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CHAPTER ONE:
IRIS AND THE DOCTOR

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IRIS was an accident.

It didn't bother her growing up, her brothers never told her as such, but she knew. The age gap between the four siblings was completely out of the ordinary.

She was six when she first realized it. Or rather, someone else realized it for her.

When her brother picked her up from first grade and the other students thought he was her dad — she knew something was off.

Not that she had a dad growing up.

After his wife died, Henry Holloway had a midlife crisis involving a red mustang, a haunted castle in Europe, and a girl nearly four times his junior.

He died three months later in a car accident.

The young woman was nineteen when she had Iris, and was going to send her into the system when three men asked to adopt her instead.

They were her half-brothers, and they each pitched in to take care of a baby despite their booming careers.

Iris didn't think it was strange until she met the other kids at school.

Where nearly everyone else had parents, Iris had brothers.

Not that she minded.

They were all great in their own way and she had more love from them than a girl could handle.

Growing up, she lived with Sebastian and Charles in Las Vegas. Charles was the closest to her age, twenty years senior, and he was also the most lenient.

He often overslept on days he was supposed to take her to school and always made her gummy bear pancakes when she asked. (Even if they burned and once started a fire. He only laughed and took her to Denny's instead.)

Sebastian was the most protective, and the kindest. He'd tell her bedtime stories and buy her as many stuffed animals as she wanted. Oh, and he was blind. And he was her favorite. (Not that she'd tell them.)

Griffith was the oldest. He lived in Maryland; an aerospace engineer at NASA. He was career-oriented but always skype'd her and spent every birthday and holiday with her.

They all encouraged her to pursue education and follow her dreams. As an aerospace engineer, lawyer, and archaeologist respectively, her brothers just wanted her happy.

And when she was eighteen, her dreams took her to Europe to pursue what she loved most: stars.

She'd had dual citizenship her entire life, since her mother was from London, and she'd travelled a few times with her brothers growing up.

But to properly understand her roots and seek a higher education, Iris found herself studying Astronomy and Astrophysics at St. Luke's University.

And in following her dreams and pursuing education, she stumbled into a lecture by a speaker who happened to know everything about everything she loved.

Which brought her to now.

Taking diligent notes as the man rambled on about time in a perspective she found refreshing.

"Time is a structure related to ourselves," he looked around the room. "Time is the space made by our lives where we stand together, forever."

Iris looked up from her notes and her eyes met his. Or, she thought they did. It felt like he was staring at her, but his face only brightened and he continued a bit more eager than before. (If that were even possible.)

"Time and relative dimension in space," he finished, "it means life."

Iris smiled brightly when he finished and clapped his hands together once, dismissing everyone.

Pulled to him by an eagerness and fascination she couldn't entirely comprehend, Iris closed her notes and shoved them away, tucking her pens in the penguin pouch she kept them in.

Iris draped the messenger bag across her body and stood, walking down the steps to the front. She stumbled a bit on the second to last step, tripping, and caught herself on a chair.

"C'mon legs," she mumbled, a small pout on her lips as she approached the lecturer. "You're called the Doctor, right? Or is it Professor Doctor? Doctor Professor? The Doctor Professor? Or do you have another name? That's a lot of titles in one name, it's a bit redundant, not that I'm trying to be offensive. I'm sorry," Iris shook her head, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Iris Holloway."

The man grinned down at her, leaning back against the desk, hands curling under the ledge.

"It's me," he raised his eyebrows up and down once. "The Doctor. Your Doctor."

Iris dropped her hand, head tilting to the side in confusion. "Are you saying I look sick? If it's a compliment, like 'oh, you're sick, nice!' then that's kind of not the way you should say it, but if it's supposed to be an actual hint to my health, also probably not the best phrasing. I know I should go to the doctor's, but I don't how my health insurance works with a visa, so I haven't even tried. And I used to go as a kid, but the older I got, I just forgot about it. I have a therapist though, so my mental health is banging."

The Doctor's grin fell a fraction and he pushed off the desk. "You really don't know?" He asked curiously.

"Know what?" Iris asked in confusion. "I think we're having two entirely different conversations."

"I'm the Doctor. Your Doctor. Iris and the Doctor," he elaborated.

Iris' eyebrows tugged together and she looked him up and down.

"I'm very lost, Doctor-Professor-Professor-Doctor-Man-Sir."

The Doctor observed her for a moment, his thick eyebrows moving together in concentration.

"Oh, have you not met me yet?" He asked, seemingly not looking for a response. "I see," he affirmed, nodding to himself. "I didn't before but it makes sense. You've always approached me first. I always wondered when you'd first met me. So you've known all along." He continued, then interlocked his fingers in front of him.

"Totally," Iris nodded with wide-eyes. "I understand exactly what you're talking about because this is a totally normal conversation."

"The Doctor."

He held out his hand. She looked down at it and then offered her own again, shaking his. His hand was warm and gentle in hers, and he squeezed her own once.

She let go first.

"Iris Holloway," she re-introduced, smiling brightly. "I just wanted to say your lecture was great. I've never met someone who views time the way you do. It's fascinating to think about time as the world around us, instead of the world around us living in time."

