A little over a month later and we finally have an update, folks!

It was an oddly cool 63 degrees and cloudy when King pulled into an outdoor parking lot located down the street from the Pao Pao Café. She sluggishly went through the motions of exiting her car and paying for parking at the nearby kiosk, all the while wondering why the Motrin she had taken for her headache hadn't kicked in yet. She slowly made her way to the well-known haunt, hands in the pockets of her hoodie, brow furrowed as it started to sprinkle, and wondered what she was getting herself into. After all, each interaction with Vanessa the night before had been disastrous at best. What was she going to say? Somehow she didn't think, "Sorry I completely freaked out when you tried to take off my pants and then drunk dialed you a few hours later," would be particularly acceptable.

King approached the entrance to the building and started to pull the door open but immediately stopped herself: If the establishment's owner, Richard Meyer, or his protégé, Bob, saw her they would no doubt want to talk shop — something she absolutely was not in the mood for. With that in mind she carefully pulled her thin hood over her head before ducking inside. She looked around the area, which wasn't terribly crowded (yet), and immediately spotted Vanessa, who, predictably, looked dazzling even though she was clearly dressed down for the day: Clad in strategically ripped jeans and a long-sleeved top, she sat at a table for two near one of the many plants that decorated the place. Her bright hair, which hadn't been straightened, fell in wavy clusters around her face, which went from bored to enthusiastic as King approached.

"Hey, you," Vanessa said with a smile. "What's with the disguise?"

"It's not a disguise. I just don't want anyone coming up to me when I have more pressing matters to attend to," King answered as she carefully slid into the seat across from the other woman, who was watching her intently.

"'Pressing matters?'"
"Well… yeah," King mumbled.
"Mm. So how are you feeling?"
"I'm… I have a headache.
"All that wine," Vanessa remarked.
"Yeah."

King folded her hands together and sat with her back rigid, completely at a loss for words while Vanessa scanned the drink menu. What should she say? There was so much on her mind; where should she even start?! Should she apologize for the drunk dial or the egregious flip out first? What sort of explanation could she offer for either one? What if difficult questions about her trauma came up? Then what? She placed a hand on her head: When. the hell. was that Motrin. going. to kick. in?

"Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I ordered some loaded fries for us to share," Vanessa said as she set the drink menu aside. "I wasn't sure if you were still doing the vegetarian thing, so I told them to leave the bacon bits off."

Although unsure of whether or not she even had the drive to eat, King was touched by Vanessa's consideration. She offered a small but genuine smile.

"Thanks," she replied. "I, um… I broke my diet but I'm trying to get back to it, so that will be helpful."
"You did? What happened?"
"I ate a piece of Mary's bacon in a fit of rage."

Vanessa immediately started laughing. After a moment she stopped and quirked a brow.

"You're serious?"

King nodded and let out a tiny chuckle as the absurdity of her statement really set in.

"You know, Mary speaks very highly of you," Vanessa commented.
"She does?" King made a face. Why would anyone speak highly of her? Especially now?
"Of course! It sounds like you two are pretty close…?"
"She kneecapped my rapist."

King threw a hand over her mouth, astonished by her own disclosure as Vanessa's eyes went wide. She slowly placed her aching head in her hands while trying to make sense of why her impulsivity always, always, always came out at the absolute worst times, and why it almost always involved her spilling some kind of personal detail she wanted to keep under wraps. She supposed it didn't matter: Vanessa had already guessed that something happened to her so there was no use trying to pretend otherwise. (Not in front of her, anyway.)

"That's… umm. You asked if someone…"

King folded her hands together once more and took a deep breath. She fixed her eyes on her thumb nails (the light polish was terribly chipped) and cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Last night you asked if someone hurt me," King dictated, her voice a little shaky. "Someone did. So Mary hurt him back."
"And... you...?"
"I… I couldn't...!"

Vanessa reached across the table and placed her hand over King's.

"You don't have to say anything else. Not if you don't want to."

At that moment a young waiter came to the table with a tray that held two glasses of ice water and the loaded fries Vanessa had mentioned. It was clear that he picked up on the heaviness that hung over the pair, as he very hastily placed everything down and took off before Vanessa could even order a beer.

