5.

He had more or less known the librarian forever. Not that they travelled in the same social circles—or that Gold, strictly speaking, socialized at all—but he knew Lacey French. He wasn't particularly fond of her, of course, but Gold wasn't particularly fond of anyone. Dove was the closest person he had to a friend, and that was merely because of their business relationship. He wasn't a nice man, and that fact didn't bother Mr. Gold at all. He was what he was, and that was that. At least he was consistent, which was more than he could say for some of the people in the ridiculous little town he'd chosen to call home.

Why he'd been drawn to the Storybrooke Free Public Library that day was anyone's guess, but he had been. Gold didn't even remember consciously making the decision to walk through the double doors, but he did remember deciding that he didn't want to talk to Doctor Hopper or the other three people who were socializing with the cheerful little librarian. Instead, he wandered off into a corner, looking through the classics. He hadn't read a good book that he didn't own in quite some time. Whatever foolishness had made him come through the door could at least prove useful, and he started looking for books to check out.

"You'll hate that book," a voice said from behind him as he flipped pages.

She'd startled him, but town monsters did not jump when cute little librarians intruded on their peace and quiet. Instead, he turned, eying her archly. "And why is that, dearie?"

Unlike most of the town, Lacey French didn't flee when he challenged her. She just shrugged and gestured at the book he held, utterly unfazed by his caustic tone. "Beauty and the Beast," she explained. "It's a timeless story of true love. Not your type."

"Perhaps I'm simply a fan of the classics," Gold retorted, glancing down at the book's surprisingly intact spine. It was an antique, too, at least fifty years old and far more worthy than this dank library deserved. Really, it had been the book's good condition and beauty that had drawn him in far more than the story.

"I can see you reading Jack and the Beanstalk, or Puss in Boots," Lacey replied, making a face. "Or maybe even The Miller's Daughter. But not Beauty and the Beast. You'd like tales of clever tricksters, not unfortunates who refuse to give in to intimidation."

Despite his determination not to show surprise, Gold felt his eyebrows go up. They'd been talking for less than a minute, and she'd already stood up to him twice. Most people in this town don't manage that in a year, he thought with a quirk of his lips that might have been charitably called a smile. Still, he couldn't let a uppity young thing get the better of him, so Gold gestured airily with the book.

"You're forgetting that one of the original tricksters graces this book with her presence," he countered, enjoying the debate already. "Or have you only read the Beaumont version?"

Lacey's jaw dropped. "You've actually read the book?"

"Of course I have." Score: Gold 1, Lacey 0. Holding back a smirk was hard.

"How do I know you're not just having me on?" the librarian demanded, her blue eyes narrowing.

"Well, we could start with the fact that this is the Villeneuve version—which is, in my opinion, far superior," he replied, and then proceeded to demonstrate his knowledge (though why he felt the need to prove anything to Lacey, he didn't know). "Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve actually details the main characters' pasts, unlike Beaumont. In the Villeneuve version, the Evil Fairy isn't punishing the prince for being cruel or unkind. She turns him into a beast when he rejects her advances. As I said, the original trickster."

"You're forgetting the part about how that same Evil Fairy tried to murder Beauty as a child, so she was swapped out for a dead merchant's child," Lacey said.

"Hardly. Though I have to admit that I'm surprised you would know that," he said, just to needle her.

It worked. "Why is that surprising?" she demanded.

"Well, I would have picked you more for the trashy romance novel type." Gold gave her his most innocent look. "Or, at best, harlequins from the post war period." Books no one with any sense would read.

Surprisingly, Lacey laughed. "I suppose I deserved that in payback for trying to guess your literary type."

Her smile was blinding, and Gold's heart skipped a beat.

He came to the library every week after that, refusing to admit to himself that he wanted to provoke yet another verbal fencing match with the beautiful librarian. He wasn't a good man, and he didn't like vivacious brunettes with a taste for good literature. He didn't appreciate her cleverness, and he certainly wasn't attracted to her.

Gold was just bored.

He wasn't falling for her. Absolutely not.

He was adorable when he was flustered. Gold had been coming by the library for weeks—how long Lacey really wasn't sure, but it had been awhile—and he'd pick a fight over some book or another. Or maybe she would. He was the best part about her Wednesday afternoons, coming by shortly after the fifth graders left and staying for an hour, or sometimes more. They'd sit near the circulation desk and talk, picking on one another's taste in books or agreeing that this one book was good enough for them both to like. Gold's visits had somehow become the highlight of her week, and Lacey was quite happy with that.

Gold was, however, rather endearing when he didn't know what to say to something. Right now he was flustered and borderline incoherent, but maybe that was what happened to the town monster when you told them they were being a sweetie.

"I'm—I'm—I'm not being a 'sweetie'!" he finally got out, obviously trying to make the words a growl. But his wide eyes and his stuttering made the words anything but terrifying.

"Of course you are," she retorted. "You're a closet softie. I've discovered your secret."

"I am not!"

Lacey leaned forward, grinning. "I'll make you a deal. You take me out to dinner, and if you manage to make me completely miserable, I'll stop calling you a sweetie. But otherwise, I get to say that you're a closet softie. At least with me."

"You want to what?" Gold looked like someone had hit him between the eyes with a hammer, and Lacey did have to admit that she'd just asked him out in the least conventional way possible.

She wasn't even sure why she'd done it. Lacey was usually quiet and a little mousey—what was it about Gold that made her so bold? She couldn't imagine speaking this way to anyone else, but with him she felt like she could be someone else. Someone brave. She wasn't afraid of him in the slightest, and for someone who was generally wary of most everyone around her, that said far too much.

But maybe he looked so shocked because he didn't like her at all. Maybe he thought she was ugly, or wore dumpy clothes, or he wasn't interested in anyone who was as flat broke as she was. Or someone who has a daughter already, with a man who…who what? Lacey couldn't remember what had happened to Renee's father, only that she'd refused to tell her father who it was. And I loved him. I know I loved him. Somehow, that thought made her eyes drift to Gold, who was still looking at her like he didn't know what to say.

"I, um, was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime." She gave him an embarrassed smile, trying her best to be brave.

"You—you want to go to dinner with me?" Gold's brown eyes were huge, and just as terrified as Lacey felt.

Lacey's voice went very small. "If you want to."

"Of course I do." His voice dropped several octaves, and sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. "I just—who would want to be seen with the town monster?"

"I would." She thought he was quite handsome, after all, in a distinguished manner that no other man in the town managed. And Lacey knew he could be a gentleman when he wanted to be.

Something broken flashed across his features too quickly for her to track. "How about I cook you dinner?" he asked suddenly. "That way, you don't have to be embarrassed by being seen with me."

"I wouldn't mind." But a home cooked dinner did sound lovely, too, and he looked so desperate to please her that Lacey didn't want to disagree. So, she gave him her best smile. "But dinner sounds lovely, wherever it is."

They quickly made plans for the following night, which was the one time that Lacey knew that Ashley was available for babysitting. She didn't have a lot of extra cash, but splurging on a babysitter so that she could go out with someone other than Tony Rose felt downright wonderful, so Lacey decided she would do whatever she needed to make ends meet. She wanted this, and maybe she needed it, too.

She had no idea how one date would change her life.

A/N: I know, it's been forever since this fic saw the light of day. But I'm trying to clear out some old stuff, so here is (probably) the final part of TLWO, which brings Gold and Lacey together, as we see them in Freeze on the Stones. I hope you've enjoyed!