His smile widened again. "Oh, Iris," he breathed out.

Iris narrowed her eyes a fraction. "Still feeling like the conversation isn't exactly where it should be."

"Follow me," he gestured for her to follow and turned swiftly, walking through the lecture hall to a closed door.

Iris blinked, adjusted her messenger bag, and followed him. He held the door open for her and closed it behind her when she observed his office.

"Woah!" She gasped, rushing up to a terracota jug. "Is this authentic?" She asked, grinning over at him excitedly. "This is the old drunken woman," she reached a hand out and touched it gently, eyes bright with excitement. "This is authentic," she confirmed before explaining. "In Greek mythology, the Maronide is named after a priest from the Odyssey, Maron, who gifted Ulysses, like, wine on wine, super strong wine. Wish I had wine like that, it knocked Polyphemus out and anyway," she looked back to the Doctor, who was watching her with a grin. "This is really only on display in Rome's museums. How'd you get one?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer but Iris' eyes widened further seeing the police box in the corner.

"How the heck did you get that in here?" She exclaimed, rushing up to it and placing a hand on it. "It's so old, they haven't used these since '69, at least." She turned to the Doctor and squealed. "This is the coolest room, can I live here?"

The Doctor chuckled and shook his head. "I forgot how much energy you have," he spoke finally.

Iris blushed a bit, shuffling on her feet and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry," she fiddled with the strap of her bag. "I can be a lot sometimes. My mouth moves at lighstpeed, I swear. Obviously that's an expression," she added hastily. "I-I know that it's relatively 186,000 miles per second which is totally impossible for my mouth to — I don't need to explain expressions to you, you're — you're intelligent, you get it."

The Doctor walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take a breath, Iris, you're getting nervous."

Iris did as told, sucking in air and then letting it out slowly. "Thanks," she smiled sheepishly again.

The Doctor nodded once and removed his hand. "It is authentic," he confirmed. "Because it was a gift for...a friend a long time ago. Now, do you have class?"

Iris shook her head. "This morning, stepped into your lecture for fun. Heard you talk about time travel and astrophysics, which are two of my favorite things...ever."

The Doctor glanced behind her to the police box. "Iris Holloway, do you believe in the impossible?"

Iris thought for a moment. "That depends," she answered. "Are you asking about the extent of my suspension of disbelief for the reality perceived by my physical form, or the implausible as connected with a more spiritual belief? Because either way, the answer is yes, but it's not exactly a straightforward answer because my perception and understanding of the impossible could be entirely different from yours."

The Doctor's hand moved as though to touch her and she looked at it curiously. He pulled it back and leaned closer to her, opening the door of the police box around her.

"Both," he spoke finally. "Take a gander in, little star."

"Little star?" Iris questioned, eyeing him curiously. "What kind of star?" She asked. "Neutron, dwarf, brown star? Not a brown star," her nose crinkled up. "It always reminds me of the bathroom. Like, 'oh, taking a brown star.' Don't call me a little star in reference to a brown star. And neutron stars are pretty much just the precipice for a black hole. Am I a black hole? Geez, that's unflattering."

"Iris," the Doctor looked at her pointedly. "Inside my TARDIS. Now."

Iris' eyes widened and she nodded, squeaking out, "okay" despite not exactly understanding what a TARDIS was.

She understood once she entered the police box.

"Holy moly," she whispered, looking around with awed wide eyes. "It's a...but it's...and..."

Iris looked to him in awed shock and he nodded, grinning as he closed the door behind him.

"TARDIS," he nodded. "Care to guess what it means?"

Iris wandered around the ship slowly, mulling over the possibilities. It was bigger on the inside, which was already beyond any knowledge the human race had consciously developed as of yet, and it seemed almost alien in design.

Large circles were on the wall, a beeping and whirring console with different levers and buttons sat in the middle. Grated floors, soft muted lighting, sleek metal that reminded Iris of her old rocket ship toys. A hallway with ominous lighting and stairs to the left. A chalkboard and a guitar leaned next to an overstuffed bookshelf.

"Well," Iris looked back at him briefly, biting her lip as her eyes trailed over the doors and the size in which the exterior was. "It's dimensional transcendent," she surmised. "Because transcendent is typically associated in a spiritual sense depicting angels or souls. But when you add dimension to it, it's more of an expansion of what's already physical. An expansion of the dimensional matrix of creation in relation to time and space. Right?"

The Doctor nodded, an encouraging smile on his face. "Don't stop there, you've got this."

"Okay, so if it's dimensional transcendent, in relation to time and space, then TARDIS would roughly translate to time...relative dimension...space, so an acronym of all three would suggest time and relative dimension in space." She smacked a hand on her forehead. "Which you mentioned in your lecture."

The Doctor hummed in response and walked quickly to the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Now," he began, picking up chalk and gesturing for her to take a seat on the little console chair. She did as told and watched him diligently. "We've a lot to discuss, so pull out your notes and get ready. You haven't got class and this is a Time Machine. We'll be here awhile."

"Is there a generalized subject?" Iris asked, pulling out her notes and penguin pen bag. "For titles and sections?"

