Perfume
Chapter Ten: Knowing
By Rhondda Lake
The biometric scanner could not detect a single foreign body in his system. However, his blood chemistry was way off, and he suspected his telepathic shields were a bit weak. The TARDIS would help reinforce his mental shields, but he was on his own with the rest.
The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought. He had been staring into different scanners, microscopes and data stores for hours.
Whatever was happening was acting like a very unusual allergic reaction. It couldn't be topical, as he was fairly immune to most topical irritants. Besides, he'd take a rash and a good bout of itching over this loss of control and reason any day.
"You seemed fine around Jack when I wasn't there." Rose's voice was only slightly muffled by the door. He turned and could see her looking in through the window. "Seriously, Doctor. You were all teasing and jokes, and drinking mates when I wasn't about. But you were ready start a good row because of that sleeping gas, and you did go for him in my room. Both times I was right there with you."
"And I've been around you plenty before, Rose." He moved to the door, so they were looking at each other through the glass. "It isn't you. At least not directly."
"Not directly? Hey, do your people have some weird mating cycle? I mean I told Jack you were Mr. Spock, but you haven't started to run Amok have you?" Her tone was light and teasing. She was trying to cover her worry with humour.
"I've been running amuck for centuries. And leave it to you to try to solve a problem by referencing b-rated science fiction," he made sure his tone was as light as hers. No real sting. He knew he'd scared her enough. He'd scared himself.
However, Rose did have a point. A very valid one. He'd been very annoyed with Jack and Rose's flirting at first. He'd figured the Captain as just one more pretty boy that piqued Rose's interest. Just because he felt the twinge of anger that he wasn't interesting enough for her that she had to go looking around for other company didn't mean he had to act on it. And really, it was soon apparent that Jack flirted with anyone, and it had become a game with only a hint of seriousness to it. It had been months since he'd felt that angry twinge between his hearts.
But lately it had returned. One more symptom. But what was the trigger? Not Rose herself. No, the loss of rational thought left his emotions open and bare, as well as his more base desires. It was he that became the primitive. Deep down, he perceived Rose as his. Not just his companion, his charge to be protected, but HIS. It was foolish but it was there. And lately he'd been having a hard time fighting the primitive urge to stake a claim. He had turned to cold showers to tame the desire when a few mental exercises had sufficed before.
Even now, looking at her through the glass pane in the door, she was beautiful. Not only physically, but by the depth of her compassion, the breadth of her curiosity, the heights of her mind. He stepped back from the door, feeling his skin becoming too tight once more. He wanted her, and his body was reacting once more. Hell, she even smelt like an erotic dream of flowers, sweat and musk.
His eyes shot open.
"What is it? I know that look Doctor. It's that Eureka look." Rose started to grin, relief already visible on her face.
"Eureka is Greek for 'this bath is bloody cold'," he muttered. "Rose, I want you to bring me that perfume you bought. Make sure it's sealed up tight. In fact, have Jack bring it, and have him bring some restraints. I want to test a theory."
"My perfume?" She frowned a bit, then looked suddenly quite alarmed. "You think that's what's doing this? It is my fault. Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry."
"Rose, now is not the time for self flagellation. It's a theory and one that needs testing. Now go; do as I say. If that is the problem at least it's a simple solution."
She nodded and disappeared from sight.
It was almost a half hour later when the Doctor smelled the bitter burn of ozone and saw the smoke seep from the frame of the door. Jack entered infirmary with a delicate looking perfume bottle in one hand and a pair of wrist restraints lined with black fur. He was grinning like an idiot. The Doctor tried to ignore the bruises on the man's neck, but he felt the guilt kick in anyway.
"Been waiting for this, haven't you?" The Doctor crossed his arms.
"You betcha. Besides, don't want you hurting yourself." Jack set the bottle on the table and held out the restraints. "Nice and solid. Only opens with the right password. No locks to pick, and I'm confiscating your screwdriver."
The Doctor could have argued or insisted Jack find a normal pair of restraints, but he let it go, it was the least he could do for nearly choking the man.
Jack was looking around for something solid he could restrain the Doctor to. He finally pointed to the leg of one of the tables. The back end of the table was fused to the wall, the two legs in the front were for stability. It was metal, and sturdy looking.
The Doctor watched Jack pull a stool over for him to sit on, otherwise he'd be hunched over or seated on the floor for what Jack had in mind.
"Have a seat, Doc." Jack patted the black leather of the stool.
"Where's Rose?" The Doctor asked as he sat down and held his arms behind his back, trusting Jack to work the ridiculous looking restraints.
"I'm here." She stood in the doorway, looking uncertain, unhappy and generally distressed.
"It'll be alright," he managed to smile at her. He was fairly sure he was doing pretty well at hiding the fact that he hated the idea of being out of control again.
She just offered a watery smile in return.
The Doctor felt the fur brushing his wrists and gave an experimental pull. They seemed to work well enough.
"Okay. Time to try this little experiment." Jack opened the perfume bottle and pulled out the wand attached to the stopper. He took a step towards the Doctor, another…
The scent flowed over the Doctor in sensual waves, engulfing him; filling his lungs, his veins with a sweet, throbbing heat. His eyes darkened.
"I think…" he was about to say something, but words fled. The scent surrounding him became incidental as his eyes found the woman. Rose. She seemed to glow from within, and her face was slowly filling with dismay.
No, he didn't want her upset. He wanted her happy, with him, here, before him, beneath him, around him. She was the laughter filling the darkness, the light filling the desolation, his hope and his salvation. She was everything.
The other male, the rival, he was upsetting her somehow. The Doctor lunged forward, but his arms were pulled back. His hands were bound behind him.
"No. Don't. You'll hurt yourself." Rose was crying as she came into the room. "Jack close that up. I think we have the answer. I'll go chuck all my clothes and sheets in the washer."
The rival shook his head. "I'll do it. I just aggravate him in this state. You seem to calm him. You stay here with him until I get rid of this stuff and get your things washed out. Just don't let him loose, okay?"
The Doctor struggled to comprehend the words. He tried to focus, but they were not making the right connections in his head. But then the rival left, and Rose walked towards him, tentative. She was weeping.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor." She knelt before him, her brown eyes beseeching.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek, tasting the salt tears. She gasped, but didn't pull back as his lips found hers. He pulled at the bonds holding him. He wanted to hold her. To soothe her. To make everything better. Unable to break free he let his lips and tongue do what his hands could not.
"Mine." That word had meaning. It was the word that meant her, as much as the flower word.
"Yes, yours. I just wish…" She shook her head and her warm hand cupped his cheek.
He could sense her thoughts, somehow, they were in his head. Clearer then his own. She wished it were more than some reaction to alien perfume. She wished she'd never bought it, but was perversely grateful that she'd gotten to know for a few moments what it was like to be kissed and held by him. She felt guilty because of that.
She pressed a kiss to his forehead and backed away, frustratingly out of reach.
"I'm gonna wait right over here for Jack to come back. I'm wearing that stuff. So as soon as he's back I'll go wash it all off. Hopefully you'll be back to normal soon." Her words were in a soothing tone as she moved away from him, taking her warmth, her light, with her.