Adventures With Atkins

Self Destructive

Doctor's P.O.V.

"Why the hell did you help them," I snapped. "You may know her better than the rest of us, but we know how capable she is of protecting herself," Jack countered. "The hell is that supposed to mean," I snapped. "Mate relax," Ianto warned. I was just as angry about this, but Owen was a far more emotional at the moment. Unlike Parker or Jodie he was not very good at disassociating from them. "She keeps going down these destructive paths. Why is it being enforced that this the right thing to do," I demanded. "She'd have done or gotten caught up in it anyways. At least she's prepared now," Gwen responded. Owen clenched his fist so I pulled him and walked over to him speaking up, "You lot stay put! I'll be back to have a word with you. Owen with me."

I took a few breaths to steady myself. God this was always the hardest bit. Why can't I get better at it? Or less self destructive companions? "I thought she was dead. Every day she was off with you fighting this war I thought that was it she's gone forever and now she's going off to get herself killed. I can't lose her again," he stressed. "I know. Trust me I know. It's the same with Parker. She's like a daughter and a sister to me. Do you have any idea how many times she's done this before the two of them became friends. I honestly hoped once she joined Jack she'd feel crowded in the TARDIS and settle down to live a normal life. She's too bloody selfless. Just like Jodie. However, you can't keep snapping. You can't push Jodie away. I think she's afraid to be normal because that's admitting she's mortal. You need to be there for her right now or she's only going to keep down this path. The second she comes back I promise you I will talk to her. As for Parker I need to push her away and stop her from traveling, but until then they're on my ship god knows where," I explained. He just nodded. "You don't have to push her away," Jack replied joining us. "No I do. I should have a while ago. I never should have taken her as a companion all those years ago. I thought traveling would help, but I should have known better," I admitted, "Anyways let's keep calm and try to get them back." "I'll call her go talk to the others," I added.

I had to half jog back being Owen was about to punch Jack. I had been on the phone only five minutes. "You selfish bastard! You've been gone! You don't know what it was like without the two of you! We were lost! How could you just help him let them kill themselves," Owen shouted. "They're adults Owen. They are perfectly capable of making their own decisions. I'm not exactly thrilled about it either," Jack argued. "Because that worked so well for you, and Aiden, or Tosh, oh how about Jodie you know when she already died, twice," Owen snapped. "I know you're scared of losing her. What they did was INCREDIBLY stupid, but arguing about it now won't help," I stated.

"Gwen, Ianto... I understand you were just trying to do what you felt was right by trying to help Parker and Jodie run off to stop the Silence. Jack... You should know better. I know you care, but Parker Atkins cares far too much for people. She cares to a dangerous fault. She borders on self destructive. You just let her out into a time and space machine unsupervised except for Jodie. Jodie doesn't even have a handle of her weakened state of abilities at this point in time. Do you realize how dangerous Parker's mind alone is. Before the incident she had some odd telekinetic abilities, but now after looking into the heart of the TARDIS, the time vortex, I don't even know what it's turned into. She's essentially a ticking time bomb of uncontrollable abilities left on a self destructive mission with a recovering girl who has a connection to the infraworld alone together with an enemy you can't remember. Do you have even the slightest clue how incredibly stupid and dangerous that is," I asked.

"I didn't know she had abilities," Jack defended. "Seriously," I asked irritated, "You thought the ghost thing was real!?" "Well it makes as much sense as a 26 year old having uncontrollable abilities," Ianto countered. "God you're so thick sometimes," I groaned. "What did she say," Jack asked to change the subject. "They're going to use electrical currents to draw the silence to one spot and then teleport them to some isolated planet. It could at worst delay them a couple centuries at best keep them lost in the cosmos for the rest of Earth's existence," I informed. "It better bloody work," Owen replied turning to Torchwood, "or else any death toll will be on your hands." "That's not fair," Jack replied. "Neither is letting a man watch his girlfriend run off to a kamikaze mission," I countered. "You're just as guilty. You got them traveling in the first place," Ianto said. I scoffed incredulously.

We had walked for most of the day and I ended up taking them to an abandoned house in the country side. "We can stay here for now. I need to work on getting a signal to the TARDIS," I explained. "I'm so worried for her," Jack added. "Yeah. I know," I replied snippily. I couldn't help it. I've seen it too many times. I've seen the reactions too many times. It's all the same. "You keep saying that," Jack muttered. I froze in what I was doing. "Excuse me," I asked. "It's just, you keep saying that you get it. That you know what we're going through, but do you? We only get one life you don't have to deal with the mortality in the way we do having people be such large parts of our timelines and then heving them ripped away" Jack informed irritated. I raised an eyebrow looking up at him. "I think you forget just how long I've known her. I watched her grow up. I was there when you met. I sat through her hours of confusion back when you tried to push her away before leaving to stay with Torchwood. I was there when she started dating and the break ups and the job applications and getting fired," I explained, "I have seen the both of you at your best and at your worst. She has been traveling with me since she was sixteen. You're not the only one that could lose her," I added, "Get some rest."