Before everything, there was Seth

by ap187

what if Seth and Marissa were best friends growing up?

Before everything, there was Seth.

Julie Cooper walked slowly down to the bus stop, already feeling winded. She was seven months pregnant and due in the middle of a scorching Newport summer. She was lucky for air conditioning and so far, hardly any problems with her daughter. She knew that if Marissa could get jealous over Holly Fischer's Barbie dolls, then she could certainly get jealous over the attention given to her new sibling. But so far Marissa had been pretty good about everything, asking questions constantly about the arrival of her baby sister or brother, and asking if she could make the nursery bright pink, her favorite color. Julie smiled and waited for the bus.

"How's it going, Julie?" Julie turned around to face Kirsten Cohen. Kirsten had only lived next door for three years; she'd lived in Berkeley before with her husband and son. Somehow, Julie always had the feeling that Kirsten belonged in Newport more than anywhere else; she fit the ideal Newpsie even if she wouldn't admit it. Sandy, however, was not a typical Newport husband. He liked simplicity and a drama-free lifestyle: things that didn't come easy in Newport or when his father-in-law was Caleb Nichol. But Julie's daughter was in the Cohens' son's kindergarten class, and they were neighbors, so this had brought them all together.

"Good," Julie answered. "Of course, we're getting ready for the baby, and everything is going on with Marissa and her school stuff..but I think I can speak for all of us when I say I'm ready for the summer." She felt her stomach protectively. Even if this baby was, in all honesty, a bit of a surprise for both Jimmy and herself, she liked the feeling of having someone to look after. Marissa was almost six already, getting taller and more independent, and she liked how it felt to have someone new in the house.

"Of course," Kirsten nodded. "Seth keeps asking me when he can have more playdates with Marissa, and I keep telling him, 'Over the summer.' He keeps asking me when summer is. They really are too cute together." The bus pulled up then. Julie and Kirsten collectively smiled, waiting to hear the stories of another kindergarten day.

"Mommy!" Seth said, his face shining as if he hadn't seen his mother in years. "You'll never guess what happened today. The teacher said that I could bring in my new comic book for Show and Tell if I promise to share it with all of the other kids. She said that the last time I brought in Superman, I wouldn't let anyone look at it, but if I promise to be really good I can bring it in!"

"That's wonderful, Seth," Kirsten said. Seth had a bit of a sharing issue. His teacher had called several times asking if Seth could possibly share his toys and books She eyed Julie's rounding stomach and wondered how he would do with another kid in the house. Oh well, she thought, at least he's making progress. Seth rushed into his mother's arms and asked, "What's Daddy making for dinner tonight?"

Marissa followed him off the bus. While she was a little quieter than Seth could ever be, she still looked at him with a bit of a longing. She liked Seth Cohen. He was weird, sometimes, like telling Holly that she looked like Barbie's little sister, and on the playground he would run around pretending to be Spiderman or Superman, or sometimes both. The other kids thought he was a little weird. But Marissa protected him, comforting him when the kids didn't let him play tag or hide and seek. "Hi, Mommy," she said, and then to her mother's stomach, "Hi, baby!"

"The baby can't hear you!" Seth said, scrunching his face up. "You're talking to your mommy's stomach!"

"It can hear," Marissa argued. "That's what Daddy said. Daddy answered all my baby questions because Mommy said he was better and knew all the answers."

Kirsten stifled a laugh, looking at Julie. Julie smiled at her and then at the kids. Already, Seth and Marissa were back to telling stories about their day. Seth was saying how he didn't sleep during naptime because superheroes never slept, and Marissa was saying how even superheroes couldn't fall asleep when they should be saving the world. Seth looked at Kirsten. "Marissa's right," he announced. "I should sleep so in case I get asked to save Newport or something I'm awake! Just like Daddy after he has coffee!"

The end of the school year came shortly after that, and more and more Marissa came over to Seth's house. She was now realizing that her mommy's stomach would, in fact, get back to normal soon, and she would have a baby in the house with her. "Not like a doll," she said, explaining the difference to a wide-eyed Seth. "It's going to be here forever now."

"That sounds cool," Seth said. "It can be like Superbaby." He zoomed around the swimming pool, watching subtly for Marissa's reaction. "Suuuperbaby!"

"What if I have a sister?" Marissa asked. "Then I'm not the only girl in the house."

Seth slowed down. "She can live in my poolhouse if you don't want her. Nobody lives there. But Mommy made it nice for guests like the Nana. But the Nana doesn't like California."

"I want her," Marissa said, splashing Seth in disappointment. "But my mommy keeps saying she hopes it's another girl so I can be the big sister and share my clothes."

