LadyOfThieves – What do you mean, maybe? (grins) That's one of my favourite lines actually. You would make a good Oscar winner actually (random thought...). Sorry, I think I'm still a little high on Diet Coke from Saturday…thanks for reviewing anyway!

Phillip the Nickel –I'm really glad you liked the description – that's the bit I was most worried about, actually! Thank you for your review!

LordLanceahlot – Wow! I'm so glad you liked it. And thank you for putting this story into your C2 community. If you ever need staff, you have a willing employee here!

PA – Thank you! Your review really brightened up my day (send hugs and e-chocolate).

I am absolutely shattered, so I'll be amazed if any of this makes sense. On Friday, I saw Walk the Line again with six friends and to avoid paying extortionate prices for food we bought it at another, cheaper shop. The problem was that we had £10 of food and we had to hide it as we went in. That was entertaining. Then, yesterday, I had a LOST party (basically, people came over and watched LOST). Then, today, I had free tickets to a showing of The Constant Gardener. Which rocked (it's the third time I've seen it). And now, I am listening to the Walk the Line soundtrack and falling asleep, so I'd better end this author's note.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!


Chapter II: You Don't Have to be Nervous

They managed to climb down from the spire without incident, getting back into the building through one of the smashed windows. The walls inside were bullet-ridden. It looks as though a giant picked up the building and shook it around, Jack thought, but wisely didn't say. In fact, neither of them said anything until they were in the elevator on the way down.

"That's twice now," Ann said suddenly.

"Twice?"

"Twice that you protected me," The words didn't come easily to Ann, as she wanted to say so much more, but the sincerity of her tone made up for the lack of originality in her words. "Thank you."

In her eyes, Jack could see the same expression she wore when they first talked properly.

He was far too lost in thought to notice anything that was happening around him. Every now and again, the ship shook violently, but he didn't seem to become aware of it.

He didn't even notice Ann coming the other way down the corridor until the ship shook again, and the two of them nearly fell over, which put Ann into his line of vision. However, the ship's movement didn't seem to affect her that much.

"Good legs..." he muttered out loud, without really thinking about what he was saying. Ann suddenly looked at him, utterly caught off-guard and confused.

"Sea legs…sea legs," he said, trying to rectify the situation. "Not that you don't have good legs..." The surprised and reluctant feelings coming from Ann were almost audible, though she didn't say anything. "Just trying to make a conversation. Jesus..." he said in an honest invocation to Christ. "Ms. Darrow, about the, uh, scene today with you and Bruce…"

"I know it wasn't what you wrote," she put in, guessing his point. "But Mr. Baxter felt very strongly that when a man likes a woman...he must ignore her...and if things turn really hostile then..." She trailed off, seeing Jack's reaction. "No?"


"Interesting theory, uh..." he said as neutrally as possible, trying to think of something reassuring to say.


Hesitating, Ann added "I know, I should've..."

"It wasn't what I had intended, but..."

"I'm sorry, I was..."

"You made it your own." he stated honestly. It was definitely a scene he could now see no-one else acting, apart from her.


"I...I was nervous..." she said cautiously, not sure if he was being complimentary or not.


"It was funny, actually. You were funny."


The effect of those two sentences was swift and surprising. The glow faded from her face, and she moved back towards her cabin. "Please...don't say another word..."


"Ms. Darrow..." She turned around from the doorway to her cabin to face him, her eyes meeting his. "You don't have to be nervous."

The look in her eyes at that moment, profound, a mixture of worry and a sort of serenity, matched the one she wore now.

The elevator ground to a halt. The arrow over the sliding doors slid down to zero. Jack glanced at Ann worriedly. Her pale porcelain skin was even whiter than usual, and her blue eyes were wide. Her hand – still slightly calloused and rough from her time on the island – found its way into Jack's, and his reassuring grip comforted her.

The door pinged open, and he looked at Ann briefly.

"Are you ready?"

She shook her head, dishevelling her already windswept golden hair even more. "I don't think I'll ever be ready."

Jack gripped her hand a little tighter, and kissed her swiftly, before the doors opened. Once they pulled apart though, she still kept a firm grip on his hand.

The cold air outside the building hit the two of them like a shock. In many ways, it was colder and more distant than it had been on the very top of the building because of the people milling about. Even though people were physically close to the body of the beast, they acted like scavengers, walking over his body like it was so much inferior rubbish, climbing over his limbs to get pictures and to prove to themselves and the world that he had been conquered, and there were even a few people cutting off tresses of Kong's rough, tough fur as evidence, holding it up like a trophy. Ann only caught glimpses of this, and she longed to see Kong's majestic face again, properly. She both wanted to shrink back into the shadow of the building and move forward towards Kong's body, but with Jack's hand in hers like an anchor, she could do neither. Instead, she moved a little closer to Jack, trying to convince herself that she was safe again.

Suddenly, like a shoal of fish, almost simultaneously, the reporters turned to the couple standing on the steps of the Empire State Building. There was a sudden rush of people towards Ann and Jack, and they were swallowed up in the crowd. Ann gripped Jack's hand tighter as the pressure of the journalists threatened to pull them apart. Without conscious thought, they involuntarily moved backwards until they were up against the solid wall of the building. Flashbulbs went off like tiny volcanoes spewing light, and unexpectedly Ann had a flash of what it was like to be Kong, backed up against a wall, unable to move and being blinded by relentless photographs. Jack forced his way through towards her, and she clutched him as though she was drowning in a sea of people and cameras and he was her lifeline. She turned her head away from the reporters and tried to look beyond the crowd and towards the fallen giant in the street, but there were too many people in the way. She inched herself up a little higher on her silver heels, trying to get a better view. It was only when she heard her name being called that she turned back towards the reporters.

"Ann! Ann – excuse me, out of the way – Ann!" Carl Denham pushed his way past the journalists using his usual tactics of false politeness and surreptitious violence.

"Are you okay Ann? Christ, what happened up there? Did Jack make it up there alright?"

"We're fine," Ann heard herself say, though the words came out sounding hollow and insincere. Carl must have picked up on that, because of the next thing he said.

"We'll get you out of here, I promise"

"Thank you," Jack replied, relief showing on his face at the thought of getting away from the crowds.

"No," Ann said quickly, but her voice was calm. "I want to see him."

Carl looked a little perturbed at the request. "Ann, I really don't think–"

"Please." Despite the wording, it was not a request. With a quick glance at Jack, Carl eventually nodded, and beckoned over a couple of policemen, who cleared a way through the crowd of reporters and spectators to Kong's body.

There was an audible hush as Ann knelt down by Kong's head. His eyes, still wide and staring, glared sightlessly at her, without emotion. Slowly, she touched his face, the fur cold and stiff beneath her fingers. It felt surprisingly harsh on her skin, as though all the gentleness he had shown her had now disappeared from his body with his departed spirit.

She slowly pulled down the lids on his unseeing eyes. The reverential way she did it diffused into the audience of people, and the chaos of the scene seemed to disappear. For once there was a moment of silence amongst the throng. None of the reporters even tried to snap a picture. Something about her movements suggested that it would provoke the same reaction as trying to take a photograph during a funeral.

Ann stood up slowly, her eyes still on the body of Kong. She knew know that she'd made some sort of peace with him. There was a sort of stillness inside of her, a part of her that knew that she could walk away from this scene without guilt for her part in his life.

Ann turned behind her, to Jack. She reached out and took his hand again, the two of them disappearing through the crowd silently.


I hope my dialogue from the flashback was right…if anyone has a source to a transcript or anything, could they please tell me? Thanks!

Please review!