First (Iris' POV)

Life was full of firsts. I remember my first vine swing, first time really connecting with a dragon type, first time getting scolded for making trouble in the village of dragons, and that was just to name a few. Each relationship had firsts too. First time you met, first time you actually could remember having fun with the person, that moment you first realized they were your friend.

For Ash it was probably the moment when I saw how brave he was to risk it all to help the sandile save those stranded pokemon. From then on I knew he wasn't just a little kid. Nope, he was a good-hearted one too. And I never forgot that, or our friendship. Because it meant so much to me.

For Cilan it wasn't quite so dramatic. And I'm not really sure exactly when it happened. Was it some time between trying his cooking for the first time and seeing how much he worried over Ash and me? I'm not really sure, just that whenever it did happen it really happened. But like Ash, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Nope, he could be a pain in ways that Mr. Wannabe Pokemon Master wasn't even. Evaluation time, detective time, never-ending pain time… Some days he made me want to pull my hair out for sure. But it wasn't all bad…

We were a few days outside of Icirrus City, when the cold finally got the best of me. I hated the cold, always did. So one sniffle turned into a full on sneeze, and that one sneeze became the first of dozens. Next thing I knew I had a warm forehead and a scratchy throat. But I was never one to complain and expect to be pampered. He saw right through me though, even when Ash bought my excuse that everything was just fine. So for the rest of the day I was under strict orders to stay tucked into my sleeping bag, while he brought me all sorts of strange herbal tea mixtures.

Some of them (most of them) tasted pretty funny and really bitter, but I never forgot how he took care of me. I was still just a kid myself then, but I remember feeling strange and a little embarrassed for him to be doing so much for me. But if some part of my stubborn heart was trying to give my brain the real message, well it didn't matter, since I totally missed it. To tell the truth, I'd keep on missing it for a really long time. All I could think then was that it felt good at the same time, felt good to have a...family the cared about me. Because Ash and Cilan, they were just that to me.

They always were.

We were friends, and I figured we'd always be just that. Best friends, like brother and sister even, but...

But time has a way of bringing new firsts. The first time I ever admitted to having feelings for him… Well, it was after Chili had ran his big mouth and Cilan had overheard, and I was sort of cornered into it. So cornered that I didn't think there was anything romantic left in it. After all, the setting was just his kitchen, potato peels in the sink and the smell of mixed spices hanging in the air. You could have mistaken it for being ordinary, but when he said he felt the same way, well it was anything but.

Our first kiss was short and sweet on the step of a pokemon center. So short and surprising that I never even had time to close my eyes. He'd taken a full two steps back afterward, as if to apologize for being so direct. Then, with that same calm composed look he always had, he'd told me goodnight and walked away. When he first slipped the ring on my finger we'd been overlooking Nimbasa City from the ferris wheel. It was sunny and I didn't really know what to say, but all of it must have amounted to a yes, since some time later, well…

Well, it was a sunny day then too. It had been a perfect day back home at the village of dragons, and Drayden had been the one to walk me down the aisle. I was still short compared to him, and Cilan was so skinny standing next to Drayden that I almost wanted to laugh. But it been an amazing day, and I told myself I'd never forget. Nope, not even a second of it.

And I haven't. Not even one bit.

But that was three years ago now. And a few more firsts have come along since then. Like the first time I tried to cook him breakfast instead of the other way around. I'd been careful not to wake him, since he almost never let himself sleep in normally. But unfortunately, when the smoke alarms went off he'd woken up with almost a heart attack. If the neighbors hadn't had a water-type handy to put out the kitchen we might have lost the whole house that day. Or at least that's how I'd seen it, Cilan had tried to play it down, but the tips of my singed hair said otherwise.

But dramatic or not, it couldn't hold a candle to the big first that was wrapped up in a little blanket in my arms. And the first thing I had to do was keep blinking and pinching myself, just to make sure, she was real. Really real. But she was, and that meant we were starting a whole new adventure today…

Maybe it was just because I was tough as nails, but I found it funny how the bags under his eyes were even bigger than mine. Not that I hadn't felt better, to be sure, but it wasn't the high drama Cilan was playing it up to be.

"Are you certain you're alright, Iris?" He asked hesitantly as he closed the front door behind us.

I smiled and nodded, just happy to be back home at last. I hated stuffy hospitals with a whole staff of worrywarts like Cilan buzzing around me.

"For the hundredth time, I'm fine, Cilan. After all, if women weren't designed for this kinda thing then the human race would have died out years ago, right?"

