A/N: Hi! Do not own POTC, belongs to Disney. This is just a nice little Christmas story, somewhat fluffy. It will be three chapters long. "I Saw Three Ships" is a lesser-known Christmas song, but one of the very few that is still sung today. Also, while Christmas wasn't hyped up like it is today, and wasn't exactly a kid-oriented holiday (for England and the colonies, anyway), it did last twelve days until 6 Jan.

Hallowed ground in Teague's eyes, Elizabeth thought, tying off the last of the Black Pearl's lines at Shipwreck Cove's treacherous harbor. Another of Gibbs' warnings of why the place came to be known as Shipwreck Cove in the first place resonated as mere mumbles in her already-cluttered mind. Like all his letters, Teague's invitation to them stated only the necessities—where, when, and how, but this one also said a surprise awaited the family, something which fueled Billy's imagination to no end.

"Hans, that boy we met in Eisleben? He says every Christmas his family chops down a tree and takes it in the house and decorates it!" he announced to anyone passing by him, practicing his own knot-tying while sitting on the pier, his wiry legs dangling over the side.

"What do they decorate it with?" Elizabeth asked.

"Apples, nuts, red paper. Anything! And they put silver on it! Do you think Teague will do something like that?"

"Only if the silver were imitation and the apples and nuts inedible," Jack said, handing Cora off to Gibbs to inspect Cotton's tying of one of the lines.

Once again, stating out loud what she was privately thinking, she thought, shooting an instinctive look up to make sure Gibbs had carried her daughter down the pier to dry land.

"What about some kind of present?" Billy tried again, running over to Jack.

"That might be a more logical train of thought to follow." He turned back and made sure Elizabeth was catching up to them. "The only surprise with which I would be personally satisfied with is if it just so happened that dear Captain Teague was indisposed and absent for the duration of the holiday," he muttered to Elizabeth.

"That's a shame," she made sure to say with enough dry intrigue. "He was so looking forward to presenting the Code to you."

Jack sniffed and shook his head as they all trekked up the jagged hills of Shipwreck City to Teague's cottage, nestled just past the cavernous terrain. Not trusting anyone with a one-year-old but herself, Elizabeth's thighs burned as she quickened her pace to retrieve Cora from Gibbs. Kissing the delicate dark eyebrows just below a head already filling with coarse brunette waves helped clear her head and calm her beating heart. Tomorrow morning, she kept repeating to herself.

Pintel and Ragetti brought up the rear of the crew, lingering back to whisper amongst themselves.

"I can taste that Roast Young Tom turkey now," Pintel said, smacking his lips and wiping some sweat from his brow. "Minced pies, oysters, larded geese…"

"Don't forget brandied peaches," Ragetti added.

"That Cap'n Teague's makin' us earn our Christmas dinner, comin' up all this way," Pintel grunted. "Say, we got everybody taken care of, right?" He nodded towards the sack Ragetti had slung over his back.

"Just got to take care of the kiddies."

"Kids is easy."

"And Miss Elizabeth."

"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard."

"And Cap'n Teague himself, of course."

Pintel looked up at Ragetti with squinted eyes.

"And, er, can't exactly say we're finished with Cap'n Jack either."

"Bloody hell! Just who did we scrounge up all them gifts for?" Pintel blurted, hushing himself afterwards so no one in front of them would hear.

"Gibbs and Cotton and Marty'll have a happy Christmas."

"What we going to get everybody when we're already here? And with tomorrow being Christmas Day?"

"I did have this poem I was working on," Ragetti started.

"I saw three ships come sailing in/on Christmas Day/on Christmas Day/I saw three ships come sailing in/on Christmas Day in the morning," Teague sang lightly, setting his guitar aside and sighing as he stood, stretching his arms.

"It's ready!" Maike bustled in, her arms and bosom smothered in a velvety green coat. She moved her arms every which way to reposition the coat to show off the hood and sleeves. "See? White fur trim, just like the books all say! You'll look so dashing in it."

"Not likely," was all the deep, throaty voice of Captain John Teague felt was necessary.

"Don't worry." She plopped the coat into an empty chair with a deep exhale and squeezed in between him and his arm. "This is what it's all about, family, friends, all together and having a merry time…"

"…or choking the life out of each other." He leaned down and rested his cheek on her soft bed of hair. "Wish ye could see how it would all play out."

"Sometimes the past is a better thing to see than the future," she said.

With hawk-like precision, Teague spotted the familiar bandana and trinkets, the familiar gait, the familiar features ambling up to the front of the cottage, so like his own.

"Is that him? He looks just like you!"

"Much to his dismay." Teague refrained from the temptation to note just what features on Jack's face belonged to him and which belonged to Oria, that the olive skin, the long lashes, the flourish and foreignness of the boy's hands were all passed down from his mother. Summoning up an expression more suited for greeting company, Teague strolled down the steps of the house.

"There they are!" he growled, eyes twinkling, making sure to walk right past Jack and gather Billy and Cora in his arms.

"Happy Christmas, Captain Teague," Billy said with a nervous solemnity, holding out his hand.

Without a word, Teague lowered the boy's hand back to his side and picked him up by his waist. His giggles echoed down to the rocks.

"A happy one indeed!" Teague said. "My, you get bigger every time I see you. How ye been takin' care of the crew, eh? Still a formidable one?"

"I'm learning how to use this!" Billy whipped out his pocketknife.

"Good Lord, that is a beauty." Teague took it and looked it over. "I didn't have one of these until I was at least twice your height. That's a good knife to hold on to, to be sure."

"Looks like we won't be getting him a knife," he thought he heard…which was which…Pintel whisper to the taller one with the eye patch. Ragetti. That was right.

"And this one." Teague held Cora up higher. "Aw, don't let those delicate eyes fool you. This one'll be just as ferocious as her mum." He approached Elizabeth and gave her a slight bow. "How ye been, pretty bird?"

"Happy Christmas, Teague," Elizabeth said, edging forward and wrapping her arms around him.

"Staying all twelve days, am I right?"

"We're anxious to spend the holidays with you," she said. Perfect tact and grace meshed in with that pirate wildness, Teague thought, astounded as he always was when contemplating his daughter-in-law, noting how she neither answered the question nor snuck in any insult.

"Well, come in," he said, his burst of loquaciousness leaving him. "Everyone."

"Your letter said you had a surprise," Billy said, trotting up to Teague and taking hold of his hand.

"Billy…" Elizabeth began.

"No, no, Elizabeth. The Bavarians have it right. This should be a holiday for the lads and the lassies. I have a few surprises for you."

He brushed aside the fact Jackie had remained stoic for the greeting. It was just as well. Ushering them all inside, he took him by the arm and held him outside the door.

"Oy!"

"Where's me proper greeting?"

"With all other proper things, I'd venture," Jackie said, eyes pretending to search behind the house.

"Been holding up, Jackie?"

"Quite well."

"Ah. You do plan to stay until Twelfth Day, don't ye?" He inhaled. It was now or never.

"I might and I might not," Jackie said, squinting at him. "What is that to you?"

"Because I want ye to spend some time with your stepmum."