"Miss French."

"Mr. Gold."

The man with the cane nodded at her response; it was what he expected every day. Miss French didn't even look up from her books when he came in. She just kept her head down, ignored him as best she could, and hoped he wouldn't do anything exasperating.

Slowly, Gold removed his scarf and coat and laid them on the counter. Miss French shifted her book away from it.

"We need to talk," said Gold. Rosie sighed through her nose. "It's about this book –"

"What book?" Her words were perhaps a little sharper than an outsider would think necessary; Mr. Gold bit back a grin and held up a paperback with the library barcode on its side. Rosie's eyes crossed to read the title.

"Seriously?" she said eventually. "To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Gold nodded gravely. The librarian threw up her hands.

"What's wrong with To Kill a Mockingbird?"

"Many things," said Mr. Gold steadily. Rosie scoffed; he ignored her and plowed on. "For one, I found this book in the children's section of your library last time I was here –"

"Stalking children, no doubt," Rosie snapped.

"—and I decided to give it a read." Gold let the book fall to the counter with a noisy thump; his expression was professional and controlled, the opposite of Rosie's suppressed but smoldering rage.

"What," she ground out, "is wrong with To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Gold's favorite part.

"It's obscene," he started, savoring Rosie's look of smothered outrage. "It shows blatant racism and a lack of respect to both African-Americans and post-Civil War Southern America."

"It's a civil rights book!" Rosie cried.

"It makes references to unwilling sexual relationships," Gold continued, "as well as sordid incest. A central character is terribly wronged and executed."

Rosie's mouth worked soundlessly; indignation had stolen her words away.

"It is not age appropriate," Gold finished succinctly. "I've saved you the trouble of starting your own petition for banning, Miss French. Here you are."

He presented her with a crisp piece of paper, signed by every citizen in Storybrooke. Rosie stared at it in horror for a moment, then looked back at Mr. Gold. He was beaming.

"OK," Rosie growled, "this is ridiculous. This book –" She tapped To Kill a Mockingbird. "—has been a classic since the 1960s. It's a staple of childhood! Every kid learns about racism and – and injustice from this book! It teaches kids that you can't always get your way – even if you're right. Even you must have read it as a kid!"

"It scarred me," Mr. Gold agreed. Rosie's cheeks puffed out. She glared at him.

"This isn't right," she said.

"It's unjust?" asked Mr. Gold. Looking suspicious, Rosie nodded, and Mr. Gold allowed himself a full-on grin. "Well, clearly you didn't learn much from To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss French. Life's unfair. Now –"

He slid the book across the counter.

"I'd like to return this, if you don't mind. And I expect all copies to be off the shelves and packed away by Wednesday, as per the petition. Wouldn't want to disobey and lose your job, right?" Rosie didn't answer, only stared miserably down at the book. "You have a nice day, dear," Gold said. He shifted away, leaning his cane against the counter so he could put his coat back on.

"Why do you do this?" Rosie moaned, taking the book. Mr. Gold froze, his hands hovering inches above his coat and scarf. He thought about it.

Why did he ban all of Rosie French's favorite books? Why did he come to the library just to read her favorite books and make excuses for why good literature should be banned? He hadn't always done it. He knew that once – just weeks or months before – he'd gone to the library for normal reasons. To read.

But of course, Rosie French had never paid attention to him then.

Mr. Gold smiled. "I've just got the town's well-being in my heart, dear," he told her. Rosie's expression grew thunderously dark; Gold grabbed his scarf and coat, put them back on, and turned to leave. A frown was itching at his lips in a most obnoxious way. For some reason, lately, Miss French's glowers and insults hadn't been enough. He wished he knew how to make her smile.

Then again, Gold decided with a shrug, smiles weren't his thing. He determined to target The Crucible next time – it was one of his favorites as well, so he'd at least have fun reading it. And he couldn't wait to see the look on Miss French's face when he told her it could cause anarchy amongst the government-disliking teens. She'd hate it, and he'd be perfectly justified – he was, after all, just worried about democracy and such.

Mr. Gold left the local library with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. Inside, Rosie French glared down at the thirteenth book Gold had banned and curled her lip.

She really, really hated him sometimes.