Cause and Effect
Lieutenant Groves
He had attempted to begin an intimacy with the Commodore once. Under the guise of drunkenness, he had pressed the man up against the wall of his own office and had placed hungry lips against wary ones. Ones that did not open when his tongue so desperately sought entrance. Ones that did not smile, but frowned when he had managed to push his Lieutenant away and advised him to leave at once.
He had held on to a foolish hope, however, that Norrington had simply been taken aback and needed time for the prospect to sink in. And, once it had, he would come to Groves with an open heart and more eager lips.
The proposal to Miss Swann had eliminated any hope that Groves could dare cling to, however, and as he watched his Commodore slip only further away from him, the thought of staying under his command was an impossible one.
Groves stood atop the tallest wall of the fort. The wall that Miss Swann had so in-eloquently fell off of earlier that morning and looked down towards the rocks below that she had somehow managed to miss.
He sighed, and with one last, somber glance back towards Port Royal, Groves prayed that they would not fail him now as they had failed him earlier.
Commodore Norrington
Norrington slouched further down into the lukewarm water of his bath.
He watched intently as the ripples from his movement caused the jagged remnants of his whiskey bottle to bob around aimlessly.
He sighed and leaned back, resting his neck against the uncomfortable edge of the tub.
He realized now, much too late really, that he had invested far too much of his life fulfilling the expectations that others had held over him and to the duties and standards of the Crown. He had neglected the wants and desires of his own person and for that he was now suffering.
His proposal to Miss Swann had been based not on feelings of love or intimacy, but on those of duty. It was what had been expected of him by the Governor, the Royal Navy and by most of his men.
Most, but not by Lieutenant Groves. Groves had been vehemently opposed and rightfully so, but his bold actions had caught Norrington off guard and instead of reaching for what he had always wanted, he had pushed him away. And then Lieutenant Groves had done...that.
And now here he was, soaking in a tub of water quickly growing cold. The pain radiating from his wrists outdone only by that in his heart.
He shivered and closed his eyes, seeing Groves' face there. That childish smile that only Norrington could give him. He longed to see it again.
"Soon," he said, his voice echoing off the empty walls of the room. "We'll be together soon."
Lieutenant Gillette
Lieutenant Gillette had cared not for Miss Swann from the moment he had met her. His distaste for her only grew deeper when her reckless flirtation had caused not only the death of his best friend, but also that of his Commodore.
He had watched her intently since then, eying her every move. He had wanted to see her show a sense of remorse for what she had done, but it seemed as though the loss of two good men meant nothing to her so long as she had her blacksmith.
Wedding preparations for the two had been underway for some time and it was only a few days now until the ceremony. Gillette had had no intention of going, or even caring, but he had been placed in charge of standing outside her door each night, making sure her blacksmith did not get any bright ideas to take her purity before the wedding.
The assignment had been like a death sentence to him, only without the gratification at the end of it all being over in a matter of seconds.
One evening, he had heard Will Turner climb in through Miss Swann's window, followed by the sounds of kissing and laughing. He had also heard the young man decline anything further, even when she begged, for he did not want to 'risk losing her again.' A few more minutes of kissing and he had left the same way he had come in, leaving Miss Swann crying quietly after her loss.
Her crying wasn't so silent, minutes later, when she found herself beneath Gillette, pinned down by the weight of him. He forced himself on her and in her, with an intensity caused by days, weeks, months of suffering.
All because of her.
"You took everything from me," he looked down at her now but she looked away. "I'm going to take away the only thing of worth you have left."
And he did.
Her screams both deafened him and encouraged him. It wouldn't be long now, and so he continued to destroy the life that she had dreamed of every single night since she and Turner had returned to Port Royal.
When the Governor and a handful of Marines arrived, Gillette smiled down at Miss Swann. She looked at him, the sound of guns being cocked ringing loud in her ears.
"Thank you," Gillette smiled at her, genuinely.
She screamed.
Elizabeth Swann
It had been months since the wedding but she still would not let him touch her. He had told her he understood and would wait until she was ready, but she knew he was lying.
She had tried to give in to his desires once, after feeling guilty about denying him what was rightfully his. They had taken it slow, each move careful and calculated, his soft, careful voice telling her what was about to come so she could prepare herself. But, when he had placed himself between her legs, she had cried, apologized and dismissed him.
So perhaps it shouldn't have come as much of a shock when a rumor had gotten back to her that Will was soon to be the father of another woman's child.
It had hurt to hear those words, but she knew who was truly to blame for the situation. She loved Will and wanted him to be happy, but she knew he would stay by her side until the end, child or not no matter what she said to him.
So, in an act of what she considered grace, she reached for the vial of medicine given to her to calm her nerves and swallowed it all.
She would make the decision for him.
Jack Sparrow
It had seemed that the British Navy had pointed their fingers at him as the cause for everything, which was really not all that surprising, considering people were always blaming him for something true or not.
Will Turner had found him in Tortuga and had relayed everything that had occurred since his departure, warning him to be cautious.
Jack had brushed him off.
He had the Pearl again. He was untouchable, indestructible. Besides, the Governor had all but outright acknowledged he was a good man and had let him go. Technically. Which, by default had made the Governor, himself, a good man.
But now, as he lay face up on a large, singed piece of his beloved ship, he had to laugh at his own error in judgment. There were no good men, none besides himself anyways, and as he brought the one bottle of rum he had managed to grab before he had thrown himself overboard to his lips, he decided that the world didn't deserve him.
No, the only person who deserved Jack Sparrow was his beloved Pearl. And as he slipped his pistol out of his breeches and placed it against his temple, he was only all to eager to join her at the bottom of the sea.