[AN: (Not Mandatory to read)]

To EdwardAnthonyMasonCullen1918: No, I am not aiming to be factual. To be totally honest with you, I thought Frances was in the same age bracket as Reggie but it turns out, she was a full decade younger. But in this story, since I had already posted it, she is about 28, 29 max.

NOW... ONWARDS MY FELLOW READERS!


Chapter 2: London; 1960s

Once Frances had closed the door, Rose wasted no time in dressing herself and heading home once she was sure Reggie was no longer at the door nor in the vicinity. She had nothing to say to him nor his crazy brother. Frances was somewhat lost on the matter but she knew enough about her friend to know that all Rose needed was time. She'll open up about this Ron character when she is ready. In the meantime, she could just ask Reggie seeing as he was involved in it someway somehow.

Once Rosie had got home that day she saw Reggie, she kicked off her shoes and began to drag her trunks of luggage up the steps and to her room. The house was somewhat small yet nicely built. To the the left of the front door was a hallway that lead to the kitchen. It had white flooring and dark wood counters. A table sat in the middle of the room with four chairs. There was also a door that lead to the backyard. To the right of the door stood a tall archway that lead to the living room. It had dark carpet with leather couches, a tea table and a radio. There was also a fireplace but Georgina rarely used it in fear of setting their house aflame.

Although Rosie technically owned it and paid all the bills needs to keep the place, she allowed Georgina to stay here and claim it as hers. The woman had enough expenses as it is, Rose didn't want to add to them when she had the money to pay for the home on her own. And to add to that, Rose was barely there so Georgina had a free place to be in her design element at any given moment without being disturbed.

As soon as the door opened there sat a set of wooden steps that lead up to the second floor of the house. Next to the steps stood a door that lead to the laundry room. At the top of the landing there were two doors. One lead to the bathroom and the other one lead to Georgina's room. Rosie's room was down the hall on the other side but she did not mind, there was a large bay window inside that looked out into the streets, giving her a nice view. That was the main reason she had chosen that room to begin with. Next to her room was a spare bedroom but Georgina used that as her at home work space.

Rose opened up the door to her room and went straight for the window. She popped open the large doors to the window in order to let fresh air into the dusty room. Her room wasn't big yet it wasn't small either. She had a queen sized bed in the middle with the head pushed against the wall, a chest of draws and a vanity set against the wall near the door. Once all of her trunks were up the steps and stacked into the corner, she set about cleaning her room.

Rose stripped the bed of it's sheets and threw them into the washer to get rid of the dust. Then she swept and mopped the entire house and the steps. That took her about thirty minutes and by that time, her sheets should be ready to go into the dryer. Once she did that, Rose wiped down her furniture and put her things away. She wiped down her vanity and then set freshly washed sheets back onto the bed. The American lady took a shower, washed and towel dried her hair, put on a night slip and climbed into bed to sleep off the onset of jet lag she was beginning to feel.


She slept for a few hours, well through the morning into the afternoon. It wasn't until Georgina knocked on her bedroom door did she wake up, or she might have slept through the afternoon as well. Rose got out of bed with a groan and stretched her body thoroughly. She then fixed her night slip, threw on her robe and slippers and made her way down the steps to get herself a cup of water. When she got to the kitchen, Georgina was already there sipping on a cup of fresh tea. She was at the table and a handful of crackers sat on a napkin in front of her. Rosie got herself a cup of water and sat at the table across from her friend and roommate.

"You didn't come home last night, everything okay?" Georgina asked her. She sipped her tea, ate a cracker and sipped her tea once more. Rose could smell the herbal from where she sat. She shrugged with a sigh, her hand running through her wavy messy hair. 'Was anything ever okay?' Rose thought to herself.

"No," Rosie spoke softly but mostly to herself. Georgina drank the rest of her tea and set the cup down with a quizzical look on her face, wanting Rose to continue, "Reginald showed up at Frances' door this morning, looking for Frank I'm assuming."

That statement caused Georgie to groan audibly. Georgina Wilson knew all about Rosie's former affiliation with the Kray twins and let's just say, she did not like it. She was glad when Rose said she was leaving Ron and going back to America. She wanted Rosie to leave and never come back. But alas, life never worked out that way did it.

"What did he say to you?"

