"Of course," he said, letting her act like she was totally nonplussed around him. But then he became more sober at the mention of his family. "I'm sure we're both missed, yeah. We both have people who care a lot about us. Maybe if we're lucky, this won't last much longer and we can go back to them."

Hearing Kate talk about her mother in the present tense made Castle's heart hurt a little- but, well, who was he to tell her what her own future held?