"You have pretty clothes, Marissa," Seth said solemnly. "You could be like twins but not!"

Marissa smiled, as if the thought hadn't occured to her. "What could we name her?"

"We could name her Wonder Woman," Seth said, grinning. He had two loose teeth and couldn't wait to get money from the Tooth Fairy. "Wonder Woman Cooper."

"That's too long," Marissa shook her head. "Maybe Princess."

"No." Seth shook his head. "I don't like that. Maybe we could call her Princess Wonder Woman."

"That's too long toooo!" Marissa complained. "My mommy likes a lot of 'traditional' names. My daddy doesn't care."

"You could call her Marissa Junior," Seth said. "That would be really cool." He looked over at Sandy, making hot dogs for Marissa, Seth, Kirsten and Marissa's parents. Sandy was watching them, eyeing how happy Seth looked. Never in a million years would he have thought that someone in his family would find the Coopers more than just good, old money and lots of it. Seth looked so happy, he could only imagine years from now, how it would all be for them.

A month later, Jimmy knocked on the Cohens' door. It was early in the morning-Seth still asleep for at least another few hours. That was, of course, if he didn't wake up and immediately choose to wake up Kirsten and Sandy too. Sandy often joked that there was never any need for a wakeup call if they went on vacation. There was always Seth, wide awake and ready. But now, Kirsten turned over in bed and mumbled, "Someone's at the door." Sandy got up and answered it. The sun was just coming up, and Sandy blurrily acknowledged Jimmy's presence.

"Hey," Sandy yawned. "What's going on?"

"Another girl," Jimmy said, much more awake. "Julie gave birth to a beautiful, beautiful Kaitlin Elizabeth. I have to run over to the hospital, but I brought Marissa over for the day. I'll be back tonight. With Julie, probably, and the baby."

Sandy congratulated Jimmy and then looked at Marissa, her face set in a pout. He knew there was nothing he could say right now to Marissa that wasn't full of congratulations and acknowledgment of becoming the big sister. She needed Seth. "He's right upstairs," he said, as if that was all he needed to say. Marissa ran upstairs, her Keds a blur.

"How's she doing?" Sandy asked.

"Julie? She's great. Happy, healthy.." Jimmy trailed off. "Oh, kiddo. She's going to be okay. Just a little jealous, probably. I don't know. She did want to see Seth though immediately afterwards. Go figure."

Sandy smiled. "I think he can do something for her."

"She is beautiful." Marissa looked at Seth, practically jumping up on his bed in frustration. "She is gonna be in the house in like a day. And she is gonna keep me up at night, Daddy said."

"You wanted a sister," Seth said, half-awake. "She sounds like she's going to be fun. What did your mommy name her?Wonder Woman?"

"Nooo," Marissa answered. "Kaitlin. Kaitlin Elizabeth Cooper."

"That's not bad!" Seth mulled. " 'Course, it's not Princess Wonder Woman. But I like it, Marissa."

Marissa shook her head. "Why don't you have her then?"

"I don't want something keeping me awake," Seth answered.

"So I can," Marissa pouted. "Mommy says it's okay that I'm jealous. She says it's normal and it will go away when I see Kaitlin Elizabeth Cooper."

"It probably will," Seth patted her shoulder. "Let's go swimming!"

"Okay," Marissa said, cheering up right away. "And then we can go get ice cream!"

Marissa barely knew where the time went. It felt like only an hour ago that her daddy had dropped her off and told her to be good for the Cohens. Now he was coming back for her, with her mommy, whose stomach was normal again, and a baby who looked so small and tiny Marissa barely knew how she was going to fit in any of the clothes her mommy had bought for her. "Looook," Seth breathed. "It's a babyyyy."

"Seth, be careful," Kirsten warned from her spot on the lawn chair. Seth climbed out of the pool with Marissa following him. "It's not yours."

"I know, Mommy," Seth said matter-of-factly. "It's Marissa's."

Marissa eyed the baby cautiously. "She is pretty."

"And she's your little sister," Julie said, looking at Marissa. "You are the one who's going to be her role model, Marissa. You're going to teach her about ponies and all the things you love."

"And comic books," Seth interrupted.

"And comic books, too," Julie added. "This baby will never take the place of how we love you, Marissa, and even if your father told you everything she's bound to do (she looked at Jimmy there), she will want to be just like you."

Marissa smiled. "Can I hold her, if I'm really, really careful?"

"Absolutely," Jimmy said, helping Marissa with Kaitlin. He looked at both of them, at Seth; at Kirsten, at Sandy, and felt the same way Sandy had done only a month before: he knew everything was good at the moment, and he could only imagine all that was still in store for Marissa and Seth, five years old and full of wonder at the newest arrival of all.