"I'm sorry," King said quickly.
"What? Why?"
"Because I called you, drunk —"
"You actually remember it?"
" — and I freaked out when —"
"Listen, you have nothing to apologize for, "Vanessa said as she squeezed King's hands. "If anything I should be the one saying sorry. If I had known about what you've been through I wouldn't have —"
"Yeah, I know," King interrupted, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "You wouldn't have bothered. I'm too damaged."

King winced, not just because of her own words, but because the pain in her head was actually increasing. That fucking Motrin only had one job…!

"Do you really think that?" Vanessa inquired, her voice full of disbelief. "That you're 'damaged?!'"
"I don't think it," King answered, "I know it. What... he... did — it broke something."
"Then let's fix it."
"It can't be fixed."
"Of course it can…!"

Vanessa reached across the table and gently pushed the hood off of King's head.

"Sorry, but I feel like I'm talking to a Jedi or a Sith Lord or something," she said as she moved a lock of hair away from King's face. She frowned when she caught sight of the small scar on her forehead.

"Pistol," King stated numbly. She looked away while Vanessa gently ran her thumb across the imperfection. "And then a wall."

The two were quiet as Vanessa slowly moved her hand down along King's face. She cupped her cheek and looked directly into her eyes.

"You're not damaged," she affirmed as she drew closer. "You're strong. And if you say anything negative about yourself again I'm going to punch you."

Before King could respond Vanessa's lips were pressed against hers — which was certainly one way to get her to shut up about how awful she was. However, as much as she wanted to enjoy the kiss she just couldn't do it. What she was doing wasn't right; Vanessa was still married! It didn't matter if her and her spouse were on some sort of break — it couldn't happen. King's better judgment was not winning, though: she slowly parted her lips and actually began to relax as the other woman slipped her tongue into her mouth. She eagerly kissed her back, and the thought of getting out of there and trying… that… again entered her mind. Where would they go? Would she even be able to go through with it? Traumatic experience aside, sex without love was practically a foreign concept to her. King hastily pulled away, her breath ragged, and ran her hands through her hair. She grabbed her water and started gulping it down.

"What's the matter?" Vanessa asked.
"We can't — we can't do this," King answered as she placed the glass down.
"Why not?"
"You're married and I'm a mess!"
"Do you really think I'd be here if that was a problem?"
"Okay, fine, fair point. But I'm — I don't think I'm ready for something like… this," King gesticulated vaguely. "What… what even is this?!"

Vanessa leaned forward, an almost seductive smile on her face.

"It's whatever we need it to be."

King swallowed hard; Jesus Christ, that answer was hot. Despite her reservations, she closed the distance between herself and Vanessa this time. A little unsure of what the hell was even going on in her own head she fervidly kissed her companion, but she couldn't help thinking that everything was wrong and weird. Hell, she was wrong and weird… but in that instance she almost desperately wanted to —

"King?!"

The shocked voice of Robert Garcia abruptly snapped King back to her senses. Startled, she pulled away from Vanessa and wiped some lipstick off of her mouth before clearing her throat.

"Ruh-Robert! Um, hey! What are you doing... here?"
"I could ask you the same question," came Robert's answer.
"Hey, Garcia —" Vanessa quickly greeted the newcomer — "It's been awhile, huh?"
"Hey girl!"

Vanessa and Robert amicably bumped fists before he turned his attention back to King and wrinkled his nose.

"Damn, dude, you look like shit."
"What are you doing here?" King repeated her question, a little irritated.
"I'm supposed to meet up with Ryo to watch the fight."

At that, King pressed her lips together. Ryo Sakazaki was an interesting one: The brother of her good friend and on-again-off-again teammate, Yuri (who just so happened to be Robert's girlfriend), Ryo was an enemy turned friend turned drunken masturbatory material (just once!) turned back to friend who had ridiculously nice eyes and looked good with facial hair. Although King hated to admit it there was a point where she had felt some physical attraction toward him, and, for a while, thought she might have even been catching feelings, but that weirdness had long since passed. Unfortunately, unusual anxieties about what he thought of her still periodically entered her mind — especially in the wake of her assault, which she had no intention of ever telling him about. Old-fashioned and maybe even a bit prudish, he would probably have a conniption fit if he saw her making out with another woman — in public, no less. She nervously grabbed a handful of the loaded fries, which had gotten a little cold, and crammed them into her mouth as she looked around the area, her face bright pink.

