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 4

"What about the last couple of months, Carl?" Jack looked a bit irritated as he eyed Carl across the table. He lifted his hands as he spoke, pulsing towards the table in frustration. Something dangling just below the fingernail caught Carl's eye.

Carl lost his train of thought. What was that, glittering in the sunlight through the window? His fingers curled and gripped around the edge of the table as he looked closer. "Jack." He said, in somewhat disbelief. "Is that a ring?"

Jack paused, looking to his finger for a moment. He had been clutching it in his hand while he was talking to Ann, and had forgotten that it was there. "What do you think it is, Carl?" He asked, annoyed. "Of course it's a ring."

"For who!"

"What do you mean, for who? Did you think I was wearing it or something?"

"Don't take me for an idiot, Jack."

"Too late."

Carl folded his arms and leaned back in the coffee stained chair. Thoughts swam through his head as he gazed at the glittery diamond on the ring, obviously for Ann. The one that hated him... though Jack seemed to already, so what was the point anyways?

Ann sighed as she dabbed at the spot of coffee on her shirt. What was Jack going to say before? He seemed very nervous...

Accepting the fact that the color was not going to dissapear from her shirt, Ann tossed the ball of paper towel into the trash bin and pushed the door open. Pushing past a few people that had steadily scooted backwards and blocked off the path that strung between Ann and her table, she nearly tripped a few times as a few people - mainly old, overweight bald men - refused to make room. What was new?

Brushing a bit of blond hair behind her ear, Ann stood up straight and found Jack at their table. Struggling to get towards him, she once again began to slip to and fro between different chairs.

Wait...

Ann looked up once more. Something wasn't right.

There was someone in her seat. Whoever it was, their back was turned to her. Jack looked up at her just then, a startled look in his eye as he stared, almost apologetically. The man in her seat turned to look.

Carl Denham.

Ann stopped in her tracks and stared right back at Carl.

No...

Ann looked up at Jack for a moment, but he made no move to motion to her or explain anything in any way.

I've got to get out of here.

With a swift movement, Ann turned towards the door and began to head towards it.

Jack had seen Ann look at him. Do something, you blithering idiot, his mind yelled, but he felt petrified and helpless as he felt her confusion rubbing all over him. It wasn't until she turned away and began to walk towards the door that he jumped into action.

"Ann!" He said, loud enough so that she could hear him but not hysterically yelling. No one seemed to turn and look at him - not even Ann. He suddenly felt invisible as he stood and began to follow after her. Ann seemed to pick up her pace and squeezed out the last set of tables and pushed open the door in a hurry.

"Jack -" Carl began, but Jack pushed past him as if he wasn't there. "Well, it was nice talking to you," Carl said, annoyed, as he watched the other walk out the door, as the other customers hadn't gotten the chance to push out of their tables again.

What did she do to him? Carl wondered as he sighed and stood as well - it wasn't like he was going to pay the bill, and also exited the shop. Jack was standing on the sidewalk, looking to his left and right. Ann had already dissapeared in the crowd.

"So this is Cavern?"

"Yes, Miss Darrow." The zoo employee turned to her with a friendly smile. "We're very glad that you chose to come and look at him," he said happily. Ann didn't quite like the fact that she felt him watching her intensely.

"Uh..."

"Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you... could you... leave the room...?"

The employee hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Of course," he said, and with that he was gone as quickly as he responded to everything she had said.

Cavern did look rather large, with the same faint patch of silver on his back as Kong. The gorilla was sitting lazily inside his indoor exhibit for scientific studies, lazily chewing on a stalk of bamboo.

"Hi Cavern..." Ann said quietly, leaning forward a bit with a kind smile on her face.

Cavern's eyes shifted to look at her, but he did nothing more.

"My, you do look a lot like him..."

Cavern's eyes flickered to the woman behind the glass. With an inaudible sound on Ann's side, he stood, looking curiously at the figure.

"I probably don't look very much like a zoo employee..." Ann said thoughtfully, looking down at her clothes.

Cavern once again made some sort of a sound, then sat back down, losing his interest in the other presence in the room.

A tear glittered faintly in Ann's eye as she watched the gorilla. This was why she had asked the employee to leave the room. "I knew this would happen..." She whispered quietly to herself as she turned away from Cavern.

They can't be related. Kong was at Skull Island... and now he's gone. Kong... is gone.