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Hello All! This chapter comes with a warning - There are mentions of pornographic scenes. There is actually no pornography, but if you object even to its existence, please avoid this.
"Emma? What is this… This abomination?"
Emma comes over from the bedroom to see Killian in front of the old laptop that she got him in the second-hand computer store, so he could read up on things that interested him, since he refuses to use the phone for anything other than calling ("Lass, I really can't see anything on this magic window. And it's hard do this 'swipe' thing with only one hand), and her eyebrows shoot up.
"Hook," despite the fact that she has not called him that in weeks, "Hook, why is there a video featuring naked women on the computer?" She is proud that her voice is steady and she is not seething in rage.
"That is what I wanted to ask you."
She raises her eye brow further.
"I was searching for 'intimate presents to get women' and got redirected to this atrocity." He seems to think for a moment and she sees his eyebrows shoot up. "Unless, of course, in this land this is the kind of present a lady wants?"
"Like you would ever care! You are probably used to being selfish and taking whatever you wanted. What does the virtue of women mean to you?"
There is a spark of anger in his eyes. "Do you want to rephrase that, Swan?"
"Don't all pirates kill, rape and pillage?" she asks, genuinely not thinking about the words that leave her mouth, and immediately feels guilty when she sees the hurt in his eyes.
"I hadn't always been a pirate, as you very well know, Princess." He turns away.
Silence falls over them for a moment, until he sighs and clearly decides to be the better man.
"So, care to enlighten me why people would post private moment, such as this, somewhere where even a child could see?"
She shrugs, not entirely sure how to answer that question. After all, how to explain the workings of the porn industry? She proceeds to give him a brief summary and explain to him that half the stuff is fake and involves a relatively well paid and policed industry (and it is, since it at least gives and honest attempt at preventing trafficking and abuse) and about things like sex tapes being leaked by celebrities vindictive exes.
During the whole time, he just sits there, occasionally asking questions. He surprises her by not leering once and only pointing out that he wants to learn, not disrespect anyone. The balloon incident springs to mind.
In the end, he gets up and thanks her, and starts closing down the various windows on the screen
"Oh, just so you know, Swan, yes, before I met her I would pay women for their company. No, I never touched anyone against their will. And I get that you think it's wrong, but ask yourself this - knowing the world that I grew in, do you truly think it is wrong? And do you not find that displaying the most intimate moments of a couple's life and using it as possible blackmail is certainly more wrong?" With that he shuts the lid and walks out of the room and Emma wonders if perhaps she not only misinterpreted everything, but has just deeply insulted him. He had, after all, at one point mentioned that he had been completely celibate since right after Milah's death, for about 300 years.
It is strange to think that a womaniser has morals or restraint.
Emma can't stop the giggles when she hears the sirens blaring, followed by Killian's patented girly scream. She comes out of the bathroom this time, wearing only a bathrobe, and looks at him, one eye brow raised.
The screen is flashing red, the noise is deafening and Killian looks like he has just been caught doing something he really should not have.
"It's not what it looks like."
It is EXACTLY what it looks like, since Emma had gone to the IT guy and specifically told him to not only put in a block on searches of certain words and combinations, but also asked him to install the appropriate sound effects and lights show.
"What did you type?"
"Silicon breasts."
The eyebrow goes higher.
"Why?"
"Because I want to understand why in the world women in this world insists on looking fake, emancipated and plastic!"
She tries to squish the little voice telling her that she is never going to find another man who tries to understand, and instead settles on convincing herself that he is like any man - interested, but confused by the local 'fashions'.
Out loud, she goes on to list exactly what words will trigger the alarm, and she is sure that he will strive to avoid the majority of them.
Killian had been doing remarkably well in the last few weeks, only setting off the alarm three times - twice by advert, which she is willing to forgive, and once by quite innocently pressing a link for a news article about the spread of HIV (she has the filter changed so he can at least read major news stories without recreating the sound effects of a Hollywood police car chase).
So when the alarm goes off on a Tuesday morning, she is sure that Killian does not know she is in (the station is being painted and she is going through some paperwork in her room).
Strangely, the noise is coming from downstairs.
Emma carefully comes down the stairs, stepping over the creaking one, intending to sneak up on the culprit. She steps around the wall into the living room, where the bells are coming from, and clears her throat.
And promptly freezes.
The person holding the laptop like a hot potato is not her strange pirating flatmate.
It's David.
Her father's face turns red extremely rapidly, becoming almost the same shade as the alerts flashing on the screen, once he realises just WHO caught him.
"I, I… I am just doing research?" The excuse sound weak even to her ears. "For your mother?"
Emma shudders at acquiring too much information as David realises his mistake and bolts from the room. She looks at the abandoned laptop, reaches for the oven glove, and closes the device using it, too distraught to go and find out what word search set the laptop off.
AN: Thank you for your continued readership. You all make me very happy. I am currently coming house, but thankfully all of the story is written and backed up. Hopefully, even if I don't have the web, I ll be able to upload the last two chapters on Mondays at work. ^_^
