A/N: It's been years since I published this story, but since I've gotten a few favorites and reviews lately, I've decided to revisit it. I'm not satisfied with the way the first chapter came out, not after reading the others and seeing how their relationship developed. So, I'm rewriting it, hoping to make it better, and then I really want to write a brand new chapter, featuring Caitlin and Rory! I hope you enjoy this retelling of how the Caitlin and Darach fell in love!

P.S. Sorry this is so long, I couldn't resist!

"Darach, have you seen my green day dress anywhere?"

"It's in the laundry, my lady. It'll be back by the end of the day," Darach replied, smiling as he watched 21-year-old Caitlin tear apart her room. Her room, little changed since her childhood, was messier than he ever remembered it being, even when she had been a little girl. Clothes were strewn all over her queen-sized bed, mismatched shoes were scattered about the floor, and mounds of books, boxes, and other items formed little piles throughout the space. He had done his best to maintain some order—Caitlin, despite years of Darach's influence, had not picked up his skills for organization—but he knew all too well she was a force to be reckoned with.

He had raised her that way.

"How am I ever going to leave here in two days when I'm nowhere near finished packing?" She sighed, taking a seat at her vanity. In the mirror, she saw her worry clear on her face, from the few bags under her eyes (that she had been forced to hide with makeup) to her disastrous, dirty-blonde hair. She had known for months that she would be leaving the Battle Castle, but she never imagined the amount of packing she would have to do to move to Unova. At least, she told herself it wouldn't be terrible.

"We have all day, my lady," Darach said, crossing the room and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"For the millionth time, will you stop calling me that?" She pretended to be annoyed, but she knew she could never be mad at Darach. He was quite honestly everything to her: a father who guided her in her formative years, a brother who protected her from the evils of the world, a partner in work at the Battle Frontier, a best friend with whom she shared all her secrets . . . Perhaps even more. She hated how he acted as if he were below her, when in her eyes, he towered over everybody. She knew he was showing his limitless respect for her, but she detested that he was doing so through the conventions of society. When they were alone, he was just Darach, no valet attached to his name, and she was just Caitlin, not a lady or a princess.

"As you wish, my lady," he said, teasing her. She rolled her eyes, but smiled up at him. He couldn't help but smile back; he glowed every time she showed him her radiant smile. "Come on, there's still plenty of work to do."

"With all the magical things in the world, why can't we just magically finish this?" She sighed as she stood up.

"It's good practice for when you're on your own," he said. He knew she was ready to go out into the world, that she was a strong, capable lady, but he still felt uneasy about her leaving. He knew why, too, but he tried to suppress the feeling. It wasn't appropriate.

"How am I ever going to survive without you, Darach?" She turned and pulled him into a hug. Both knew it would be difficult to part. Ever since she had been six and he thirteen, they had been at each other's side through thick and thin. Fifteen years later, nothing had changed. They lived in the same castle, worked in the same room, ate at the same time—they did everything together. And neither wanted to admit just how hard it would be to say goodbye.

Darach put his arms around her in return, holding Caitlin close. "I could ask the same thing of you," he replied.

"Why did I ever suggest you be the Frontier Brain? If you weren't, you could come with me."

"If I wasn't, you would be the Brain instead."

"Either way, we'd still be the dynamic duo. Me, with all the brains, and you, with all the brawn—"

"Stop for a second," he laughed, acting offended. "I'm just as smart as you. Who helped you study when those tutors were still here?"

"I concede, I concede," she said, resting her head on his chest, over his heart.

"And you've got brawn in you too, Caitlin. That's why you're the newest member of the Unova Elite Four!"

"But that's all thanks to you. You made me the Trainer I am. You gave me my first Pokémon, for goodness' sake!" She smiled fondly as she thought of her Gallade, which Darach had gifted to her on her fourteenth birthday. He was by far her strongest and most favorite Pokémon; she loved him most of all since he came from the one she loved most of all.

Darach placed a kiss on the top of her head, as he always did when she attributed something about herself to him. He was proud of the lady she had become, though he would never take the credit for making her so.

The two enjoyed a quiet moment together, standing in their embrace. They could have stood their for ages, but Caitlin sneezed, Darach hurried to get her a tissue, and they were brought back to the reality of her chaotic room. Knowing they couldn't put it off much longer, they set to work folding dresses, storing jewelry in cases, packing books and trinkets that would be taken to the new villa, and cleaning the mess they had both made. It took them the entire day, but by the time Darach left Caitlin for the night, the only things left to be packed could only be done the morning of her departure.

