Not Quite as Free
A King Kong fanfic
Summary: A fanfic based on King Kong. Cavern, a gorilla at a local zoo, is growing to enormous size and the staff and a few scientists want Ann Darrow to come and look at him to test his behavior and his physical strengh, and so on and so forth. The trouble is that this all takes place too soon after the Empire State building for Ann's sanity, and she refuses to look at the young gorilla. Jack being the only one that understands her situation, Ann is pressured like no other to look at Cavern, but she continues to refuse. Meanwhile Cavern is growing more dangerous by the day, and he becomes more of a threat each second. Ann is the only one that can suggest that he be taken back to Skull Island, where he can grow safely away from all of the harm that may come to him in the city. Will Ann be able to control her emotion and set Cavern free, or will she sum up the courage too late for him?
Disclaimer: I do no own anything related to King Kong!
Chapter One
Ann Darrow lightly bit the top of her pen as she thought of what to write. How could she politely decline something such as this? She was the only one that really understood…
Well, that wasn't necessarily true. What about Carl Denham? The bastard that had imprisoned Kong? He would know more than she would… and he would most likely be there as well.
Oh, how she hated him! Keeping such a wonderful creature captive like that, in chains made of steel and showing him off for money! The nerve of that idiotic, narcissistic, egotistic murderer!
Ann pushed a strand of curly blond hair out of her visuals as she realized that her knuckles were red with the firmness of her grip on the pen. A hole was neatly slit into the center of paper that she was going to use for her refusal letter… well, that was in the trash now, wasn't it?
"Having a bit of trouble there, Ann?"
The slender woman looked up to see Jack Driscoll standing in the door to her – no, his – study. He wore a friendly smile as his arms crossed across his chest, the sleeves of his white collared shirt rolled up for a casual yet sophisticated look.
"Um… perhaps. What, is there something wrong with that?"
Ann raised an eyebrow as she dropped her pen, taking a break from her… writing. She stood from the desk and walked towards him, her head tilted.
"Well?"
Jack slumped a bit more against the doorframe as she walked towards him. "I was just wondering what was going on in my study, Miss Darrow. No, I have no problem with you having a bit of trouble, as long as I'm not involved in whatever you're working on. In that case, then I'll have to take over."
"Oh don't worry, you're not involved. Well… you could be… but I'm not going to be." Ann glanced back at the blank, single piece of paper that sat on the desk.
Jack paused for a moment, looking concernedly at her. "Is something bothering you?" He asked as he looked to the desk, then into her icy blue eyes. Noticing a little newspaper sitting on the end table that stood next to the doorframe, he read the headline:
KONG MAY HAVE A RELATIVE, SCIENTISTS SAY
Ann noticed Jack's glance at the paper. "That," she said glumly. She looked to the floor for a moment before tilting her head to look up at him, her eyes meeting his. "I can't do it, Jack..."
Jack nodded in understanding. "No one expects you to," he said as he took her hand in his, pausing for a moment before pulling her into a hug. "We all understand." He said, looking down at her.
Ann said nothing, simply resting her head on his chest as tears welled in her eyes. It was too soon after the incident in which Kong had died... and fell off the top of the Empire State Building. She couldn't deal with another one... not now.
Jack held her tightly as he gazed at the top of her head. "What do you say about a little lunch?"
Ann nodded. She looked up at him, gazing into his green eyes that gave her such comfort. "Sure," she said with a weak smile. "I just need to get ready..." She pushed away and walked down the hall to Jack's room, where Ann's clothes were stashed in a drawer in his dresser. After all, she didn't have much, having struggled with cash at her past job.
Jack smiled and watched her walk down the hall, then turned to look at his study. He picked up the newspaper, holding it in his hands for a moment as he skimmed the article... something about a young gorilla at a local zoo named Cavern that was still growing and coming to enormous size... and then allowed the paper to fall from his fingers into the trash can that was neatly placed under the end table. Looking up for a moment, a poster for Cry Havoc arrived into his vision.
He had forgotten completely about that play... ever since Ann had moved in with him. He had written it about her, after all, and had basically put himself down in the script. He hadn't seen the show since the night that Kong escaped from the theatre and into the streets of New York.
With a sigh, he turned from the poster and walked towards the desk, leaving the blank paper on the surface as he reached over, pulling the chain of the lamp, which had been left on. With that, he walked out of the room, looking once more at the poster, before closing the door.
Notes: Yeah, I know.. this was kind of boring. The main idea is that the zoo has asked everyone that knows the typical behavior of Kong - which is Carl Denham and Ann Darrow - to come in and look at the new gorilla that they suspect is related to Kong in some way. Jack may get a request later... but anyways... next chapter coming soon.