Creator Andrew Marlowe was very cagey about that question, as he and the cast of the show met a big crowd of fans at Comic-Con on Sunday.

“It’s clear than each of them have recognized feelings for the other,” he says, “But life presents lots of obstacles.” That will be true when the season premieres Monday, September 20th, but it could be a roadblock that will end any chance for romance before it begins. But more on that later.

Nathan, Stana and the entire cast discussed the Kate-Rick relationship and a lot more during the one-hour panel. Then, someone brought out “Heat Wave”, the first of the Nikki Heat novels. Nathan was asked to read an especially erotic passage from the book, but changed Nikki’s name to Kate Bennett for some reason.

As you can see, Stana also read from the book while Nathan looked hopeful that she liked what she was reading. The panel also included a fake trailer for a movie version of “Heat Wave”, which apparently will be part of the new season. There was also a tour of the morgue, where the detectives found Mal Reynolds, for some reason.

Molly Quinn, who plays Rick’s daughter, Alexis, was also a big hit with the fans, especially since she was dressed as a member of the Enterprise. She had a lot of say about her character and Castle. While she claims she feels like Rick’s mom (actually, Susan Sullivan plays that role), “I think Castle’s a really great dad. They’re kind of a partnership, I’d like to say, between the two of them.”

The other cast members who were there included John Hueras, Tamara Jones and Seamus Dever.

Marlowe then announced Rick and Kate will be battling a cunning serial killer next season. “It’s time to challenge Castle and Bennett with somebody who is as smart as they are,” he says, “and there’s a real element of gamesmenship in their relationship.”

Molly added that Alexis will start dating, which may strain her relationship with her dad a bit…although she doesn’t think so. “If I wanted to do something,” she says, “I’ll just do it behind his back.” She admits that Alexis may wind up making a mistake or two, “But her dad has a good handle on her, and he’ll put her in her place when she gets too out there.”

When the public got a chance to ask questions, Nathan gave prizes for the best ones. They included  Double Rainbow makers, an autographed pack of Oreos and autographed wrist bands. Some suggested that Neil Patrick Harris should come on the show as a villain. Nathan wasn’t sure because “(The) only thing holding Neil back, really, is his talent”, meaning Neil may be too busy. The crowd was encouraged to lobby Neil for come on Castle…and it’s probably underway now.

Another fan commented on how Stana’s character is a bit different from the usual TV detective. “She’s flawed. She loves her job,” Stana says. “I think it has to do with all the character development that Andrew put in, and what he brings to it.”

Marlowe says that Kate is actually a post-feminist character. “So, the issue wasn’t proving herself in a man’s world inside the station,” he says. “She just is, and it’s about doing the best possible job that she can do.”

Nathan also revealed that his love for acting started in the fifth grade when he substituted for the class clown, as he put it. He really enjoys the satisfaction from acting. “People can jump out of a plane and get that adrenaline rush,” he says. “That’s too much adrenaline for me….Now I just get off on doing a great job, tell great stories, having great dialogue, working with great people, and having a great time.”

Aside from Rick dressing up as Mal in last season’s Halloween costume, Nathan says there are some winks to his past days aboard the Serenity. For example, the catalyzer is on Rick’s bookshelf.

Marlowe said that he wants to do the best TV show possible. “We’re trying to make television that looks like feature films,” he says, “as opposed to Judd Apatow, who’s trying to make feature films look like television.”

But what about Rick and Kate? Will they finally get together?

When the season premiere airs September 20th, that seems very unlikely….because Kate arrests Castle for murder.

He’ll be cleared. Probably find the real killer.

It’s just going to be strange between them…again.