As Darach walked through the palace to his room, he let his sadness overcome him. He had dedicated his whole life to being there for Caitlin whenever she needed him, from the moment he met her. He could remember each day with her fondly, all the memories they shared from her childhood and his adolescence. He loved the way she had called him Lady Darach, how she always had him sit and take tea with her, the pride she showed in wearing the gifts her gave her for her birthday, the deep and meaningful conversations they began to have as she grew older, the books they shared back and forth, their collaboration as Frontier Brain and Bestower of CP, the fact that she never saw him as anything less than her equal . . .

He loved it all.

Almost as much as he loved her.

Things between them had always been innocent, always that of a brother and sister. But things changed as she reached adulthood, as she turned eighteen then nineteen then twenty and twenty-one. He no longer saw the youthfulness he had always known; she had become a lady. He saw her more and more as a friend and less and less as a girl who needed guidance and protection. And as he saw her differently, he noticed different things about her, like how pretty she looked with her hair pulled back, how the dresses she wore flattered her curves and suited her skin tone. He noticed how her whole face lit up when she smiled, and how she would twirl her hair with her finger when she was embarrassed. He was drawn to the compassion she showed to all, especially him; her strength as she became more in control of her once-unmanageable psychic powers; her determination to better herself, and her humility in seeking help when she needed it. He was drawn simply to her, as if she were a huge magnet and his heart with made of metal.

He couldn't remember when he fell in love with her.

He knew it was inappropriate. He was of lesser rank, merely a valet to a formidable princess. He knew she still saw him as family, and how could she fall in love with someone that was like a father or brother to her? Their age difference, though not large enough to be completely offsetting, was still large enough to raise a few eyebrows. And besides, she was leaving in two days. Who knew what adventures she would find in Unova? She would be too busy to regularly keep in touch with him in Sinnoh. She would catch new Pokémon and focus on raising them, take time adjusting to her villa in Undella Town, much smaller than the castle, and devote much of her energy to designing her room at the Pokémon League. No matter how he looked at it, there was no place for him in her new life. But he was content enough to exist in it now, and to occupy such a huge part of her heart, no matter in what capacity.

The next morning, Caitlin rose earlier than usual. Tired though she was from the previous day's activities, she had found herself unable to fall asleep, and when she finally managed to drift off, she could not stay asleep. She gave up as the sun began shining through her curtains, and crossed her organized bedroom to the bathroom. Ever since she had been a little girl, she had taken pride in the fact that she did not need maids to help her bathe and get dressed. Her parents had detested this, but let her have her way. It was peaceful to her to have a morning routine, to take her time getting ready. As she drew her bath, she couldn't help but think this was the second to last time she would wake up in her suite and engage in her typical routine.

Her reminiscence stayed with her as she got dressed and styled her hair and makeup. She remembered the days when she wouldn't get up until Darach came to wake her, and how, even when she no longer needed him for that, she would pretend to be asleep for the sake of reliving her childhood. Sometimes he would tickle her to get her out of bed, sometimes he would pretend she was asleep and would take Rory, her beloved stuffed Growlithe, to breakfast instead of her. She laughed to herself; even as a teenager, she would never allow him to take Rory from her. In fact, Rory was going with her to Unova, but wasn't packed yet. He was as essential to her and the pillows she rested her head on and the blankets that kept her warm.

Her heart ached with the knowledge that so soon, she could stay in bed to her heart's content, but Darach wouldn't come wake her up. He wouldn't be there with her to stroll the gardens, have a practice battle, take tea, eat, read, or even talk . . . She missed him already.

Darach had been the gravitational force of her world, keeping her from losing her mind and herself. He had essentially raised her as her parents grew less interested in her, had shaped her life in ways he wasn't even aware of. She grew up wanting to be just like him: loving, responsible, strong, respectful, fun, honorable. She copied his morals till she knew she would have chosen them on her own, they were so alike. He had been her example of what was right in the world, for certainly anybody who stayed with her after she unintentionally hurt him so many times could do no wrong. She adored the looks full of pride he beamed on her, how he smiled at her no matter how silly or serious she was, that he lived his life as best he could in order to set the best example for her and make her the happiest little girl in the world, as he had promised her all those years ago. When she became aware of boys in her adolescence, she used to amuse herself with thoughts of how she had the most handsome valet in all the world to call her best friend, how the muscles in his arms were a show of strong he was mentally, not just physically. She would allow herself to create fantasies of the two of them happily in love, just for the sake of creating them. But as she grew older and treasured him more and more as her best friend, she knew that she had fallen in love with him ages ago.

He knew her better than anybody in the world, even her parents. Her heart radiated warmth whenever she thought of how unconditionally he had loved her right from the first day they had met. That kind of love was intoxicating, and her only cure was to reciprocate it. She was grateful to him for all the sacrifices he had made for her, but loved him more for the fact that he cared enough to minimize his own happiness to maximize hers. It pained her to think that he would never think of her this way. She would always be the little girl who had called him Lady Darach, who needed him to help her find her way in life. He was older than she by seven years, an age gap too wide for him to see her as more than a little sister. She would miss him terribly when she was gone. She had known no other life than the one she led with him by her side; it terrified her to leave him behind.