He narrowed his eyes not looking all that reassured. "I suppose that does make sense from a scientific perspective." His eyebrows bunched in more worry. "But that still isn't any reason to be reckless, Iris." He winced. "You must be very sore…"

I smiled at him a little softer, it felt good to see him worried about me, but there wasn't any reason to look guilty about it. This, after all, was one thing he couldn't very well do for me.

I shrugged my shoulders, careful not to jostle our little bundle. "Yeah, of course, but it isn't so bad." I smiled wider. "After all, I've fallen out of a lot of trees before, not to mention that time I wrestled with Drilbur."

Cilan nodded, and seemed to be admitting to himself that he had no choice but to take my word for it, as he finally flipped the living room light on. The floor was littered with Cilan's pajamas, a pair of dress shoes, and a few pieces of burnt toast. The last vestige of his panic from yesterday morning when I'd went into labor during breakfast. It was a less than relaxing morning for me obviously, but Cilan had almost had a heart attack. He'd freaked out so much that he'd ended up changing clothes but keeping his slippers on, which in fact he was still wearing. I thought it was pretty funny, (the hospital staff thought so too) but Cilan still looked less than amused when he looked out at the mess, his eyes wincing at the apparent mental association it reminded him of.

So as expected he turned back to me, more worry lines etched into his forehead and pulled an armchair closer. "Don't you think you should sit down now?" Technically it was a question, but from the look on his face, I didn't think it was at all. So trying not to roll my eyes too much I did as he said. That made him look at least a little more at ease, so he started cleaning up the clutter laying around. From just looking at him you would have thought Cilan was the most unhappy new father on the planet, but I knew he was just the worry obsessed type. I thought we should focus on the happy part of it all though.

So looking down at Coriander, Cori for short, I smiled. She'd been asleep the whole time but now she was staring up at me with wide open curious eyes. "Hi there, sweetheart, we're home now."

I heard Cilan gasp a little as he hurried over, kneeling down next to me. I smiled over at him. "Somebody is awake and wants to say hello, Cilan!"

His face still looked more amazed than anything, and I could see the emotional tremble in his smile. "Say hello to Papa, Cori." I whispered as I gently handed her over to him. It was funny, Cilan was so overconfident about so many things, but I'd never seen him so hesitant and meek about anything before. Still, he took her into his arms, cradling her about as carefully as was humanly possible.

"Why hello there, cupcake…" He whispered as he looked down at her little face. "Are you feeling well…?"

I sighed, leave it to Cilan to sound so worried right down to the end. But wiggling her fingers she got his attention and so he offered his finger for her to latch onto. Which she did before slipping off to sleep again.

A softer smile slowly appeared on his face as he looked over at me. "She certainly is very small…" He almost had an air of worry in his voice, but he still couldn't hold back the happy look that was slowly coming to him.

I grinned. "She's big enough to get by, after all, I was little too when Elder found me, and that was after I was already a year old. But Cori is just starting out."

Cilan finally let himself smile fully. "I suppose that is true. However, whatever her size, it won't change my dedication to caring for her. For both of you…"

I smiled a little softer as I leaned to rest my head on his shoulder. "Okay by me, we can all take care of each other. Just promise you won't worry yourself to death, I don't want a husband with all grey hairs just yet."

It was good to hear him chuckle a little to himself. "I'll try. Though," he winced playfully. "That may be a difficult promise to keep. Especially since I think I'm detecting a certain flavor concerning Coriander."

"Hmm?" I asked.

He grinned a little. "It's just...something tells me she'll be just as free-spirited as her mother, which can only mean that my worry would surely be doubled…"

I snuggled a little more into his shoulder as I closed my eyes, finally giving into how tired I felt. "Well...maybe so, but I think you'll be okay, Cilan. After all…" But whatever I was going to say got lost as I drifted off to sleep.

If I'd had just one wish I'd have been able to see what this scene looked liked from the perspective of someone looking in. Just so I could have kept the image like a snap-shot and never forgotten it ever.

Because it was a first, a beautiful first.

Or at least until I woke up to the hungry and indignant scream that demanded food now and not even a second later. Like me she was more than a little cranky when she was hungry. So when I finally fell in bed that night I was pretty sure I'd sleep for the next week. (Of course, Cori had other plans about that too.) But laying there, that's when I saw it. Mingled in with all the green that was poking out as Cilan entered comatose next to me. One grey (well transparent to be fair) hair was sticking out of his head. I smirked, almost tempted to wake him up and point it out. But in the end I just shook my head and switched my bedside lamp off.

Since I knew it would probably just be the first of many...

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