. With honors." He bumped her shoulder at that, seeming almost proud of her. But she stood angrily, pacing back and forth.

"You could stalk me and find that kind of crap out easy." She snapped, glaring at him.

"I know it because you told me. You trusted me with it." He said, leaning forward and watching her with those odd brown eyes. "Just like you told me the only family you ever were truly happy with were the Martin's. And you called Mrs. Martin 'mum' once."

Ivy froze, turning to stare at this strange man. She had only ever told one person that, one person who was very dead. There was no way he could know about that. Absolutely no way.

But he did.

He stood suddenly, clapping his hands. "Come with me." He said, nodding toward the door.

"Where?"

"One last way to prove it." He said, beckoning her forward. She hesitated, still unsure before he waved his hand for her to follow. "Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

She bit her lip, finally following after him. Everything was already crazy and insane, what was the worst thing that could happen? He grinned, clearly pleased, and headed out of the room into a long, metal hallway. Lights lined the floor, casting the hallway in a warm, orange glow. They turned a couple times, passing several different rooms before they entered another large console room like the one from before. It was a bit different, with coral columns leading up toward the ceiling, darker lighting and metal grating on the floor instead of glass. It was still undeniably beautiful, but strange as well.

"Console room." He explained, glancing back at her as they headed toward the center. He began to flip levers and different switches, making an odd wheezing noise fill the room. "TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." He grinned, pulling down one last switch before the whole room shook and the wheezing came to a stop. She fell back a bit, steadying herself against one of the large coral pillars. He came around toward her, stopping just before her and holding out his hand. She stared for a moment, reluctantly putting her hand in his and he led her toward the door.

He let her hand go just before the door, turning back toward her one last time and giving her a wide smile. He then reached forward, jerking one of the doors open and revealing what waited outside.

Ivy froze, trying to come to terms with what was right in front of her. She knew, logically, what was before her, but her brain just wasn't putting it together. In her defense, it wasn't every day you saw the Earth drifting in the middle of space outside the door.

He came to stand just behind her just as she shivered against the breeze coming from outside and leaned close. "All of time and space."

Again, please let me know what you think! It's greatly appreciated. I'll update soon.

Till next time :)