From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   Title:  WHAT'S LEFT OF ME   
   Author:  Donna McIntosh   
   Email:  dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
   Fandom:  X-Files   
   Pairing:  Skinner/Krycek   
   Genre:  Slash   
   Rating:  NC-17  FRAO   
   Disclaimer:  These characters belong to Chris Carter not to me.  If   
   they did, I'd be rich and these guys would have a lot more sex!   
   Summary:  Skinner and Krycek work several assignments together and   
   come to the conclusion that they make a pretty good pair.   
      
   WHAT'S LEFT OF ME   
      
   Skinner sat in the back of the helicopter having second thoughts about   
   this mission and his insatiable desire for field work.  He glanced   
   over at Krycek beside him, eyes closed, sound asleep and cursed   
   Cassidy again.  Why on earth would she use *him* when she knew full   
   well he worked for Spender; he would never know.  Next time he would   
   ask who else would be involved before he accepted an assignment.  This   
   was ridiculous.  Alex Krycek; of all people!  He despised the man.    
   And there he sat; leaning against the side window, sound asleep.   
      
   It was getting colder now the farther northeast they flew; he could   
   feel the temperature dropping.  The scenery was beautiful though, he   
   had to admit.  Dawn was just beginning to lighten the eastern skyline   
   over the tree covered mountains.  A long lazy stream meandered its way   
   through the trees passed a cabin nestled atop a small rise.  No smoke   
   coming from the chimney so whoever owned it was probably living in a   
   condo somewhere in a nearby city.  For a moment he had a pang of   
   regret and wished he was going to be spending the next few days in his   
   cabin and not traipsing off to some lumber camp in northern Maine.   
      
   That thought had barely clarified when he felt the chopper lurch and   
   heard the pilot curse.  Krycek was instantly awake beside him as the   
   pilot struggled with the controls.   
   "What is it?  What's happening?" Skinner demanded as the pilot fought   
   for control and called a frantic "Mayday – Mayday".   
      
   "We're going down."  Krycek said as they whirled and eddied and jumped   
   about.  In seconds they were going down, down, down; smashing through   
   trees.  The engine screamed, metal twisted and tore, limbs cracked and   
   broke.  For a moment there was utter silence.   
      
   The first sound he heard was a gurgling noise from the pilot; a sound   
   he hadn't heard since his days in Nam.  He sat up as best he could and   
   untangled himself from Krycek who was now under him as the chopper had   
   landed on its side.  He checked Krycek's vitals first as he was   
   closest.  They were strong.  Krycek was alive but unconscious.  He   
   leaned over the front seat and checked on the pilot just as he   
   shuddered and gasped his last breath; he was dead.  Sounds and smells   
   from distant memories froze him momentarily.  A moan from Krycek   
   brought him back to his present predicament.     
      
   "Get off …" Krycek struggled to get up and let out a groan.  "Shit!    
   My shoulder is broken!"   
      
   "We gotta get out of here," Skinner said trying the side door which   
   was now over head.  It was jammed shut and he didn't like what he saw   
   when he looked out.  A steep rocky hillside below them and the chopper   
   hung up on a few broken tree limbs.  The whole thing swayed as they   
   moved about.   
      
   "The pilot?"  Krycek asked.   
      
   "Dead.  He caught a tree limb through the chest."   
      
   "Damn!  Try the radio."   
      
   "Krycek, listen to me.  We've got to get out of here.  This thing is   
   snagged on a few branches; it can roll the rest of the way down this   
   mountain at any minute."   
      
   Krycek stared at him wide-eyed and gulped but he stilled his movements.   
      
   "Looks like the only way out is the windshield."  Skinner said looking   
   around.   
      
   Krycek eyed the narrow opening between the two front seats and doubted   
   that he could make it.   
      
   "Nice and slow now," Skinner warned him.   
      
   "You go first," Krycek said cradling his wounded arm with his plastic one.   
      
   Skinner eased himself through the opening and into the front seat; the   
   chopper shifting and creaking as he went.  "Come on," he urged Krycek.   
      
   "You go on.  I'll be along in a minute."   
      
   "No!  We're going together.  Any major shift of weight can send this   
   thing on down the mountainside."   
      
   "Skinner, my shoulder's busted. There's no way I can make it out of here."   
      
   Skinner reached into the back, grabbed a hand full of fatigue jacket   
   and pulled.  Krycek cried out as he was pulled through the narrow   
   opening.  They stilled for a moment as the swaying movement of the   
   wreckage settled back down.  The left side of the windshield was   
   broken out by the tree limb that had speared the pilot.  The right   
   side was shattered but mostly still in place.   
      
   "I'm going to kick out this windshield and at the same time you and I   
   are going straight out and heading for that second tree there."  He   
   pointed in front of them.   
      
   "What's wrong with the first tree? It's a good twenty feet closer."   
      
   "That's what's wrong."  He pointed to a rotor blade a few feet back   
   from the closer tree and it was still hooked by cables to the chopper.   
      
   Krycek craned his neck to see and took it all in.  From the way it was   
   laying, if the chopper rolled, that rotor was going with it and taking   
   anything in its way.   
      
   "I get your point.  Second tree it is."  Krycek said as his chances   
   for survival seemed to be growing slimmer.   
      
   The chopper gave another lurch and they heard the cracking of the branch.   
      
   "NOW!"  Skinner kicked the broken glass and lunged forward pulling   
   Krycek with him.  They hit the ground hard; Krycek on his side and   
   Skinner on all fours.   Branches cracked, metal twisted and tore and   
   the wreckage hurtled down the mountainside.  Skinner leapt forward   
   dragging Krycek as a loud THWACK took the rotor and the small tree   
   down with it spraying them with dirt and debris. They sat behind the   
   second tree gasping for breath.   
      
   "Krycek?  You still with me?"   
      
   "Yeah; for the moment."   
      
   "What the hell kind of answer is that?"   
      
   "Skinner, my shoulder is broken, possibly my ankle as well.  I can   
   barely move. This ground is freezing and we're in the middle of   
   nowhere.  It might have been better for both of us if I had gone down   
   that mountainside."   
      
   "I saw a cabin just before we went down."  Skinner said as he caught   
   his breath.  Krycek was right.  It was close to freezing; they needed   
   to get to shelter and soon.   
      
   "A cabin?  You sure?"   
      
   "Yeah, I'm sure.  Turn over.  Let me check that shoulder."   
      
   Krycek tried but it took Skinner's help to get him on his back.  He   
   made it with a groan.  Skinner unfastened the front of Krycek's   
   jacket, reached in with both hands feeling all around the shoulder.   
      
   "I don't think it's broken.  I think it's just dislocated."   
      
   "Can you put in back into place?"  Kyrcek asked hopefully.   
      
   "I've seen it done but I've never done it.  I could try but it's gonna   
   hurt like hell."   
      
   "It already hurts like hell.  Will you try?"   
      
   Skinner heaved a sigh and knew he'd have to.  They were hours away   
   from any medical facility even if they had a way out of there.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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