"Ron's been asking for me."

"You told him no, right?" Georgina asked, her voice raising a bit, "didn't you?!"

"Yes! Yes, I told him no. I told him to fuck off and to take his brother with him. I didn't come back to London to get dragged back into Ronnie Kray's mess."

"Good," Georgina huffed and got up to put her empty cup into the sink. Rosie leaned over the table and snagged herself one of Gina's uneaten crackers. The kitchen filled with a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the radio in the living room. It was playing out a nice jazz song, one Rosie began to hum to softly. After a moment or so, Gina joined in, both women harmonizing together, Gina singing alto while Rosie sung soprano. When the song ended, they held out the note simultaneously, a smile on their faces.

"Are you going to head back to Esmeralda's? Stefen's been asking for you and he said your spot's still open if you ever wanted it."

"Eh…" Rosie shrugged, "I don't know yet. Maybe seeing as I've no job yet. But today we're going shopping. This kitchen is too bare for my liking."

Gina laughed, "You're a rich wanker, you don't need to work for Christ's sake. And about the empty kitchen, I meant to do that but time got away from me, y'know."

Rose hummed in agreement and downed the rest of her water, "So, I'll go and get ready and you and I can go to the grocery; fill up this kitchen. But first we're going to swing by Frances and pick her up, I told her she could come along to the market with us."

"Sounds like a plan then."

Both women headed up the stairs and into their rooms to get dressed. Rosie was dressed first. She settled on an olive green silk form fitting dress and a pair of shiny red shoes . She had left her hair loose, letting the wavy thick tresses cascade down her back. Rose brushed her teeth and dabbed her face clean with a towel and put on a pair of simple peal earrings with a matching bracelet. She then grabbed a cross body purse from her closet, threw some money into her bag and made her way down the steps. Gina had yet to make her way down the steps so the American woman got herself a cup of water and an apple from the table. She also gave Frances a ring to let the woman know they would be on their way soon and to be ready when they got there.

After a few minutes, Georgie came down dressed impeccably. She had on a brown sequined, off the shoulder top, a white skirt, cremé sheer tights and black suede kitten heels. The woman was tall, 5 foot 10 to be exact and slim, like a model. She surely looked like one. Georgina Wilson had long straight brown hair, a strong yet feminine jawline and big, sultry chestnut brown eyes that matched her hair. Her skin was fair and she always wore black charcoal liner that brought out her eyes.

The two women got into Georgina's ruby red cadillac and drove off to the Shea household to pick up Frances. The drive wasn't long, about 5 minutes or so and when Georgina pulled up across the way to the burgundy door on Ormsby Street, Rose got out. She crossed the small street and made her way to the door, grabbed the handle and gave it a tap or two. Rose leaned against the brick wall as she waited for someone to answer the door. She heard some yelling for Frances and two minutes later, the red-brunette woman swung the door open to her home, a large smile plastered on her face.

"You look excited to see someone," Rose said softly in a teasing manner. It caused Frances to roll her eye. She stepped off the ledge and pulled the door shut behind herself. The small woman had on a floral pleated skirt, stockings, fancy shoes and a white blouse. She also had a small white cross body clutch in the shape of a rose. As usual, her hair was done with a hump and an off centre part in the bang with the ends brushed back behind her ears.

"And if I am?" Frances retorted, causing Rose to arch her red brow.

"It better be me. Come on, Gina's in the car waiting."

At that moment, the ever impatient Georgina honked the horn and waved her hand in the air, as if saying "hurry up" with hand motions. She had a slight glare to her face that she directed to the two shorter women. With a sigh, Rose made her way across the street, Frances trotting along behind her. Once both women were in the car, Georgina pulled off and headed to the local market some ways into town.

That afternoon, the women spent their time shopping. Once the food shopping was done, they headed back to Gina and Rose's place, packed the food away in the right places and headed back out to do some clothes shopping.

When Gina heard Frances had a date, she practically forced Frances to accept a new outfit. It was all black and it had a lacquer to it that gave it a shimmer effect. It was a two piece garment except instead of a skirt, it was pants. According to Georgina, every great relationship started out with a great outfit. That caused a round of laughter from the group of friends.

