Authors' Notes/Warnings/Rantings: This one is sorta not my best work in my opinion. I don't like the way it flowed or something. There's just not something right with it but I've been gone for a few days since I've had a wonderful thing called life going on. Sorry about that. This week looks to be promising for writings so hopefully I will get this done or something or get this thing reworked. I tried my hand at switching things up a bit but it's still not quite up to par. Let me know what you think like always and if you have any pointers please let me know. I've been wracking my brain trying to get this damn thing right and maybe I just need an outside opinion. Anyways hope you enjoy and all that. ~Bella

Pearl of the Isle

Chapter 4

Emma nodded at James as she walked into the Black Butterfly. He gave her a small smile in return and moved towards her. She'd been coming here long enough now that he was familiar with what she drank.

"Hey gumshoe." He greeted her as he made his way down the bar towards her.

Emma tipped her ever present fedora settling down at the bar. "Busy tonight hombre?" She asked him with an easy smile.

James smirked, "Well you know." He paused his eyes focusing over her shoulder before shaking his head looking back at her with what looking like mammoth force.

Emma arched a brow and then glanced over her shoulder. A pretty girl in a sea foam green dress was taking the stage. A large white flower that matched the beautiful white lace of her backless gown added an air of sweetness to her. She was smiling cutely and as the band started she began to sing. Emma sat staring at her. She didn't recognize that dame and she knew them all even though she wasn't within the crime families anymore. It still paid to be familiar with who to avoid and who it was all right to talk to. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked when she noticed the bartender eyeing the brunette longingly again.

"Now who's got an eye on a dame he shouldn't be messing with?" She asked as he cut his eyes at her. She smirked, "Why don't you go talk to her?"

"Dame like that don't want nothing to do with someone like me. Besides everyone knows she's Gold's croaker's favorite twist."

"Really?" Emma arched a brow.

She had always known Gold had most of the city in his pocket. She knew it's most prominent doctor was one of those people he claimed to keep under his thumb. Doctor Whale was a handsome man by all accounts soft spoken with a gentle air about him but he supposedly had one hell of a mean streak in him and he was known to be quite vindictive if crossed. No wonder her little snitch didn't want anywhere near that dame. No one would be stupid enough to end up in the Hudson River for daring to look at a girl that connected to the infamous lug and his gang of goons.

James nodded setting her drink in front of her. A bit of the gin spilled over the glass a bit as he set it down none to gently.

"Unless you wanna end up on the wrong side of the torpedos I wouldn't suggest messing with either of those dames." He shot her a pointed look.

"Hey I'm here for a client." Emma held up her hands to her defense willing to talk a bit louder than usual because of the band playing loudly and the pretty brunette singing her lungs out. She was good, not like Ashley Boyd good but still decent. No one she'd seen so far in the weeks she'd shown up here had pipes like that broad.

James shot her a knowing look, "no you ain't." He said shaking his head. "You got that look in your eye and trust me you wanna get rid of it quick. They catch on to why you're here and you better be more worried about having the curse put on you by that gangster."

Emma rolled her eyes "What are you my Daddy?"

He shook his head, "Have it your way but take my advice free of charge and stay away from that moll. Otherwise it'll be you in the bottom of the Hudson."

Emma took a sip of her drink watching him wander off to serve drinks to another customer. She slid to her feet heading towards the women's room without a second thought to his words. She didn't have a look in her eye. It was purely professional she snorted knowing she was completely in over her head.

She pushed the heavy wooden paneled door of the bathrooms open wincing at the marble sinks and the large chandelier that seemed to be judging her right along with the bartender and walked to the back stall, the largest in the set. Pulling open the door she settled herself against the sky blue wall resting one foot on the wall and the other on the floor as she leaned back and folded her arms across her chest.

Tonight she'd chosen a nicely cut pinstripe suit that wasn't exactly cool but breathed a bit more than the other suits she had did. She was getting used to the heat as temperatures steadily soared as high as they could reach. The heat wave showed no sign of letting up which was making many people in the underbelly of the city agitated. Agitation in the dark meant people getting whacked which made everyone a might jumpy. She heard the door open but didn't immediately look up waiting patiently with her head lowered hat obscuring her eyes. When the door of the stall pulled open she looked up.

"Took you long enough doll face," She spoke softly finally looking up.

