A/N: I am finally trying my hand at a Doctor Who fic. I was inspired by the Fires of Pompeii episode. Obviously I own nothing. Hope you enjoy!

She couldn't breathe. At least, it felt like she couldn't. The wind was gone from her body and she felt like she was choking. It felt as if some force was shoving her forward and forward to the point that she felt nearly crushed. Tears sprung to her eyes and her mouth felt bone dry.

Suddenly, everything stopped and she slammed into the ground with a force that caused her to cry out. Rolling onto her back, she let out a choked sob as she tried to take deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked from next to her.

She looked over and saw a dark skinned woman that reminded her uncomfortably of her sister. Her hair was pulled back into a high bun and her mahogany colored eyes were brightly showing concern.

"I don't know." she answered honestly. She tried to sit up and felt as if the world was spinning.

The woman walked toward her with a gentle smile and took her hand. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll get you all sorted out."

Before she could ask exactly what that meant, Marcella Sennas fainted.

What woke her was a noise unlike any she'd heard before. It was shrill and constant and it made her want to destroy whatever the cause of it was.

Opening her eyes, Marcella saw that she was in a bright room with some square contraption on the wall and a large window letting in criminal amounts of sunlight. She was on a bed with possibly the best blankets and pillows she'd ever slept on and she could see a door on the other side of the room. Next to the window was a small sitting chair where the dark woman from earlier was sitting. She was reading a book intently and frowning slightly. Closing the book with a huff, she looked up at Marcella and smiled.

"Oh, good, you're awake. I was worried about you. Traveling through the time vortex can be a bit rough." She was speaking. Marcella knew she was speaking but she just couldn't understand a word of it. What was a "time vortex"? Is that what pushed her and made her faint?

"I don't understand you." Marcella replied simply, trying her best to ignore the sinking feeling that was creeping into her bones.

The woman smiled, almost sadly, and came to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm Martha Jones. I'm a doctor. The first thing to worry about is making sure you're alright. You had a rough experience, and I want to tell you what I've guessed happened but...I don't know if you could handle it."

She seemed generally concerned for her wellbeing and Marcella felt with absolute certainty that she was about to hear something she would not like.

"Judging by how you were dressed, I don't think you're from around here. 'Here' being the present. It also doesn't appear that you are from the future, which means I can only assume you were thrown forward in time from the past. If I had to guess by your clothes, Ancient Rome?"

"What do you mean, 'ancient'?"

"The present year is 2015."

She could practically feel the blood draining from her face. She suddenly felt like she might vomit. Martha sighed and looked down into her hands sadly. "I'm so sorry. I don't know-wait. Do you remember who was in power during your time?"

"I...it was Emperor Titus. He'd just ascended after his father died. The last thing I remember was...the house was burning and I was pushed into the impluvium. Then I felt like something was pushing me until I couldn't breathe. How did this happen?" Marcella became quite aware of the tears in her eyes now and she could only remember a few other times when she was this afraid.

"I'm afraid I don't know. Did you have any family back in your time? What did you do?" Martha, for her part, looked every bit as sorry as she claimed. Despite not knowing the woman before her, Marcella felt that she could trust her.

She let her eyes drift toward the window, trying to ignore the fear she felt when she could only see the sea and the light reflecting off it. She hated the sea.

"There was only me and my sister. Cassia. Our village was raided and burned when we were children and our family was killed. We were sold into slavery and...and I haven't seen her since the slaver sold her in Herculaneum. We were together nearly all our lives and then...the family we worked for decided to get rid of her. They kept me instead." Marcella's eyes watered as she thought about Cassia. They had always been so very close, closer than two sisters could ever be.

At this, Martha herself felt tears spring to her eyes and her hand flew to her mouth as she tried to take several deep breaths. "I'm so sorry."

"I wouldn't be. Herculaneum is a rich city. Cassia is having a better life there. She can learn and be someone important. She had so many great dreams. I did the crying for the two of us before she left. She was so excited." Marcella replied as a fond smile touched her face.

"No, that's not why I-you know, you have experienced quite a lot today. I may know someone who can help. But for now...you need food and you need rest. You've been through a lot. I suspect it will only be the beginning."

"Beginning of what?"

"You were shoved through the time vortex nearly 2,000 years into the future. You are a woman out of your time. So when I say this is just the beginning…..what I mean is that this is the beginning of everything."

The room was suddenly plunged into silence as Martha left her to consider those words.

Marcella suddenly felt nauseous and noticed black spots on the edge of her vision. She leaned over the bed just in time to vomit, trying to ignore the fact that she was crying too, and fell back against the pillow exhausted and hoping against all hope that this was all some terrible nightmare.

A/N: How do you like it so far? Pleeeease review. It would make my day.