The three women ended their night with a round of drinks mixed with some music and dancing at Esmeralda's Barn. They weren't even there for an hour before the owner caught wind of Rose's appearance at the club/casino.

The tall, lanky blonde bastard slithered his slimy way over to the group of women who were settled in the corner with a smile on his face. Although, his smile fooled no one at that table. Rose was busy sipping on some champagne and studying her nails when she caught someone in her peripheral. When she looked up, she wished she hadn't.

"Rose, darling, you're back in London? How long has it been dear?"

"Almost three years, Mr. De Faye," Rose replied with a false smile slapped on her pretty face. She doesn't like the man but she doesn't dislike him either. There was simply something egotistical about him. When she worked here at Esmeralda's years ago, he often stayed out of her way. She sung her songs, danced her numbers and mingled with the customers. She sometimes even played the tables if she was in the mood. But she never liked the man.

"Am I correct in assuming you'll be singing a number for us tonight?" He asked all too sweetly. Rose was prepared to decline but with her two friends insisting her to do so, she had no choice in doing so. She decided to sing "Please Mr. Postman."

Although it's an American song, she was sure no one would mind. She stood up and followed after Stefen, who walked up to the stage. He made his way to the mic, tapped on the tip twice and a dazzling smile crossed his features. He gave the crowd a wave before giving them a warm greeting.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. How are we tonight? Doing well, I assume?" Stefen started. The crowd gave a round of applause and he continued, "well tonight's about to get better. We have an old face returning to the stage for the first time in three years. Everyone, say hello to Rose."

That night, after her first performance, Rose found herself doing another song. And another one after that until she found herself staying until an hour before closing. At the end of the night, Rose Dawson was once again a singer at Esmeralda's Barn.


It's been about two weeks since she's seen Reggie at Frances's door and those two weeks have been bliss. She was working at Esmeralda's, Gina's boutique got into the paper so she was quickly rising as a fashion designer and Frances was in a relationship with a new man. Although, she hasn't yet disclosed who it was she was seeing officially.

It was about midday and Rose was getting ready to go to the casino. Even though it was her off day, Christmas was going to be here in just a week and Stefen wanted all the workers there to help set up decorations and for a highly important meeting. She said goodbye to Georgie who was sipping tea in the living room as she read over her latest design details, grabbed the car keys off the hook and headed into town to Esmeralda's Barn.

When she got there, nearly everyone who worked there was already present. The band, all the performers, servers and casino table people were there. They were only short about two or three people, but no one minded seeing as Stefen has yet to show up. As they waited, the servers went about setting up the tables, the performers were setting up decorations and the casino table men went about setting up their tables for incoming players. The band played some jazz for the few customers that were already there and two servers were attending to them.

Rose set her bag down in the back inside her locker, tied her hair up into a messy ponytail and grabbed a box of decorations from the corner. As she set about hanging decorations on the walls, there was a loud ding that resounded through the air. The jazz music stopped, the jibber jabber of chit chat ceased and all eyes turned to the bar. Someone they did not know was standing there with a briefcase in his hand and a warm smile on his face.

The man was tall with a close cut shave and thick mustache covering his top lip. He had a gut that was somewhat hidden by an impeccably tailored suit jacket and tie. He wore a simple pair of loafers and black trousers to match his jacket.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen. How are we today?" The man asked. No one said a word. He just nodded and continued on with what he was going to say, "my name is Leslie Payne and I regret to inform you that Esmeralda's Barn is now under new management."

When he said that, there was a round of 'what's and 'huh's and a whole lot of confusion. No one knew where Mr. De Faye was and why he would sell the club.

"The new owners will be here shortly."

Mr. Payne left the club and no one said or did anything. They were all left in utter shock. No one really liked Stefen but they all knew how to deal with him for the sake of their jobs. They knew nothing of these new owners, what they were like and what made them tick.

"Alright look, let's just finish decorating so that when the new owners come, they won't have something to bitch about right off the top," Rose said to everyone. They all agreed and soon, the club had the same hustle and bustle only the chatter this time was about the new owners.

When all the christmas decorations were put up, the club officially opened for the evening guests. The band played their tunes, performers did their numbers, the servers were making their way around the club and a few guests cheered from the casino tables as they won more money than they had walked in with. There were men who lined the bar. They sipped their cocktails as they watched the burlesque dancers do their thing on the large stage. When there was no performances, the band played instrumentals and some of the guests got up and danced with one another.

