A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are fantastic. Right, so here is the chapter where they choose the name as you probably gathered from the title. It's got some good Rick and Kate banter, sweet Rick and Kate moments and some sadish (don't think this is a word), family moments.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer - see the other chapters.

Merry Christmas!

Chapter 10 – What's in a name?

"What about… Peaches?" Kate let out a breath and shook her head, not taking her eyes off the file in front of her. They were still at the precinct after closing a case with Kate doing the dreaded paperwork and Rick, as usual, annoying her. Currently, they were – or rather he was – discussing names for the baby.

"Oh! Oh! I know." Rick's eyes lit up with excitement. "How about naming her after a flower?" She turned to look at him skeptically, quirking one of her eyebrows up.

"A flower?" Kate looked unimpressed by his suggestion. She pushed her chair away from her desk and got up, revealing her six-month baby bump. He followed her as she walked to the break room.

"Yeah… Hear me out," he said, slightly holding up a hand. He leaned against the doorframe while she was busy making a cup of tea.

"I'm listening, Castle," Kate said, deciding to humour him.

"What about Rose?" She frowned and shook her head in disapproval.

"Rose Castle?" She turned to look at him, her expression doubtful. "I don't like it."

"Okay, fair enough… It doesn't sound right," Rick replied, his expression growing thoughtful. His brow furrowed for a moment in concentration. Kate couldn't help but smile at this. 'So adorable,' she thought watching her husband who was deep in thought.

"How about… Lily?" Rick suggested, raising his shoulders and gesturing with his hands. Kate contemplated this as her lips pulled downward.

"Lily Castle." She mused thoughtfully, taking her cup and walking out the door. "It's… okay. I guess."

Rick let out an audible sigh and rolled his eyes before plopping into his chair.

"What?" Kate asked with a smile before taking a sip of her tea.

"You are impossible to please," Rick said before leaning forward in his seat. "Okay, how about Daisy? Daisy Castle has a nice ring to it." His expression was hopeful. Kate gave him a 'you-have-got-be-joking'-look.

"I'm not naming my daughter after a cow," she deadpanned. He threw his arms up in the air before rocking back into his chair.

"I give up," he mumbled. Kate only rolled her eyes with a chuckle before bringing her attention back to the computer monitor. They grew quiet for a few minutes with Kate focusing on the paperwork – her brow crinkled in concentration – and Rick playing with paper clips. After fifteen minutes of sitting in silence and getting tired of the paper clips, Rick started to throw little pieces of paper at Kate. Obviously, this was done to irritate her while simultaneously relieving him of his boredom.

"Castle, stop it!" She said sternly, not looking at him.

"Do you know how cute you are when you frown like that?" Rick said with a cheeky smile while continuing to throw little pieces of paper in her direction. Kate turned to glare at him, slightly narrowing her eyes.

"Ooohh… " Rick heckled her. "You know you don't scare me with that anymore, right?" Rick said with a grin, playfully throwing another piece of paper at her. He leaned forward in his chair and narrowed his eyes.

"What are you going to do, Detective?" He gave her an audacious smile. Kate leaned forward, meeting his challenging gaze. Before Rick knew what hit him, Kate grabbed him by the ear.

"Ow! Ow!" He withered in pain. "Kate, ow!"

"You were saying?" Kate arched her eyebrows.

"Applesapplesapples!" He cried, wincing. She let go of his ear.

"Thought so," she said with a smug smile while Rick rubbed his injured ear.

"You're mean," he whined, still rubbing his ear unhappily.

"Never mess with a pregnant woman, Castle," Kate said getting up and putting on her jacket.

"I bet our daughter is going to have a death grip like her mother," he said, getting up and still rubbing his ear. "Not that I mind. It could come in handy with teenage boys." Kate only rolled her eyes as an amused smile tugged her lips upward while she grabbed her bag.

"C'mon Mr. Castle, let's go home. I'm done here." They walked hand-in-hand toward the elevator, greeting a few colleagues on the way.

"You will teach our daughter your mad jedi ear-grabbing skills, right? For the whole teenage boy phase," Rick said in earnest as the doors closed.

"Yes, I will," Kate replied with a nod. A sly smile slowly formed as she placed a hand on her baby bump.

"You can practice on Daddy if he doesn't listen to Mommy, Sweet Pea."

XXXX

An hour and a half later…

"This is nice," Kate breathed, dipping her hand in and out of the lukewarm water.

"Mmm-hmmm," Rick replied lazily, running his fingers up and down her slick upper arms and across her wet shoulders. They were taking a bubble bath together - Rick's suggestion, of course - complete with candles, soft music... and a yellow rubber ducky, which belonged to Rick (of course). He was in a sitting position against the tub while Kate was lying in between his legs; both perilously close to falling asleep.

"Ooh! Ooh! She's kicking!" Kate said excitedly, slightly jerking up and touching her stomach. "Feel here." She quickly placed Rick's hand on the place where the baby was kicking. Rick smiled in awe as he felt the faint bump of kicks against his hand.

"Wow... Hey honey," he said with a broad smile, leaning down over Kate's shoulder. "Hey baby girl," he continued, slightly shifting his hand on Kate's stomach.

Kate turned her head somewhat to face him.

"I was thinking... in terms of baby names." He looked at her with interest, his hand still on her stomach feeling his daughter's fierce kicking. "Uhmm...," Kate started, biting her lower lip. "What about Elizabeth?" She said, her eyes meeting Rick's.

"Mmmm." He again leaned back against the tub, pulling her with him. "Elizabeth Castle... Lizzy Castle," he mused thoughtfully, his lips briefly pulling downward. Kate, who was lying with her head against his chest, looked up at him. After a few moments of contemplating, a smile slowly spread across his face.

