Not Quite as Free

A King Kong fanfic

Summary: Ann Darrow is still upset enough over King Kong's death to hear that the ape might not be completely extinct at all. She doesn't believe it at first, but Cavern the gorilla may have the same traits as Kong.

Disclaimer: I do no own anything related to King Kong!

Chapter 3

Ann sat at the small wooden table inside the tiny restaurant, blue eyes glimmering as she gazed at Jack over her coffee cup. He wore a smile as he stirred his own coffee blankly with the spoon, as if the cream wasn't properly combined with the coffee and he needed to fix it.

"So..." Jack said awkwardly, letting his spoon slip from his fingers as he noticed Ann glance out the window... for the seventh time. He followed her gaze this time, seeing no one, and then looked back at her, puzzled. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked as he reached across the table and gently took her hand in his, for once again she looked... distracted.

"Ann?"

"Oh!"

"Are you alright...?"

"Yes," Ann said with a smile. "I am perfectly fine." She said this as she looked straight into his eyes reassuringly.

"You look like you're expecting someone."

"Why would I expect someone?"

"I'm not sure..." Jack leaned back in his seat, letting his hand slide off of hers and drag across the table. Ann watched it as if she were a cat eyeing a mouse that was attempting to escape. She followed it with her own hand, this time placing her hand on top of his.

"Jack, I don't know anyone besides you. I'm... sorry if I'm worrying you."

Jack flashed a smile as he shifted a bit in his seat. "As long as you're not hiding anything."

"I have nothing to hide."

Carl froze as Ann looked straight at him. "Uhhhh..." He said awkwardly, turning to the first person he saw - the receptionist, and leaning on the counter, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hello..." His eyes flashed to her name tag as he spoke. "Darla. Long time no see."

"I'm sorry, sir?" Darla wore a confused look as she tilted her head.

"It's me! Carl? Carl D- ummm.. Dudley. Carl Dudley?" Carl didn't feel like spreading his name around here, as the receptionist looked very confused and startled and just might call the authorities stating that she was being harassed by an insane man.

"Carl...?"

"Yeah. Carl. Dudley."

"I don't think I..."

"You know, from the... thing...?"

Darla bit her lip and looked down at the counter, seemingly attempting to remember where in the world she could have known him from. Carl took this time to look back out the window.

"Well... it was nice talking to you." He pushed off the counter and hurried out the door, walking slowly towards the intersection, following a few people across the street towards the diner.

Ann sighed as she relaxed a bit, convinced that Carl Denham wouldn't be barging in the door. At least not today.

"Ann?" Jack asked. Ann felt his hand tense as he spoke. She looked over at him to see him looking down at the table, the fingers of his other hand drumming at the surface.

"Hmmm?"

"W-"

Ann cried in surprise as the waitress next to her bumped her hip into Ann's arm, causing her cup of coffee to spill across her shirt and skirt. "Mmmm..." Ann mumbled, her lips pursed as she closed her eyes. Ah, the burn!

"Oh, ma'am, I'm so sorry!" The waitress nearly screamed as she grabbed a few napkins, her face red as a cherry, as she dabbed a bit at Ann's lap before handing the napkins over to her.

"It's alright. No, really," she added, as the waitress looked unconvinced and looked almost as if she were about to begin hyperventilating. Turning to Jack, who looked positively startled, she smiled sheepishly and stood. "I'll be right back," she said quietly, before walking towards the back of the diner, where the restrooms were located.

Jack gave the waitress a reassuring smile before she left, leaving him alone at the table. "Ugh..." He groaned, resting his head in his hands. Great luck, that was. Right when he was about to -

"Hello, Jack."

Jack nearly jumped, looking up to see the speaker, who was helping himself to Ann's chair.

"Carl?"

"Nice to see you too," Carl said sarcastically. "Wow, is this seat warm."

"That's because you're sitting in coffee. What are you here for?"

"What a great way to greet your friend, Jack. Did you say coffee?"

"Yes. Don't tell me how to greet you, Denham. You know perfectly well how much you screwed the last couple of months up."

"I didn't screw anything up. My, you're as bitter as your coffee looks. Now, about the last couple of months..."


Notes: Well... this chapter was beginning to get long, so I'm going to have Ann go visit Cavern in the next chapter, as he is what this story revolves around. Anyways... do you think you know what Jack was going to say to Ann? Heh. (Just by the way, to everyone who gets e-mails saying that I put a new chapter here, I'm sorry about the fact that you're probably getting two e-mails per chapter. I happen to have a habit of adding them before editing, so I have to delete them and start over again.)