Extra thanks to "GCSE Time Lord Biology" by Nebula.

Comprehensive and very handy. Recommended for any Doctor Who fanfic writer.

Perfume

Chapter Seven: Trouble

By Rhondda Lake

Rose sat on the edge of her bed and held the Doctor's hand. It was kind of ironic that the roles were reversed from just three hours ago. Jack had come running –evidently the TARDIS had made sure he heard Rose's cries for help. She couldn't lift the Doctor on her own, and so had been holding his slumped body, rocking himslightly as if that would somehow soothe away the problem. Jack had helped her drag the Doctor to her bed, as it was right there, and ran to the infirmary to bring back diagnostic equipment.

Now Jack was sitting straddling a straight backed chair his arms folded over the back, chewing on his thumbnail. A whole bunch of useless equipment sat on the bedside table and dressing table. Medical devices that told them everything and nothing. Oh they had a total scan of everything about the Doctor's biology even his strange three stranded DNA… It was kind of surprising to find he had two stomachs. But they didn't have a damn baseline to compare to. The Doctor's pulse, both of them, was at 170. Seventy was average for a human. Was it going too fast or was it normal? And his temperature was currently 16 degrees. She knew he was always cool to the touch, so she guessed his normal body temperature was lower than that of humans, but was it always twenty degrees off? Rose looked at the book propped on Jack's knee.

After running scans and realizing they had no idea what was considered normal for the Doctor's biology, Jack had run back to the Library to look for some kind of books on the subject. If the Doctor really was a doctor, after all, he had to have Medical texts in abundance. That was if he was a medical doctor. Knowing our luck though, he held a doctorate in astrophysics or cosmetology, Rose thought to herself.

Jack had returned with an armload of books he said had been waiting on the main reading table, all Gallifreyan Biology texts, but were close to useless as well. Rose was near tears again. All that knowledge at their fingertips and the two of them were too damn stupid to figure it out. She had taken one look at the book Jack had given her to look through and got a headache. Not only was it a medical journal of some sort, clearly written for someone with a background in biology, chemistry and medicine, but some of the words were… alien. The geometric circular script she'd sometimes seen on computer screens about the TARDIS were in print here. Evidently there were no English translations some of the words, leaving the already confusing texts with gaps.

"We need to pinpoint when this started. I mean, what was he doing before he collapsed?" Jack was looking at Rose, and she felt herself blushing under his questioning look.

"Rose, I meant besides kissing you," there was a ghost of a teasing smile on Jack's lips, but his eyes were still worried.

"Wha… what makes you say something like that?" Oh it was stupid to deny it. It might be important, but she was still having trouble working her way through her own emotions and reactions to the whole incident.

"Like I don't know the look of someone who's been soundly kissed. Come on, I'm not trying to get gory details of your possible sexual exploits with the Doctor. Not yet anyway. After we figure this out expect to be grilled for juicy details, but right now we have to figure out what's going on."

Rose rolled her eyes. But Jack's words had the result he was doubtless aiming for, lighten the anxiety get them to focus.

"He came by to make sure I was all right. Then, he was kissing me." She looked down at the unconscious Doctor, her thumb rubbing against his knuckles, seeking some response.

Oh yeah, he had kissed her. It had been incredible. She was hardly some fresh faced virgin. She knew kissing and thought herself pretty good at it. But no one had ever stolen thought and breath away like the Doctor had with just the start of that kiss. And that was before he really got going.

What was she doing? The Doctor was in trouble and she was getting weak-kneed remembering a kiss. She felt the guilt push her forward. "I was surprised, as it was really sudden and out of nowhere, right."

"If you say so," Jack murmured, but motioned with his hand that she continue.

"Anyhow, after he had been so short with you earlier, and the confusing way he acted in the infirmary, I kinda questioned him on it. I mean he hasn't been acting normal."

She shook her head again at Jack's raised eyebrow and pointed look at the unconscious man sprawled on Rose's bed.

"Okay, normal for HIM, alright. Anyhow, he looked at me really confused, and said something was wrong, then just,…collapsed."

Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure it out. He wasn't medically trained either, and apparently the books were as confusing to him as they were to her. She was actually wishing they had some of those nanogenes about. No medical knowledge needed.