The beautiful brunette was dressed to kill in a dark blue satin dress that dipped a bit lower in the front than her usual choice of attire with the back gone as most of her dresses seemed to be cut it was a bit more scandalous then usual which was saying something. She looked gorgeous though with her cherry red lips and the ever present ruby and diamond necklace Emma admired the first night she'd seen her.

"So sue me." Regina rolled her eyes. "I had to give the guards a slip. They won't let me out of their sight with these on." She motioned to the jewels around her neck and her earrings.

"Course not you're wearing half Gold's wealth." Emma pointed out as the brunette smirked and stepped towards her.

"Where were you yesterday Em?" She asked with a slight pout. "I waited on you all night. You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

Emma shook her head with a slight tilt of her mouth. "Ain't no one stupid enough to keep you waiting doll."

"You are." Regina pointed out dryly.

"No one ever called me smart Gina." Emma said with a smirk enjoying their little verbal assault.

"No I don't suppose you could be considered that gumshoe." Regina pointed out dryly.

"How'd you know that?" Emma asked rising from her place against the wall. She'd always been careful not to tell Regina what her job was or why she'd come to the club in the first place especially not now with the waters muddied up like the murky depths of the Hudson.

"I'm a mobster's moll I'm not stupid Emma. I know why you sought me out."

"Do you?" Emma arched a brow. "So enlighten me. Why did I seek you out?"

"My mother and father want me to come home. So they sent you in to do it. Hoping maybe I'd see the error of my ways and return back to the little hick town I'm from." Regina rolled her eyes, "I'm not going back there. Not to her."

"What'd she do to drive you away?" Emma asked immediately concerned.

Regina folded her arms. "Why don't you tell me? What you being the big bad peeper you are." She smiled saccharine like as she blinked her big amber eyes.

Emma sighed they'd been playing this game ever since they'd met in secret the second night she had come to the club. Regina displayed a surprisingly quick wit and even sharper tongue to be nothing more than an arm trophy. She was sexy and she knew it and she often pressed it to her advantage but when she felt anyone getting too close she shut it down quicker than a soup job gone right.

"I'm not telling you anything doll. You're your own dame. You do what you want but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna be concerned about you."

Regina's eyes softened and she gave a small smile. "Well then I suppose you'll just have to wait and see what I do next. Trust me you'll love the fireworks they may even be pretty enough to light up the night sky."

Emma's brow furrowed. "What have you got planned?" She asked and Regina grinned.

"You'll just have to wait and see. Now are you gonna kiss me or are you just gonna stand there?" Regina's smile turned predatory as she stalked towards the blonde pressing her back into the wall and locking her in place with her hands on either side of her head.

"We gotta stop meeting like this." Emma breathed in between rough heated kisses.

"Oh don't worry Em I got this all figured out and pretty soon we won't have to." She grinned at her and then dove back towards her kiss swollen pink lips.

Emma groaned her hands bunching in expensive silk as she tugged Regina's hips close pressing their bodies together as she tried to hold her own against the assault of those deliciously sinful lips. To hell with the rest of the world if she was allowed to kiss this woman till the end of her days she thought she could actually die happy.

Regina pulled away slowly and stepped back. Delicately she began to fix her lipstick with her fingers before opening the door and looking in the large gilded mirror. She lifted her small clutch that Emma had failed to notice dangling from her delicate wrist and pulled it open. She pulled out a golden tube of lipstick and began to apply it with acute precision not seeming to mind being watched by the hungry eyes of the detective. She pressed her lips together making sure her lipstick was spread right before she turned to look at the blonde.

"You'd better get my lipstick off your lips before you come out. Those goons Gold's got watching me will notice it immediately and then where will I be if I have to lose sight of your pretty face?" Regina's smile was cold but Emma could see the worry blooming in her beautifully smoldering eyes.

Emma shrugged leaning against the stall door watching her for a moment. "Don't you worry kitten I'm pretty good at being discrete."

"So I've noticed." Regina placed her lipstick back in her small clutch before turning. She pressed back against the sink stretching long toned arms out so that her chest was angled out a bit and her hip cocked to one side sexily. "But you still got work to do yet."

Emma arched a brow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Regina smirked, "Maybe you'll find out here real soon." She pulled herself up and heels clicking jauntily on the marble floor she walked out leaving Emma to yet again contemplate her words.

Croaker - Doctor normally hired by the mob
Torpedos - Gun men

Putting a curse on someone - taking out a hit, ordering them dead etc.

gumshoe - detective usually private