"Seriously though, you look pretty rough," Robert commented. "Sleeping okay?"

Before King could answer Ryo suddenly popped up beside Robert, his expression full of dismay.

"Wow, King! You look like shit!"
"What the hell, Sakazaki?!" Vanessa exclaimed. "That's no way to greet someone! You should both be ashamed! Apologize to her!"
"It's fine," King spoke up. "These two assholes are always like that."
"Hey, us 'assholes' are your friends," Ryo told her. "And, as such, it is our job to be honest with you."
"You can be honest without being rude," Vanessa chimed in, clearly irked.
"It really is fine," King assured her. "Really."
"...Okay."

Robert loudly cleared his throat while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"So, Van," he said conversationally, "How's your husband doing?"
"He's fine," came Vanessa's reply. "We're on hiatus at the moment."
"Hiatus?"
"Yeah. It sucks, but it's okay. I think I've found something of a silver lining."

With that, Vanessa winked at King, who couldn't help displaying what she could only imagine was the stupidest smile to ever stupid.

"What's with that face, King?" Ryo questioned.
"What face?"
"You're doing that thing you do when... "

Ryo abruptly stopped talking as he seemed to have some kind of epiphany.

"Are you two —? Are you on a date?! Are you dating?!"
"'Dating,' is putting it mildly, bro," Robert said with a snicker.
"Shut. Up," King grumbled.
"Is that an issue for you guys?"

Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest, her expression curious but also indignant.

"Well, uhhh no," Ryo answered, visibly uncomfortable, "It's just… un… usual."
"I legitimately thought King was asexual," Robert added.
"You're an idiot," King stated flatly. She pressed her lips together, her head still pounding, and glanced at Vanessa, who was considering her with mild concern.

"This is actually really great," Ryo suddenly proclaimed as he excitedly clapped his hands together.
"It is?" Vanessa raised her eyebrows.
"Pffft, yeah! Maybe you can help her loosen up! Not in a weird way, or anything, but —"
"Are you kidding?!"

Robert grabbed Ryo's shoulders and moved him out of the way.

"Get as weird about it as you want! The weirder the better if it can fix our royal highness's perpetual crankiness!"
"I'm not cranky," King grumbled.
"You're officially insane if you think that," Ryo said pointedly. "Ever since the mono thing you've been really moody."

King immediately tensed up at the mention of the lie she made up to hide the fact that she was attacked all those months ago. She swallowed hard as Vanessa asked, "Mono?"
"Yeah," Ryo explained, "She caught mono awhile back and was sick for, like, a month. She didn't tell — King, you didn't tell her? That's how she got that scar on her head — she fell down and lost a fight with the corner of the table."
"I see," Vanessa said slowly. "That must have hurt…!"
"It… was...really bloody," King stammered. She shuddered as she recalled the sickening feeling of the nurse gingerly peeling her hair away from (and even out of) the gash so she could apply antiseptic and gauze.

"King?"

Ryo stooped down to peer into her face. She held her breath; those goddamn hazel eyes were right on her, surely about to see through all of her bullshit.

"You really don't look so hot. Are you —"
"I need to go," King cut him off. "I'm a little sick right now and if I don't — I might... "
"O-oh. Okay. Are you good to drive?"
"Y-yeah," King nodded while she rose from her seat. She turned to Vanessa while pulling cash out of her wallet. "For the fries. Ummm… Do you need a ride?"
"Only if it's not a problem for you…?"
"It's no problem. Bye guys."

King promptly walked out of the building, not even bothering to wait for Vanessa to catch up with her. Once outside she raised her face toward the gray sky and let out a shaky breath before starting toward the parking lot down the street. Several moments passed before Vanessa jogged up beside her.

"Hey! What happened?"

King sighed as she continued walking.

"I told everyone that I caught mono from sharing a straw with Mai. The story is I collapsed at home, hit my head on the coffee table, and was diagnosed at the hospital. Everyone's always teasing me about it now, but it's better than… than the alternative. I just… I felt like I had to get out of there. I'm sorry."

Vanessa shook her head as she accompanied King through the parking lot.