"I can tell you there isn't any known virus or infection in his system. When you two got captured, do you remember if he got hit on the head? No sign of skull fracture of brain swelling, but maybe I missed something."

"Jack!" She wanted to yell at him for pushing the joking about a bit far, but it was a valid question. "No. I mean, we both pretty much surrendered with a hundred pointy swords and spears sticking at us. We were just shoved about, nothing too rough. They were as frightened of us as they were angry."

"Rose?" The hand in her squeezed, responsive for the first time.

Relief washed over her. She felt like she could actually breathe again for the first time in over an hour.

"Doctor! Are you alright? Do you know what happened?" She fired the questions at him before she noticed his eyes.

He was looking at her all funny. Dark and intense, sending a shiver through her. A shiver of what she wasn't certain.

"Doctor?" She frowned, worry filling her once more.

He sat up and with his free hand traced the cupped her cheek. She instinctively leaned into his touch. He smiled at her.

"Mine." The word was said softly, with a passionate conviction, but a gentleness as well.

The worry deepened. "Doctor, do you know where you are?"

Rose looked to Jack, who was standing up now, a frown on his face.

The Doctor turned to look at Jack as well. His face twisted, his features sharpening, something feral coming to the fore. He jumped up, pulling his hand from Rose's grasp to place it on her arm, gripping with a bruising pressure as he pulled her up to her feet and behind him.

"Mine." Now the word was a proclamation and a challenge. It was ground out through clenched teeth.

Rose gave a cry of surprise at the action and the sudden pain of the Doctor's grip on her arm.

Jack had taken a step back, his hands open, palms forward. "Right. Yours. Got it. Clear as crystal. Rose is yours and no one's gonna take her from you."

Rose caught Jack's eyes as they moved from the Doctor to her. Fear and concern were evident. She also saw that despite the non-threatening gestures he was starting to tense up for a fight. He thought she was in danger.

No. Whatever was going on she felt absolutely certain the Doctor wouldn't hurt her. He may be hurting her arm a bit, but it wasn't intentional, not aimed at her. Did he even realise he was doing it on any level?

"Jack, it's alright," she spoke the words with a forced calm. It was far from alright. Something was seriously wrong with the Doctor. But she wasn't entirely sure Jack stood a chance if things really became violent. She didn't want to see either man hurt.

"Sure it is. You're being manhandled and I'm not entirely sure the Doctor is keeping office hours right now." Jack hadn't moved back any further.

The Doctor let go of Rose's arm and started to advance on Jack with long, purposeful strides. He wasn't moving like Rose was used to seeing him move, but like some stalking jungle cat. There was grace there, but a deadly purpose that had her heart thudding in fear now.

"Jack, please. Go. He won't hurt me," she pleaded.

Too late. The Doctor actually growled and swung at Jack. Jack blocked the blow with his forearm, grunting at the impact. Rose never even saw the Doctor move. She didn't know he was capable of moving THAT fast. His hand was just suddenly around Jack's throat and lifting him up, slamming the human against the wall. Jack grasped at the Doctor's arm, struggling to even breathe.

The Doctor was looking at Jack, his head tilted a bit to the side. His eyes full of a cold fury.

"No!" Rose rushed forward, laying a gentle hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

He turned his head to look at her. She did not look at Jack. Something told her that to acknowledge him would be a mistake.

"Yours," she touched the arm holding Jack against the wall and felt nothing but unyielding tension. "Don't do this. It's okay. Doctor, let Jack go." She kept her voice low, soothing, as if she were talking to an animal, trying to use tone as much as words.

Trying for the familiar as well she took the Doctor's free hand, even though it was rigid with anger and tension, and wove her fingers with his. This was theirs, would he recognize it? The Doctor looked down at their clasped hands and relaxed.

Jack dropped to his feet again, taking in great gasps of air. Rose didn't dare look at him, even now.

"It's alright, I know I'm safe." Was she talking to Jack, the Doctor or herself? She wasn't certain.

"Come on, Doctor, lets go somewhere a bit more familiar. Do you know where you are, who you are?" She pulled his hand, leading him now that he was again focusing all on her. His eyes locked with hers, the blue had deepened in colour, and his pupils were dilated. She slowly led him by the hand, out of her room, away from Jack. She needed to try to get him to come back to himself.

The Console Room was where he tended to spend most of his time. She silently prayed it would calm him, if nothing else.