Disclaimer: I do not own any of the movie Titanic characters or the historical figures. I make no money off this fan fic, it is written for entertainment purposes only. Josephine "Josie", William, and all non-Titanic characters are mine and made by me.

Author's note: This is what happens when I'm in a silly mood. This story takes place shortly after my first story Second Chances.

Christmas Surprise

The great war raged still outside Charles Herbert Lightoller was grateful to at least spend Christmas with his family. There were others who were denied the opportunity and Charles planned to take full advantage of his.

He had just been released from the hospital. It was not some horrible war wound that had sent him there but rather, of all things, it was the measles! The wretched measles had him lying flat on his back until the doctors felt he was fit enough to be released from the hospital.

Josephine, who Charles not so secretly married on the Titanic, was merciful in not teasing him about it.

Their son, three-year-old William, had asked his parents multiple times what the measles were and everything went along with the first question.

William had been named for Charles' friend William Murdoch. The last Charles saw of his friend was him falling overboard aboard the Titanic. He had lost his balance and fell into the sea. The memory still pained him.

Charles escorted Josephine down the street with William trotted a few steps in front of them. Thankfully this time the boy was at least keeping his cap and shoes on! Getting the boy to keep his hat and socks on was more difficult than finding the Holy Grail.

"He gets his not wanting to keep his hat or socks on from your side, you know," Charles whispered to his wife as he pulled his long coat around his chest.

Josephine smiled a patient smile at Charles. She was more elaborately dressed in her skirts, blouse, coat, and hat. She almost looked like a toy doll.

In the distance they could hear different Christmas carols being sung. He could easily name three different songs being sung by different groups of people. If he listened to all of them at once it made for a very entertaining song.

...Deck the halls, we wish you, let us bring him silver and gold...

"Good day, sisters," Charles said and tipped his hat to two passing nuns.

"Mama! Daddy! Look!" William eagerly shrieked as he bounced on his toes. He held onto the windowsill with one hand to keep from losing his balance during his excitement. With a chubby finger he pointed upwards towards several wooden toy boats. "Lookit! Titanic!"

The young boy could easily be forgiven for dubbing every boat and ship he saw "Titanic". He had heard his parents discussing the ship when they thought he was asleep though he was blissfully unaware of the nightmares his parents suffered from.

Charles bent down and placed his hands on his knees. Perhaps the chilly weather and him recovering from the (wretched) measles was making his joints ache as bent over. "Isn't that a pretty boat," Charles admired. He forced as much cheeriness in his voice as he could muster. "Why don't we go inside and we can get a better look at them?"

William nodded enthusiastically.

"After you, Josephine," Charles said with a sweeping gesture of his arm. He chuckled when he saw William mimic his actions perfectly.

Like father, like son he supposed.

~*~*~*~

The inside of the store was sparsely populated. There were only a few patrons inside the shop. The few tables were filled with wooden items and the occasional piece of fruit.

Inside Charles was busy commenting away at the toy boats. He pretended to be amazed at their size and what detail was put in them. They were actually very simply detailed but that didn't matter to a three-year-old.

William tugged at his father's coat. "Is that Titanic? Is that one Titanic? Which one is Titanic Daddy?"

Two boys who couldn't have been older than seventeen stood in a corner as they talked in low voices. The taller of the two boys had red hair and brown eyes. The other was a blue-eyed blonde.

"Know w'at would be funny?" The red haired boy asked. "Run up an' down t'at street wit' a bottle of w'iskey singin' a C'ristmas carol."

"You're mad!" The blonde boy remarked. "...You go first."

"I challenged you, you go first."

"You do it stark nekkid an' I'll pay you."

"'Ow much?"

"Do it first an' then I'll pay you."

William blinked upon overhearing the conversation. For reasons completely unknown to him that sounded like a very fun idea.

Looking up to make sure his parents didn't see him he slipped out the door. It only took a few seconds for him to start running up and down the street as naked as the day he was born! He sang, or rather tried to, some random Christmas carol he had heard.

Right about the time he started singing was the time Josephine noticed her son wasn't in the shop. "William?" Glancing around the store she saw no sign of him. She began to worry until she heard a high pitched voice.

"...'Tis the season..."

She knew instantly he was outside. Being about ready to scold her son for wandering away without letting her or Charles know where he had gone off to she was given the shock of her life. "Charles!"

For a split second Charles feared William had been hurt in an accident. He was at his wife's side in less than a second staring out into the street. He was forced to perform a double take when he saw his son. "Jesus Christ!" Charles exclaimed.

"Charles, stop him!" Josephine shrieked. She was in no position to do so in her long and narrow skirt.

Taking a few steps away from Josephine as to not shout in her ears he shouted, "William Lightoller! Get back here this instant!"

Cursing under his breath Charles broke out into a sprint to catch his son. First, he wouldn't keep his cap and shoes on and now the boy had turned into a full-fledged nudist! What was next?

He heard the scandalized gasps coming from the nuns he had passed earlier. More gasps came from shocked young women. Fathers and mothers tittered in amusement.

"Got you!" Charles gasped more in relief than actual victory. He tore off his coat to wrap his son in it. To prevent William from giving an encore performance of streaking followed by singing Charles carried young William back to the shop. His face was flushed red from both the run he had performed and embarrassment.

I'll never live this down, Charles thought. He looked to William who stared back up at him. "Where are your clothes young man?"

William shrugged and his shoulders slipped out from the coat. He saw his father frown and then tug the coat tighter around him.

"I've got them, Charles," Josephine said. "Where did you get an idea to do that William?"

Another shrug.

Any other words that had yet to be exchanged were cut off by a woman easily in her fifties touching Charles' arm. She thanked him for providing her with a good laugh this day and Charles blushed seven shades of crimson.

"Does he get this from your side, Charles?" Josephine asked once the woman left.

Charles chose to ignore the question. "Where did he get the idea in his head to do that?"

The two boys who had jokingly talked about performing the stunt the three-year-old had just done made for a hasty retreat out the shop's back door.