"I like it." He looked down at her with a smile. "I really like it."

"Good. Me too," she replied with a broad smile before he leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Finally! A name we agree on." He placed his hand on her stomach again. "Hey Lizzy... Give Daddy a kick." A few moments later, Elizabeth Castle responded to the request.

XXXX

"You're sure you don't want me to go with you?" Rick asked with a concerned expression, his hands tucked deeply into his pants' pockets. He watched her closely as she sat at the dresser; her disposition decidedly more subdued and also sad.

"No... I'm going to meet my dad there," Kate replied softly while putting on the final touches of her make-up.

"Okay," he said before hestitantly retreating out of the room.

It was her mother's birthday today. Every year Kate and her father would go to her mother's grave to wish her a happy birthday. Remembering Johanna Beckett went from being a necessary coping mechanism to an unspoken and sacred rite for Kate and her father. Even though it was hard to face the bleak reality each year, Kate knew that today, this year, was going to be particularly difficult.

Looking at her pregnant reflection in the mirror, she was suddenly very aware of her own impending motherhood and felt the emotion manifesting in her eyes. She gently ran a finger over her mother's ring around her neck as her vision became increasingly blurry.

'I really wish you were here, Mom.'

XXXX

Kate easily spotted the familiar form of Jim Beckett, already standing in front of his wife's grave and silently paying tribute to her. As she walked past the multitudes of graves, she noticed how the green grass clashed with the grey, bleak head stones. Life in contrast to death. She was also painfully aware of the fact that she was a bearer of life and, in a bizarre way, desecrating the resting place of the dead.

"Hey Dad," Kate greeted upon reaching her father. Jim looked up and smiled sadly at his daughter.

"Hey Katie." He drew her into a tight hug; a hug two mourners shared. She broke from the embrace and stepped towards her mother's grave while her father stepped back, affording her a little privacy.

She bent down to place the white roses - her mother's favourite - on the grave. She went on to gently run her fingers over the head stone, tracing the words engraved on it while placing specific focus on 'Johanna Beckett'. She stood up and silently blinked away sad tears for a few moments.

"Hey Mom," she greeted quietly, tears threatening to spill over the threshold of her eyes. She wiped her eyes before continuing. "Uhmmm... I'm doing well. I'm happy." Kate looked down, focusing on her hands. "Well, we're really happy - Rick and I." She stayed quiet for a few moments. "I wish that you could have known him, Mom... You would have really loved him." A smile tugged her lips upward as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She grew quiet for a few seconds before continuing.

"Uhh... I don't know if Dad told you." She briefly glanced at her father. "But I'm six months pregnant and having a little girl." She swallowed hard, trying to stop more tears from falling uncontrollably. "We've decided on a name - Elizabeth... Elizabeth Castle." Tears now started to stream down her face.

"Mom, I- I wish you were here... I wish you could see your grandchild grow up." Her face contorted with raw emotion. "I miss... you.. so... much," she gasped, tears flowing freely. Jim stepped in beside his daughter, drawing Kate towards him. They stood in silence, shutting out the world as they shared a few moments of grief, comfort and sad tears.

XXXX

Kate and Jim sat in a busy diner, watching the hordes of people moving along the sidewalk just outside the window.

"So, how's my granddaughter doing?" Jim asked after a silent minute or two. Kate smiled before answering.

"Great. She healthy and strong... And she kicks a lot!" Kate replied with a broad smile while Jim laughed at that.

"Sounds familiar," he said, looking at her. "You were quite a kicker yourself, Katie... I remember your mother couldn't sleep for a few nights because you kept her so busy." He looked up at her and smiled again.

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm." He nodded before taking a sip of his coffee. Kate's smile slowly faded as she turned her attention back to the hustle and bustle of the street.

"I miss her Dad," she said quietly before turning to face him, her eyes shining with newly formed tears. "Especially now." She placed a hand on her stomach. "I wish she could be here." A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Jim took a few moments before responding, his eyes fixed on the cup of coffee in between his hands.

"I know you miss her, Sweetie. I do too." He looked up at her, his eyes also glistening with tears. "But Katie, she is with you." Kate's brow furrowed at this, her expression quizzical. "She's in you... A part of you." He reached over to take her hand in his.

"And now she's a part of your daughter... She will always be with you. No matter what," he said softly, squeezing her hand. Kate nodded sadly at this as a smile tugged her lips upward and another trail of tears made their way down her cheeks.

"Thanks Dad."

XXXX

"Hey," Rick greeted quietly. He was lying on the couch with a book when she walked in. She flashed him a subdued smile, making her way towards where he was sitting.

"Hey," she replied, plopping down on the couch and immediately cuddling into his side, resting her head in the nook of his arm. She always did this when she sought comfort. Rick sensed this need and pulled her closer to him while planting a kiss on top of her head.

"You okay?" He asked softly after a while, running a hand over her hair. Kate only nodded in reply. They stayed like this for a while before she sat up, turning towards him. She took a few moments before speaking.

"I- I was thinking," she started, her green eyes piercing his blue ones. "I want her to have something from my mother." She placed a hand on her stomach. Rick shifted and looked at Kate intently.

"I want to give her my mother's name." She stayed quiet before continuing. "I want us to name her Elizabeth Johanna Castle," she continued softly, blinking away tears. Rick's expression softened and he smiled at her softly. He placed a hand on her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. He placed his hands on her stomach and lowered his head towards the baby bump.

"Elizabeth Johanna Castle." He turned to look up at his wife again, smiling at her tenderly. "You are a very, very lucky girl to have a mommy like this."

A/N: I wanted to bring Kate's mother into this and thougth the whole baby name thing provided the perfect opportunity to do so. I hope you enjoyed it.

Review please!