The Time Travelers Wife

Family Ties

"What is white death?" Anne-Marie asks quietly. They're scaring the girls and more guards fill the square.

"We have to go! Now!" the Doctor shouts pulling on her hand to lead her away, but when the Doctor turns he finds them surrounded. "No!" the Doctor shouts as the crowd closes in.

"Princesses step back." On of the men say. The girls stared wide eyed at the duo and slowly back away from them before being put behind the circle of guards.

"Uh don't shoot?" Anne-Marie says raising her hands.

"Don't shish kebab us is more like." the Doctor replies. Anne-Marie sends him a look and motions for him to put up his hands as well.

"Take them." they're handcuffed, dragged, and shoved into cells.

"I demand to be let out of here!" Anne-Marie shouts. "We are guests here! We mean no harm." Anne-Marie continues. Atlas appears then. "Oh thank goodness. Atlas tell your men.." the King holds up a hand to silence her.

"My men have done exactly as i have ordered." he replies breathlessly. Anne-Marie stares at him appalled.

"Why? We're guests here? What is going on!" Anne-Marie shouts shaking the bars of the cell.

"Your Doctor here need to help me." Atlas said raising a pale hand and pointing a bony finger at the Doctor pacing the cell behind Anne-Marie who glances at him.

"Doctor. Help him." Anne-Marie says confused as to why he hasn't done it already.

"I can't Atlas! I just can't!" the Doctor shouts running his hands through his hair before throwing them up. "I can't." he says softer bringing his arms down limply at his sides. "Listen to me Atlas." the Doctor says moving closer to the bars and clutching them. Anne-Marie steps aside a little scared at how intense the Doctor was being. "This disease you have. It's called White Death. There's a version of it spreading around the outside world this very moment. Except there's is called, Black Death." Anne-Marie knew exactly what the Doctor was talking about. The Bubonic Plague commonly known as the Black Death because of the black spots that appeared on those who were affected.

"The Black Death was bad really, really bad." the Doctor continues putting emphasis on his words. "But this.. This is much worse. White death kills within hours of contracting it. You're ground zero. You're number one you've had it longer so you can infect more people and spread it around. Your daughters have it. Your whole palace has it. Even your whole kingdom by now has it." the Doctor's words were scaring Anne-Marie. Had they contracted it? Were they infected? Were they going to die here?

"I'm sorry there's nothing i can do. This virus is alien born. It shouldn't have infected you but it has just like it is infected everyone else out there. Black Death is a milder form White Death, is the full package." Atlas stares at him bleary eyed. "It came to Earth so long ago in my past. I saved it. I saved England but i can't save you. I can't. It's too late." Anne-Marie's heart aches. She knows how much it pains the Doctor not being able to save people. Especially the ones he knows, the ones he cares for. "You have to let us go Atlas or we're going to die here. We have a chance for survival. Atlas if you were ever my friend. You will let us go." the Doctor pleads. He only does that when he's desperate. Now Anne-Marie is really frightened. Atlas continues to stare then his face twists in anger.

"If we die Doctor. So will you." with a turn of his heel Atlas marches out of the room and the dungeon doors seal shut. The Doctor stands there appalled and Anne-Marie feels like she's about to cry.

"Doctor." she whispers for the first time in all her travels with the Doctor she finally feels like she is going to die. There is no hope. None at all. They're going to die in Atlantis. Their final adventure. Her parents will never know. They'll wonder forever what happened to her where she had gone. Why she had left so suddenly.