Rose sat in a corner booth close to the stage alone, sipping on a club soda. She was off from work that day and had nothing better to do with her evening. After she had did her share of the work, she found the nearest booth that was empty and ordered herself a non-alcoholic drink and a side of fries with some ketchup. Her slim, well manicured hand played with the beaded end of her dress. She kicked off her heels and propped her feet on the seat next to her. But she quickly sat up and rubbed her eyes out of shock, for she sees Frances entering the club on the arm of none other than Reginald Kray.

'That must be the mystery man,' Rose said to herself yet not out loud. Frances nor Reggie had seen her but she surely did see them. Rosie kicked her feet off the chair, slipped her shoes back on and grabbed her thick dark shades from her purse next to her. She slid them on, effectively hiding her face and swiftly made her way to the door hoping to make a quick getaway.

But fate just was not on her side, for her clumsiness had decided to kick in just at that moment.

As she made her way to the door in haste, Rose knocked into a waiter, causing a platter of empty champagne flutes to crash to the floor, the sound of shattering glass gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Even the band stopped playing to look on in bewilderment.

"Excuse me," Rose said softly and hurried around the waiter to the door but a hand gripped her arm and yanked her back into the club. She was face to face with Reggie, Frances standing behind him.

"Now wait a minute. Why are in such a rush miss?" His thick accent ringing in her ears. She was scared to speak because not many red heads had an American accent and he would surely know it was her. But she didn't even need to speak, for she was already made before she even had the chance to decide whether or not she could fake an accent or even what to say for that matter.

Frances poked her head out from behind Reggie, confusion in her eyes, "Rose?" The small woman asked softly. She walked up to Rose and lightly snatched the glasses off of her friends face and took a step back. Rose gave a shy smile before looking away.

"Well what do we have here?" Reggie asked softly, most likely to himself.

"What are you doing here?" Frances questioned Rose, "I haven't heard from you in days. I wanted to catch up."

"I'm sorry Franny but I was just leaving." Rose spoke, declining Frances' invite to hang out at the club.

"Well we can see that," Reggie interjected comically causing Frances to giggle at his words. She lightly patted him on the arm before turning her attention back to her best friend.

"Oh Rosie, just 10 minutes, please."

Frances begged Rose to stay sweetly and the Yankee just simply could not resist so she agreed, "Alright fine. One drink and then I have to go."

A bright, beaming smile lit up Frances' face and she turned to Reggie, "Do you mind Reg?"

He shook his head, "Not at all. Take all the time you need to catch up. I have a few things to attend to in the meantime." And with that, the two women were left to their own devices.

They headed to the bar and orders two flutes of fine champagne; Frances sipped hers while Rosie didn't touch it at all. She simply left it sitting there next to her. Sometimes she'd reach out and twirl the drink but other than that, Rosaline didn't bother with it.

"I didn't know you worked Wednesday nights," Frances spoke, breaking the ice between the two.

"I don't. Stefen asked me to come in to help with the decorations."

"Did they tell you that Mr. De Faye is no longer in charge?" Frances asked. Rose nodded showing that she did in fact know that.

"I do. I don't however know who the new owners are. Apparently there's more than one."

"It's Ron and Reg. They're the new owners."

Rose looked at Frances as if she had heard her wrong but she knew she hadn't. That would explain why he was here. Reggie Kray never stepped foot in Esmeralda's Barn in the 4 years she's known the man. But it didn't explain why Frances was with him, practically attached to his limb.

"Speaking of which, are you seeing Reginald?" Rose asked her.

Frances cheesed really hard at that and nodded, "Yes and he's-"

Rose cut her off, "Leave him alone Franny. He and his brother are nothing good."

"He said he's not a gangster."

"I never said he was. But I've been around the Kray twins long enough to know that nothing good comes from associating with them. Thank you for the drink and I shall see you soon."

Rose allowed Frances to say no more to her after that. She left her drink on the bar top, untouched, slid her glasses back on her face and walked out the club without another word to anyone. When she got home, she told Gina everything.

Rose knew how sensitive Frances could be and she saw nothing good coming out of the growing relationship she had with Reginald Kray.