"As someone who knows a thing or two about cover stories, that's actually a really good one," she acknowledged in a somewhat far off tone.

King briefly peered over at Vanessa before unlocking her car; curious, but also somewhat puzzled by her statement. The two women quietly climbed into the vehicle; Vanessa adjusted the seat to accommodate her tall frame while King placed her cellphone in the cupholder.

"So —" Vanessa drew the word out as she buckled in — "Not even the Kyokugens know…?"
"Yuri knows, but her family and Robert don't."
"But I thought you guys were all super tight?"
"We are. But if they found out… It's… It wasn't a completely random act of violence — there's a lot of bad blood. Past mistakes… things that —"

King stopped herself mid-sentence. She wasn't exactly forthcoming about her past working as an enforcer for a crime lord: saying she was an ex-bouncer was one thing; saying she was a reformed criminal was another, so she (along with the Sakazakis, Robert, and Mary) kept it as quiet as possible. It was a detail about her past that no one needed to know — and certainly not Vanessa. She took a deep breath as she carefully thought about what to say next. She furrowed her brow, ready to resume speaking, but her passenger beat her to the proverbial punch.

"I know about Big."

Caught off guard by the unexpected remark, King did a double take. At first she wondered if she heard correctly, but one peek at Vanessa's troubled expression told her that she was most definitely not suffering from auditory hallucinations.

"Wha — what...?"
"Your name is Cécile Levasseur, and you were a member of Mr. Big's syndicate," Vanessa started. "You and your brother came to Southtown when you were sixteen — after your father died — to live with your aunt and uncle. But your brother's condition got worse and you needed money, so you posed as a man to get the bouncer job at L'Amour, and you got mixed up in Big's affairs. You did some very bad things to people of… questionable morality… and you played a part in the kidnapping of Yuri Sakazaki. You went to the cops after your run in with Ryo and Garcia, and your confession helped bring Big and his cronies down."
"What… what the hell —?!" King sputtered incredulously.

She held on to the steering wheel, hands shaking, and stared at the woman next to her, wide-eyed and in some degree of shock, but also angry. How did she know these things?! Her name, her past… Did Mary tell her?! No… Mary wouldn't do that — she would never betray her trust. So, how…?

"It wasn't Mary — if that's what you're thinking."
"Then who?! How?!" King exclaimed.
"I… have connections," Vanessa replied.
"What the fuck does that mean?!"
"It means… I've been leading a double life. I'm a housewife but I'm also a — god, you're going to think this is ridiculous — secret agent for hire."
"What?!"
"I had Seth help me do some digging," Vanessa continued, "He's really good at that stuff."

King stared, mouth agape while she tried to process what she was just told. Oddly enough it only took a second to set in (she had seen and heard crazier things), but when it did it felt like a huge slap in the face. It was bad enough that her body had been violated, but, now, her privacy had been as well — and it made her furious.

"'Digging?!'" King practically yelled. "My name, my past — things I don't want people to know for a reason! You guys dredged it all up with no regard for —"
"I know it was a shitty thing to do, and I'm sorry. I guess I just wanted to know more about you."

Vanessa's admission made King pause: it sounded innocent enough; she could tell there was no malicious intent behind the blatant invasion of privacy. However, something occurred to her then — something that had the potential to make or break the budding relationship.

"Did you know…?"
"Know what?"
"About… about what happened to me. Did your little background check turn that up, too?!"

Vanessa pushed some hair out of her face and sighed.

"We were able to access your recent medical records, yes, but I thought that going through them was a little too much."
"'A little too much….'"

Although somewhat relieved that Vanessa and her confidant had at least had the decency to not ransack her medical history, King gripped the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles started to change colour. She took a deep, steadying breath that was meant to help her keep her composure, lest her problematic temper get the better of her.

"This is the part where I tell you to get the hell out of my car."
"Listen. I know you're upset — you have every right to be —"
"No shit!"
"— but I'm telling you this because I want you to trust me."
"Trust you?! Do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds?! You went behind my back when all you had to do was ask me whatever you wanted to know!"
"Would you have really told me, though?"

A loaded silence set in, with King staring straight ahead, her hands aching from how tight she was holding the wheel, and Vanessa fidgeting with a hole in her jeans.

