266. Chapter 266

After Under Fire

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'd burn before I'd claim I owned Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Really, bro? Javier Ryan? How could you do that to your own flesh and blood?"

Kevin Ryan pushed himself away from his desk, and turned to his partner. "Do you find something wrong with the name Javier, Javier?"

Esposito shrugged. "If you're a big, tough, macho Hispanic, it works. On some skinny Irish kid, it's gonna get his ass kicked at school every day of his life. The poor kid would grow up friendless. He never get a date. No telling what the poor little kid would end up as. And he'd probably end up living with his parents until he was forty or so."

"Skinny Irish kid?" Ryan said sarcastically. "And why do you assume he'd be some skinny Irish wimp?"

Espo pointed to Ryan. "Exhibit A. The defense rests."

"I'm assuming you were too busy putting the moves on Lanie at my wedding to notice Jenny's cousin? Phineas Flynn Duffy-O'Malley? All six feet, seven inches and two hundred and fifty pounds of solid Hibernian manhood? He tears phone booths in half as a party trick."

"One cousin?" Espo said with a smile.

"Jenny's brothers are a bit smaller, but in the grand Irish tradition, they make up for their lack of size with penchant for violence. And they excel at leprechaun tossing. "

Espo looked at Ryan, frowning slightly. "Sorry. I'm not seeing it. Javier Ryan just doesn't do it for me."

"And you'd name him what, with your great fund of Irish wisdom?"

Espo shrugged. "Brian Boru Ryan, Wolfe Tone Ryan, Eamon de Valera Ryan, Brendan Finucane…"

"Be Jayzus!" Ryan exclaimed. "Ye're civilized after all!"

Before Esposito could react, Kate Beckett dropped some files on Ryan's desk. "What are you two doing?"

"We're discussing Irish civilization. We'll be done in another minute." Espo said with a smile.

"Esposito is questioning my decision to name Sarah Grace, Javier had she been a boy. I think it's a perfect name for a future New York cop."

"Deciding the kid's futures already, Ryan?" Castle asked. "Shouldn't you have a boy first?"

"And your expertise in having male children comes from…What, Castle?" Ryan shot back.

"I don't need to have a male child to know that children grow up and live lives you'd never dream of."

"Not that Castle has ever grown up." Beckett added.

"However, when Beckett and I have our child the name will be…"

Beckett quickly checked to see that Gates was out of her office, grabbed Castle and kissed him, cutting off what he had been going to say.

When she broke the kiss, Castle smiled. "Not that I don't appreciate the interruption, but I was saying that…"

Castle's statement was cut off by another kiss.

"Have you thought that he's doing that to get you to kiss him?" Ryan asked.

"Of course." Beckett replied. "And do you think I'd mind?"

"Perhaps you two should get a room." Lanie Parish interrupted.

"Excellent idea." Castle said, grabbing Beckett's hand. However, she stayed put.

"Not so fast, Kitten."

"You wound me, Detective. We'd name the girl Johanna." He said quickly, before Beckett could stop him.

She smiled at him. "Castle. That's sweet."

"Johanna Cosmo Castle."

Beckett glared at him. "No Cosmo. Never. Do you understand? Not ever!"

Castle shrugged. "Johanna will be fine. But what about a boy's name?"

"How did this get started?" Lanie asked, walking up to the group.

"Espo was giving me a hard time about my plan to name a baby boy Javier Ryan. I think it's a fine name. Detective Javier Ryan. It has a ring to it." Ryan looked off into the middle distance. "Detective "Bone Crusher" Javier Ryan. Detective "Mad" Javier Ryan."

Lanie shook her head determinedly. "I don't see it." She caught Espo's smile out of the corner of her eye. "Javier is the name of a life-long bachelor. You want grandkids, don't you?" Lanie turned around and headed for the elevator. "I'd love to stand here and chat, but I have actual work to do."

She was halfway to the elevator before Espo shot to his feet and went after her. "Wait a minute, girl. What do you mean, life-long bachelor?" They disappeared into the elevator.

Kate turned to Ryan. "Kevin, I think that whatever you name your children will be fine. Espo is just trying to mess with you."

"And Cosmo is a very manly and Irish name." Castle added, getting a glare from Beckett.

Later that night the discussion went on at Castle's loft.

"We agree on Johanna for a girl. "Castle said. "We need a middle name, but that's not to important. She'll be known as Jo or Johanna."

"For a middle name I'd suggest Alexis, Alexandra, Lexi, Alix, Allie…" Alexis began.

"Ashley." Castle added. Alexis glared at him. Her glare was nowhere near as good as Kate's.

"What if it's a boy?" Alexis asked.

"Easy." Castle said with a smile. "Richard Edgar Castle, Junior."

"You'd name our child junior?" Kate said with a frown. "Do you want to have him develop a complex?"

"Like Ken Griffey, Jr? Or Cal Ripkin, Jr.?"

"What child?" Martha asked, coming down the stairs. "Did I miss something? Should Jim and I be shopping for a white shotgun, Richard?"

Castle and Beckett explained the discussion about naming Ryan's possible son, Javier Ryan.

"We just got on the subject of names for our possible children, Mother."

"You can't go too far wrong by choosing from the names of the great ladies of the stage and screen. Elizabeth, Katherine, for Kate Hepburn, Jane, Liza, Faye, Jessica, Susan, Nicole, Natalie, and of course, Martha." She smiled at her son and his fiancé.

"We've pretty much decided on Johanna for our daughter, Mother. But I do like Johanna Katherine Castle."

"J.K." Alexis said suddenly. "As in J. K. Rowling."

"If she has my talent and Kate's beauty, no telling where she could go. "

"I'm thinking Jackson Hunt Castle is out?" Kate said.

"Only is he shows up and gives me a damned good explanation of where he's been all these years." Martha said coldly. "And begs my forgiveness."

"James Rodgers Castle?" Castle suggested.

"Could be." Kate said thoughtfully.

Castle looked at his watch. "We have plenty of time for this later, much later. But we have a case to work on tomorrow. Time for bed, Beckett."

Once they were snuggled in bed, Rick whispered in Kate's ear. "Are you really okay with having children, Kate?"

She nodded and out her arms around him. "I've told you before, Castle. Before my mom was killed, I wanted to have a family just like my mom and dad had. So, yes. I very much want to have children with you."

"You're going to make a great mother."

"I hope so. I already have one child to take care of."