Title: Scattered Pieces
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ten.5
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: R
Table: 6, 50ficlets
Prompt: 43, Pieces
Author's Note: Continuation of I Won't Break Down.
Author's Note: The human version of the Doctor is being referred to as John Smith in this fic, since it's the Doctor's human alias and his clone needed a name.
Author's Note: Spoilers for Journey's End, somewhat. This is an completely alternate take on the ending of Season Four.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor, or his human clone. Please do not sue.

***

"How much more do you think you can take, Doctor?" the Master snarled, dropping the whip that had been in his hand to the floor. "You're much stronger than I would have thought. I almost don't want to punish you, just because I don't think you're ever going to break."

"I won't," the Doctor muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and letting his head loll forward. He wasn't going to let the Master see what it cost him to not let his knees buckle, to not hang from the chains that held his arms above his head.

The Master had stripped him naked before he'd begun using the whip, turning the Doctor to face the wall. The Time Lord had stoically borne all that his enemy had dished out, telling himself with each blow that he was thankful this was being done to him, and not to Jamie.

Where was Jamie? It was obvious that the Master hadn't managed to find him yet; the other man was taking out his anger at his failure to capture them both on the Doctor. The Time Lord hoped that he would continue to be the brunt of that anger.

The last thing he wanted to think about was the possibility that the Master could take Jamie prisoner, too. If that happened, it would be much more difficult for them both to get out of this situation; in spite of all his ingenuity, it was never easy to escape from the Master.

With any luck, Jamie would be able to find him and get them both out of here. At this point, the Doctor wasn't sure of his own ability to aid much in that escape; he was already weakened, and he knew that before too long, he would be nothing more than pieces scattered on the ground.

The more time that elapsed without the Master finding Jamie, the more his anger would rise .And that would mean that this torture would escalate. The Doctor had been through similar scenarios with the Master, in different bodies, over centuries of time.

He already felt as though he was breaking into tiny shards, pieces of him being stripped away with each blow. The only thing that was keeping him from breaking down was the knowledge that Jamie was still free, that they still had a good chance of getting out of here.

How much longer would it take Jamie to find him? Did his lover have any idea where he was, or would he be searching fruitlessly for him? If only they'd had some way of keeping in touch with each other when they had gone in separate directions!

They had been so sure that this was a friendly place, somewhere that the Master would never think to come. That had been his mistake, the Doctor thought wryly. He should have known that the Master would strike in a place where he would least expect it.

He heard the whip sail through the air again, squeezing his eyes closed as it cracked across his lower back. He could hear the whoosh as the Master drew it back again, then, moments later, another lash fell on his bare buttocks.

How long could he withstand this before he began screaming in pain and gave in, let the Master break him? He could only hold out for so long; with just those two lashes, he felt as if bigger and bigger pieces of himself were breaking away, crumbling into dust.

"I'll see both of you in pieces before this is over," the Master snarled, drawing back his arm once more. This time, when the whip cracked across his shoulders, the Doctor couldn't hold back a soft moan of pain. Now that the first one had escaped, he knew there would be more.

"Ah, you're already starting to break, aren't you, Doctor?" the Master purred, moving closer to the Time Lord. The Doctor could feel that warm breath on his abraded skin, making him wince and wish that he could move away. "So you are as fragile as you look."

The Doctor didn't answer; he knew that no words were expected from him. But he was determined not to let too many pieces of himself be stripped away, no matter what the Master did or said. He had to keep the thought in his mind that help was on the way.

Jamie was out there somewhere, searching for him. And it was only a matter of time before the two of them would face the Master, together as a team. Closing his eyes, the Doctor concentrated on that single thought. At the moment, it was all that he had to keep him in one piece.

***

Next story in series - One Single Soul.