"...Céc —"
"You don't get to call me that."
"I'm sorry."

King loosened her grip on the steering wheel; she pressed her lips together so hard it hurt as she adjusted herself so she could look at Vanessa, who was reaching for the door handle. She really couldn't explain why, but all at once she felt like letting her walk out would be a huge mistake.

"Wait."

Vanessa turned, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Huh?"
"...where am I taking you?"
"What? I — are you sure —"
"I can still change my mind," King snapped. "But for now… where are we going?"
"...North City Valley."

King couldn't keep her eyes from widening: North City Valley was a very high-class suburb — the type of high-class where the men obsessively maintained their lawns and smoked Arturo Fuente cigars while their trophy wives wore expensive jewelry and casual racism. There had never been any doubt in King's mind that Vanessa had money but it never occurred to her that she had that much money. Then again, moonlighting as an operative on top of whatever the hell her husband did probably brought in all kinds of disposable income.

"...King?" Vanessa questioned while hesitantly placing a hand on her arm.
"Don't fucking touch me."

King waited for Vanessa to unhand her before starting the car. She was so hurt and frustrated; she didn't get why she was even going to bother taking this woman anywhere after what she did. Completely at a loss for words she turned the volume on the stereo up and maneuvered her vehicle out of the small lot.

###

Not even fifteen uncomfortable minutes later King pulled up to a fairly large modern style house that looked like something out of a Better Homes & Gardens photo spread. Focusing on the music during the drive had helped her calm down a little, but she was still really torn about Vanessa's intrusive actions. Sure, it was harmless in the grand scheme of things, but there was something about having every detail of her life pulled out of… wherever the hell the info came from… that was highly unsettling. She turned the stereo down and chanced a quick glance at Vanessa, whom she hadn't even looked at since before the ride started. She was met by a keen gaze that sort of made her want to melt into her seat.

"Do… you want to come in?"

Vanessa's tone was open, earnest — it almost caused King to short circuit. She cleared her throat while averting her eyes.

"I don't want to intrude," she replied tersely.
"No one's home," Vanessa said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Besides. I think you and I still have a few things to talk about…"
"I don't know about that."
"King…"
"Let me guess," King said while fixing her eyes on the dashboard, "You're sorry. You didn't mean to pry."
"I am sorry — truly. But if you had the means to get extensive information on someone you were highly interested in, wouldn't you?"

King narrowed her eyes: If she could pull up all the information on someone she wanted she definitely would; to pretend otherwise would be silly — and an outright lie. In spite of her displeasure with Vanessa's actions she put the car in park and shut the engine off.

"Why are you so interested in me, anyway?" She asked as she climbed out of her vehicle.
"There's just a certain… something about you that makes it hard to not want to get to know you. You're fascinating," came the answer.

King scoffed as she made her way up the porch. She crossed her arms and waited until Vanessa unlocked the door before she replied.

"But I'm really not."
"But you really are."

Once inside Vanessa removed her shoes and King quickly took her lead; she slipped her boots off, placed them neatly against the entry wall, and took in her surroundings as she pulled herself upright: The large foyer lead into an even larger, cozy living room with recessed lighting and a very large OLED television mounted on the wall. There were a few children's books and toys in a basket in one corner, and a stack of catalogs sat on the coffee table.

"Would you like a drink?" Vanessa called as she entered a spacious kitchen that looked like it had never even been used.
"I'm driving, remember?"
"I meant something like juice or water…?"
"Oh."

King made a face as she lowered herself onto a stool in front of a large, granite island. She placed her elbows on the smooth surface and held her breath as Vanessa grabbed a carton of orange juice and a bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

"Is this okay?"
"Y-yeah, thank you."

There was more silence between the two as Vanessa poured King's drink and opened her beer. She slid the orange juice across the island before holding up her bottle.

"A toast" she said with a smirk.
"To what?"
"Honesty."

The corners of King's mouth involuntarily turned upward.

"...bitch," she mumbled into her glass.

Vanessa snickered which, for some reason, set King off. She burst into a fit of mad giggles: everything was so preposterous! She was lying about her well-being, Vanessa, who was insanely hot and apparently totally willing to raw her, was lying about her profession — as a secret agent no less — and now she was sitting in a huge house in a posh neighborhood, drinking orange juice. What even was real life?!