"TARDIS, Time Machine, everything you need to know as my partner, and the top ten best coffee shops in space." He grinned. "You'll like that bit, it's at the end."

"Great," Iris nodded, quickly writing down the bullet points and biting her lip. "Follow-up question: why?"

The Doctor thought for a moment, leaning over the railing to her.

"Why's anything?" He asked thoughtfully. "Answer me this, Iris, why does the earth move around the sun?"

Iris answered immediately. "Because of the gravitational pull."

"Precisely," He snapped his fingers. "Now, when you live as long as I do, you find that people are like fish. A conglomerate of different species all co-existing in the same ecosystem. Sometimes, they move in schools and weave throughout another's life. And very rarely, I come across someone spectacular."

"Is this the part where you say I'm spectacular?" Iris raised her eyebrows. "Because you're right, but also we've just met and I'm still playing catch-up in everything that's come out of the last fifteen minutes."

"More than that," the Doctor confirmed. "I meet a spectacular person every so often, and they travel with me. And they're wonderful and I show them the universe and they transform me into someone infinitely better than prior to meeting them. But spectacular is an understatement to your character. You and I are tethered. Through gravity, space, time. All of it."

"That's a bold proclamation," Iris pointed out. "You haven't even taken me for dinner yet."

"Technically, we've been on three-hundred and seventeen dates. And a half," he added. "But you count that more than me, you'll see when you get there."

"Hang on," Iris cut him off. "I haven't met you but you've met me. Because you're a time traveler. I feel slow."

"You're doing quite well," the Doctor shook his head. "You're usually quicker, but it's your first day. Giving you a bit of leniency."

"Oh, thanks," Iris rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Hey, wait, if I meet you previously but not you now then does that mean I can't see you again?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. "I hope so. I'd love to take you everywhere you haven't been, but we'll limit our travels to weekly and avoid everywhere you're heading."

"So I can travel with you?" Iris asked excitedly, smiling up at him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Thought that was obvious. Pick up the pace, Holloway, I haven't got all day."

"You're a time traveller, you've got all of forever."

"Forever's a man-made construct," he narrowed his eyes. "Time's made of chronons, which are particles that exist through the Time Vortex and throughout the universe." He drew a diagram on the chalkboard then glanced to Iris. "Take notes, Iris, you're a headache."

"Hey, watch it," Iris snapped, focusing as she tried to sketch the diagram. "That's rude."

"You'll get used to it."

"Or you could just say sorry and that you mean it with affection."

He scowled. "I'm not and I don't."

"Whatever you say, eyebrows."

He rolled his eyes. "Hush up, will ya? I'm explaining."

"Do you have a kitchen in here?" Iris asked. "I usually snack during class."

"That's irritating," he scowled, digging a hand into his pocket and tossing her a small package. "Others have to listen to you chomp away as they're trying to study. Don't interrupt again."

"What're these?" Iris asked, looking over the small package and the unknown language on it.

She blinked and then the language was English.

"Hang on," she looked between the package and the Doctor. "Did you do that? How'd that become English? This looked alien a second ago."

"It is alien," the Doctor confirmed. "And yes, sort of. Translation circuit between the TARDIS and the telepathic wavelength she has with me. I extend it to you, and she locks it in place. Without me, no translations, without TARDIS, fewer translations."

"Copy," Iris nodded. "So you're telepathic? Like, mildly or Edward Cullen?"

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, you didn't just make a Twilight reference. I'm going to pretend that didn't happen. The TARDIS is lowly telepathic and I'm only telepathic to other Time Lords and the TARDIS, but with the translation circuit, I'm able to help you understand certain things like languages or alien numbers that you encounter."

"Fascinating," Iris breathed out, writing furiously. "And this is," she glanced down at the pouch. "Aquatic Gum?"

"Similar to the Albanese candy you're fond of. These are your favorite."

Iris opened it curiously and looked up at him with a small frown. "And you just carry these around?"

The Doctor shrugged. "You're always hungry. Might as well stop you complaining before you start."

Iris blushed at his words, looking at the pouch, then up at him. Momentarily unable to form a proper thought, completely thrown off by his casual phrasing, she popped one of the candies in her mouth.

"It's like a gummy shark!" She exclaimed, looking up at him excitedly. "You carry around alien gummy sharks for me?"

"Irrelevant to the matter at hand, Iris."

"I'm good at that," she pupped another gummy in. "It's the ADHD."

"Anecdotes are my favorite form of conversation," he replied. "Ready to continue?"

"Go ahead, teach."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE
okay short first chapter but really just wanted to establish Iris and the Doctor and the fact that he knows more about her than she does him but we'll see a lot more of their relationship develop as time goes on. they will travel together as Twelve & Iris (all original stuff except a couple of my favorites) and then she'll also be scattered through his timeline in some episodes and some original chapters.
We'll get into where in the timeline this takes place, just hang tight.
hopefully he's not too out of character? he gets grumpier PROMISE ahahah he's just excited to see her because you'll see.
okay thanks SO MUCH for the love already whaaaaat hopefully you guys liked this. gonna try and do another chapter tn<3