In small towns where nothing happened, it never took much for gossip to start. Nosy townsfolk watched their neighbors like hawks stalking prey, searching for absolutely anything they could turn on its head and spread as quickly as wildfire. In small towns like Storybrooke, a simple quirk of the lip could be the next scandal story.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard from Ashley that Mary-Margaret told her that Mrs. Potts saw Mr. Gold flirting with the new librarian!"

"Flirting?! No way!"

"Yes way! He was smiling at her!"

"Smiling?! Has he finally gone mad?"

And yes, that was very big news indeed, because everyone knew one thing for certain. Mr. Gold didn't smile. He smirked and snarked and grinned like the villains in a story book, the beast of Storybrooke. Well, everyone knew that, except the librarian.

But the thing about rumours is that sometimes they hold the truth, and the thing about this rumour in particular is that it only seemed to grow as the months went on.

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"That Gold and the librarian, they were seen on a date!"

"A date?! That's ridiculous! Why would any woman want to be seen with him?!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you because he bought her a coffee this morning!"

"He bought her a coffee?! But that selfish bastard's never bought anyone anything in his life!"

"Exactly!"

And in small towns where nothing else happened, where the rumours ran rampant and neighbours watched each other like hawks, privacy was rare. So when a man invited someone over for dinner… Well the whole town knew about it in the morning.

"Oh my god you won't believe this!"

"What is it this time?"

"She was at his house!"

"The librarian?!"

"Yeah! Last night! I saw her leaving around nine through my kitchen window! He drove her home!"

"Something's not right with that one… Do you think that means they're…"

"Of course it means they are!"

So, In small towns like Storybrooke, where the gossip never stopped and where privacy was nearly non-existent, what did a man do for those special occasions? For the nights meant only for her and not for observers?

Well, they say that's what he had a cabin for. They say that's where he took the flowers, and the chocolates and the wine. They say that's where they both disappeared to on the night of the fourteenth, on Valentine's Day, and where they stayed until midmorning.

And on the fifteenth, after the library opened late and patrons noticed the ring on her finger they say they knew exactly what went down. Of course they would, what was Storybrooke without the gossip and speculation? Without the nosy neighbors who knew too much and the hikers who got close enough to a house in the woods to witness a tear-filled proposal through the window?

They whispered about this odd woman, this peculiar librarian.They marvelled over her ability to break down the beast. They speculated over what may really be going on behind closed doors. The strange couple was on everybody's tongues, and it would never be any other way.

After all, what was Storybrooke without it's storytellers