"Hey, do you want the tour?" Vanessa queried while placing her beer down on a cork coaster.
"There's a tour?"
"Yeah! I'll show you around! Come on!"

King set her half finished drink aside; she shadowed her hostess throughout the house and took in each sight, her attention instantly drawn to all of the pictures hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves. Wedding portraits and candid photographs presented what appeared to be the perfect family: a beautiful man and a beautiful woman with their beautiful child. King fixed her eyes on Vanessa's bare finger and suddenly felt very bad for her. What on earth could have caused such an obviously happy couple to take a break from one another? She was so curious, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.

"And this is the guest room," Vanessa was saying as she pushed a nearby door open.

King jumped; she shook her head before stepping into the room to get a better look: it held a large bed, a dresser, and had its own bathroom. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. Ryo and Robert were right: she looked like shit. She didn't move as Vanessa walked up behind her.

"I'm glad you called me last night," she told her quietly.
"You are?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

King met Vanessa's gaze through the mirror but almost immediately looked away.

"You dug it all up, remember?"
"You're still angry."
"A little, yeah," King stated honestly. She crossed her arms while squinting down at the wooden floor.
"What can I do to change that?"

There was something about the question that made King stand at attention. She stayed perfectly still while the older woman placed her hands on her arms and started rubbing them up and down. It was completely harmless, but there was something more to it, something that King couldn't fully grasp. She impulsively spun around, grabbed both sides of Vanessa's face, and kissed her passionately — an action that she simply couldn't explain. All she knew was that she wanted this woman, and not because she loved her. It was pure, unbridled lust, which she didn't think she had ever felt before — not even in her past relationships.

After a moment King finally broke the kiss and practically tore her hoodie off, revealing the lace embellished tank top she had carelessly thrown on earlier. She tossed the outerwear on the floor before damn near tackling Vanessa on to the bed. She then climbed on top of her and began kissing her again, all the while doing her best to ignore the tiny voice in the back of her head that was screaming that this was wrong.

King didn't know how it happened, but, somehow, she ended up on her back (wow, the mattress was really nice…!), while Vanessa took charge. And, while she wasn't exactly used to being the so-called bottom, she really didn't care — there was still plenty she could do (and plenty she wanted to do) from her position underneath the other woman. She ran her hands all over her cohort's body (her breasts were perfect), eliciting little gasps here and there. All at once Vanessa was down to her bra, but she was still on top; she leaned down and gently bit King's neck.

With a sharp breath King (who, because of that single action, was incredibly turned on) heedlessly grabbed Vanessa's hand, which was up her shirt, and started moving it downward along the side of her body.

"Do it," she breathed.

Vanessa abruptly pulled back. She looked down at King, almost disbelieving, but also obviously excited.

"Are you sure...?"

King hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding. She swallowed hard while her jeans were unbuttoned and shut her eyes, doing her best to keep her thoughts from wandering back to that motel room all those months ago, or to her general doubts about what was right versus what was wrong. Thankfully, the sensation of Vanessa's hand travelling past her waistband, the feel of her long fingers, and the frantic need for her to keep going helped King force all of her worries to the back of her mind.

Well, well, well... look at me subverting your expectations. Not gonna lie: I'm not very happy with how it turned out, but I edited obsessively, and here we are. Anyway, let's look at a couple of things, yes? Yes.

*The bit about King eating the bacon in a fit of rage directly refers to Oxygen to Breathe's fourth chapter - where she snatches Mary's bacon and eats it.
*King's past: While some of it is headcanon'd, the part about her moving to Southtown at the age of sixteen is mentioned in the All About SNK 1991-2000 book. (It specifically said she appeared in Southtown five years ago, but seeing as her age in AOF was 21, well, math dictates that she was still a teenager.
*Arturo Fuente Opus X BBMF cigars (that's a mouthful) run for about 55 bucks each.
*Vanessa's character bio says that her hobby is catalog shopping.
*In KOF XIII King can be seen wearing a suit jacket that has a lacy shirt under it. I've decided that it's a spaghetti strap tank top. Fight me.

Ummm, that's it for now. Cheers~