Chapter Text
Cave systems often exposed explorers to chemical vapours seeping up from within the planet. These women were all being exposed to sulphur hexafluoride especially when they sat together for meals or slept close to or on the ground.
He remembered that despite its name, it was odourless and colourless and not very detectable but there was a clue when it came to sound. It had the opposite effect to helium. Instead of a goofy and high pitched voice, the effect was a lowered voice, sometimes by several octaves. Now Rose displayed the same symptoms, which he’d assumed was a cold, but now he knew it was caused by the chemical. She was shorter than him and had hidden herself close to the ground when she had rescued him.
Fortunately, it was not really toxic. But there was a risk of death from repeated exposure when the sulphur hexafluoride displaced oxygen at the level where humanoids breathed, as in a cave, sitting and sleeping on the ground. He suspected oxygen deprivation was affecting their cognition, their ability to reason, hence their primitive behaviour. It would eventually lead to their deaths.
It could also function as an anesthetic. He hypothesized it was why the women all slept so soundly. But it did not contain narcotic properties so what was drawing the women back to the cave?
The men could get them back if they isolated them long enough to clear their systems of the gas. He estimated a month for the women, less for Rose who was less exposed yet she’d come back to the cave. Had her limited exposure to the narcotic been enough to compel her back? He’d have to keep an eye on her!
Turning his attention back to the fight…whoa!!
A whirling dervish, that’s what Rose was! Whacking the side of the leader’s head with her foot, she pinwheeled around the groggy woman. Hidden from view, the Doctor was utterly gobsmacked at Rose’s behaviour but nevertheless, he was proud of her for learning her lessons so well!
Those few hours of sleep on the TARDIS had given Rose an advantage, specifically, clean air with no exposure to the sulphur hexafluoride but apparently she was still drawn here by what he was not certain. It remained a puzzle to him and he knew it was urgent he identify exactly what was here that made the women return.
He was just about to intervene when Rose landed a round house punch that knocked the leader on her arse. Grabbing the fallen woman by the tunic Rose pulled her up to sitting position even as her head lolled listlessly from side to side.
“I beat ya in a fair fight so he’s mine, the Doctor is mine!” Rose spit out. “I’ll let ya be leader but he’s mine! D’ya hear?” she demanded shaking the stuffing out of her.
Managing to grunt her agreement, the leader accepted her loss. When Rose let her slump to the ground it wasn’t long before the shell-shocked woman fell asleep.
Utterly astonished and tickled pink that he now apparently had been claimed by Rose, he watched as she turned to leave the cave. Naturally he followed her at a distance but, after trekking along for a bit, she surprised him.
“I know you’re there Doctor. Might as well show yourself…not like they’re able to come after us on account of their sleepin’ habits ‘n all. They’re always sleepin’ !”
“Never mind that Rose,” the Doctor grinned, looking her over as he became visible. “Far more interesting is the fight! You fought for me and won! You made the leader agree! Am I yours now, Rose Tyler? What services do you require of me?”
Even in the dark she could see his eyebrows waggling as he snapped to attention waiting for orders but there was no hiding the smug grin.
“Just shut it will ya, I’m not in the mood, yeah?”
“Oh I’m not buying that Rose Tyler! You clocked her just to establish your ownership over me. Why?” Even in the dark the Doctor could see her lovely blush.
“It wasn’t right what she done to ya, touchin’ your bits like that, right in front of everyone.”
Smiling to himself he wasn’t ready to let the subject go. “I have been uncomfortably abused before Rose Tyler. I almost got castrated once by a Merengian Queen because I wouldn’t, what’s the expression, ah yes, because I wouldn’t ‘put out’.”
“Really?” Rose asked, fully engaged as they walked along together just like always, talking away and not seeing anything but each other and not wanting anything else.
“Oh yes, barely made it out of there with my britches but I escaped. But, tell me Rose Tyler, why did you fight her for me?”
“I didn’t like her touchin’ your bits ‘n disrespectin’ you ‘n what if that woman made ya ‘put-out’ to save me?”
“But you told her I was yours! In fact you told her that two, no, three times!” the Doctor crowed.
“Yeah but I was makin’ a point, so she’d know I meant it cuz I could beat her,” Rose blushed.