Knock. Knock. "My lady?" Darach called, wishing she really were his. He squelched the thought; he wasn't alone, couldn't allow his mind to wander to treacherous places.

"Come in, Darach!" Caitlin called, quickly dabbing her eyes to remove any trace of the tears that had formed. The door to her room opened, and in he walked, eyes trained on her as she gave him a smile.

"You look lovely, Caitlin," he said, and he meant it. Her dress today, a strapless white gown that faded into an ice blue, was fitted at her waist but flowed gently down her body. She had twisted her hair into an elegant bun, and wrapped a thin gold necklace he had gifted her for a birthday years past around it, accentuating her hair with glimmers when light fell just the right way across it. She looked stunning; no one could ever tell that she had been up half the night with her broken heart.

"Thank you," she said, she smiling growing larger. "I figured I'd try and look nicer than usual since today is my last day here."

"It's a shame you weren't wearing this to your farewell ball," he said. The King and Queen of the Battle Castle had held a goodbye party for their pride and joy, who was making a name for herself as a reputable battler (outside the family business, tis quite the shame).

"Oh please. My parents would never let me get away with this!" She said, thinking of how they insisted she wear a heavy, elegant gown for the occasion.

"Well, I much prefer this," he said, still in awe of how beautiful she was. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

Caitlin rose and took his arm, and the two walked down to breakfast together. As usual, they greeted the King and Queen before taking their place at the opposite end of the long dining table. They chatted about what to do with their last day together, since they had remarkably finished all her packing. Ultimately, they decided to take one last walk through the gardens, their favorite place to be.

Their chatter was initially simple, consisting mainly of the wonders to be found in the Unova region. Caitlin bubbled with excitement—so much to do, so many places to explore! It would be wonderful to be free of the Battle Frontier, as much as she loved it. But she would love all the sights a change of scenery would provide.

Before long, they had made it to the center of the garden, Caitlin's absolute favorite place in the whole Frontier. Rose bushes were arranged in a large circle, leaving openings for the various paths to take. Wild Pokémon frequented the area, and she had loved playing with them as a child. Their Poké-speak was always musical to her ears, and she often made up silly songs to sing to their tunes.

Darach glanced at her and knew she was remembering all the time they had spent here; he was remembering it too. His mind wandered to one particular day when she had been nine, and he sixteen. She had been making up lyrics to yet another song and commented how she wished she could record the tune today and dance to it all the time. He had asked her to dance, and even though she hadn't been through dance lessons yet, she accepted, and they made up their own moves, laughing as she stepped on his feet.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked suddenly, bowing and holding out a hand to her. She stared at him in surprise, but she was pleasantly surprised. She would love to, and she told him as much as she curtsied and took his hand in hers.

He spun her into him, one hand firmly clasping hers, the other on her back. She placed her hand on his shoulder and her head on his chest, listening to the comforting beating of his heart. They relished in the closeness, positively glowed in it, as they danced round and round within the roses. He spun her and dipped her, always pulling her back close to him, laughing and smiling with her.

She was surprised to hear how fast his heart was pounding after one particular dip, beating in equal time to her own. Could it be . . .?

No, it'd never be, she thought to herself. How could he see me like that? And the thought of unrequited love was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Of course, he noticed. He stopped twirling with her and held her in his arms. "Caitlin, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice full of concern. "Did I do something to upset you? Oh, Caitlin, please don't cry."

"I'm just going to miss you so much," she confessed, her tears flowing down her face. She threw her arms around him and cried into his chest. "You're my everything. I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave," he replied, holding her closer still. "You've been my everything for as long as I can remember. But I'm so proud of you, my darling. So proud of all you've accomplished, all you've become. You've grown into the most amazing lady I've been blessed to be able to love."

She looked up at him, touched by his words. In their fifteen years together, he had only called her "darling" in the most tender of moments. This obviously was one of them. "I thank the stars you came into my life, and that you stayed through it all," she said as she nuzzled her head into him. "I love you more than you'll ever know, Darach."

Now it was his turn to be touched. He looked down at the beautiful girl clinging to him so tightly yet so sweetly. Tears had formed in his eyes as well, and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would love her for as long as he lived. "Believe me, darling, I love you more than you will ever, ever know."

She looked up and met his eyes. As they gazed deep into each other's souls, it finally dawned on them: their greatest desires were not impossible. The proof was clear; she loved him in every single way that he loved her. And as they allowed the insuppressible joy of that truth to fill them, as they held each other tighter and closer and with more love than they ever dared to show, they leaned in towards each other, and finally, finally, their lips met.