“So,” the Doctor began, not ready to let such a delicious discovery of Rose’s interest in him go, “am I to understand you dragged yourself out of the safety of the TARDIS after a very long and trying rescue not to mention nearly twenty-four hours without sleep to come all the way back to the cave just because you didn’t like the leader touching my bits?”
“Will ya just shut it!”
“Oh I am going to enjoy this for awhile especially because you are not telling the whole truth.”
“Whatcha mean?”
“What you really want to know is whether her fondling my bits aroused me, hmmmm?”
Rose’s blush was instant with impressive coverage. Pointing at her, laughing knowingly, the Doctor crowed, “Knew it!”
Since she’d been caught out Rose demanded an answer, “Well,” she demanded, “were ya?”
“Of course not. But,” he winked, “she was impressed with me!”
Nodding knowingly the Doctor grabbed her hand. “How are you feeling Rose Tyler? Did you feel drawn to the cave because I’ve figured out what’s going on with the women and we’re going to have to fix it?”
Grateful the Doctor had left the bloody topic and was going to unravel the mystery for her, Rose responded quickly, “Yeah, I was drawn back there but I could’ve resisted whatever it was, probably cuz I hadn’t been exposed for long, and cuz I was knackered but she shouldn’t have …never mind….!”
The instant the Doctor’s eyes lit up with mischief, she knew he wasn’t letting it go.”
“Now, just to be sure I’ve got this right,” the Doctor began, drawing it out, “you didn’t like her fiddling with my bits, disrespecting me, because you want to fiddle with them?”
“NO ‘n just leave off will ya! Why don’t ya be useful and tell me what in the bloomin’ hell is goin’ on here!”
“You know,” the Doctor replied, eyes sparkling with mischief, “I don’t think anyone has ever told me they think my bits are theirs before, let alone fight for the right to them. I like it!”
She was scowling at him and about to give him a dressing down but he didn’t care because he’d cornered her and she knew it and that was when she was at her adorable best, that was when her sharp mind would find a way to turn the tables on him and he couldn’t wait.
As they headed back to the TARDIS, Rose asked, “So what’s next on tap, Doctor?”
“First, I’ll fill you in on what’s affecting the women, then we have to go see the men and share the plan on getting them back to normal.”
“Yeah, okay, go on then. I take it there’s swamp gas or something in the cave?”
“Oh, good one Rose and more or less bang on.”
After the Doctor ran through what he had found and how it had affected the women, all of which Rose listened to attentively, they’d reached the nearby TARDIS.
“D’ya think I could sleep a bit before we visit the men?” she asked.
“I suppose,” he agreed, “it is hard work fighting to protect my bits!”
Rose rolled her eyes, too tired to give him a pointed come back but she did give him something to think about.
“Doctor, I get how a cave could naturally produce that sulphur stuff that affected our voices ‘n made us sleepy but they keep goin’ back so something is drawing them back but caves don’t produce addictive narcotics right? I mean narcotics are made in a lab by puttin’ other chemicals together in combinations, especially the kind that are really addictive cuz they’re made to get ya addicted to make ya pay anythin’ to the pushers to get more, yeah?”
Suddenly she’d captured the Doctor’s complete attention. “There are some drugs found naturally on some planets, like coco leaves or opium from poppies on Earth but you are right that powerful narcotics are rarely naturally occurring in caves. Where are you going with this Rose?”
“If you find out the narcotic properties are made, not natural, then ya gotta ask yourself how the women could produce the stuff. Blimey, they’re livin’ in a cave Doctor ‘n can hardly drag their arses outta bed! How they supposed to produce narcotics and why would they weaken themselves?”
“Are you suggesting what I think you are, Rose Tyler?”
“Yep! We might need to be a lot more cautious than you think when visiting the men.”
“Yes, very well.” Turning on his heel the Doctor called back, “Get some sleep, Rose Tyler. I have to analyze the sample I took from the cave.”
“Men,” she called out, “if they’re not druggin’ ya they’re orderin’ ya about!”
“Yeah but we got the bits you fight over!” he called back.
Muttering on her way to her room, Rose forgot about his spectacular hearing as she grumbled, “For all the good it did! Not like ya ever put out.”
“Knew you wanted to get yer hands on my bits!” his voice mocked back at her, seizing the last word.