Seth was a young 16, and Leah teased him unmercifully. If anyone else threatened him in any way, however, she was fiercely protective. Despite the six-year difference in their ages, they were best friends. One of the major differences between them, however, was their attitude toward vampires. Leah understood they were the reason for the existence of the shape-shifting wolves, but Seth was somewhat of a groupie. Leah didn't trust them, didn't particularly like them, but Seth was simply fascinated by the Cullens.
"I'm going over to the Cullens' to help Edward with some stuff," Seth announced to Sue and Leah, who were busy in the kitchen.
"Be sure and phase first, because the leeches consider you the family pet," Leah suggested with some bitterness. "He's a vampire, Seth, so there's pretty much nothing he can't manage himself. He's just humoring you."
Sue was not sure how she felt about the Cullens. On the one hand, they were vampires, born enemies of the Quileutes. On the other, they were "vegetarian" vampires, so they posed no real threat. And they had always treated the Clearwaters fairly and actually seemed to consider them friends. She was more introspective than Leah, but she didn't see any harm in Seth's friendship with Edward.
"Okay, Seth, but be home in time for dinner. I know Esme will be baking something for you, but you need to come home for some real food," Sue said with a smile as Seth ran out the back door. "And Leah, please don't be disrespectful. The Cullens have acted as our allies, and Dr. Cullen in particular is a good friend to the Quileutes."
"Sorry, Mom, but it galls me that Seth allows himself to be treated like the family dog," Leah complained. Sue just shook her head and continued to hang the freshly ironed curtains in the kitchen window.
Seth parked his battered pickup truck in the driveway behind Edward's shiny Volvo. He spied Emmett in the garage and asked, "Will my truck be in the way, Emmett?" Emmett grinned and replied "Don't worry about it, Seth. I wouldn't need a key to move it." Seth grinned back at Emmett, realizing that if he wanted to move the truck he'd just pick it up and move it. He'd left the key in the ignition anyway. Who would mess with it in front of a houseful of vampires?
Seth politely knocked on the door, and Edward opened it and ushered him in. He could smell something mouthwatering baking in the kitchen and, sure enough, Esme stepped out to greet him. "Hello, Seth. Thanks for coming over to give Edward a hand. I swear you're taller every time I see you!" Seth blushed and mumbled "Hi, Mrs. Cullen."
Edward's project for the day was building a deck on the back of the house. Edward was very strong and very smart, but as a carpenter he was clueless. Seth had helped his father with many a building project, so his expertise was actually valuable. The Cullen boys could provide all the muscle needed for the project, but Seth acted as foreman. With his guidance, the project went smoothly, and it was done in a matter of hours. Esme provided refreshments in the form of water, lemonade, and homemade cookies. Although her family of vampires didn't eat, she seemed to really enjoy baking for Seth.
When the deck was finished, and all the tools and scraps were put away, Edward invited Seth to go for a swim in their Olympic-sized pool. Seth swam like a fish, having grown up on the reservation in close proximity to the beach, so he accepted happily. They found Alice and Jasper already in the pool when they arrived.
Seth had been working with Jasper all day, but he hadn't seen Alice in a while. She was adorable, of course, in her stylish bathing suit, and Seth immediately became tongue-tied. "Hey, Seth, it was so nice of you to come over today and help the guys with the deck," Alice greeted him.
"My pleasure," Seth mumbled.
"It's a shame we don't use this pool more often. Why don't you bring your mom and your sister over sometime for a swim? Even if we're not here, you know where the key is," Alice continued.
Edward chuckled, reading Seth's jumbled thoughts. "Umm, Alice, I don't think Leah would want to do that. She's still not sure we're not fattening Seth up to munch on him," Edward joked, embarrassing Seth further.
Alice shot Edward a disapproving look. "Don't make him feel bad, Edward! It's not the natural order of things for us to be friends. But Seth, we have nothing but respect for your people, and I hope your mom and sister will realize that one day."
"Thanks, Alice," Seth grinned as he flipped over the tube she was floating on and dumped her in the water. Jasper started humming the "Jaws" theme song as he swam toward Seth, diving under him and grabbing his legs, pulling him under the water. Seth, laughing instead of holding his breath, came up sputtering.
Edward, laughing, cautioned "Don't forget he's human and has to breathe! Sue and Leah will find a way to kill us all if we drown him! And speaking of humans…"
Bella Swan approached the pool, clad in a one-piece bathing suit and a terry cover-up. "Nice deck, guys," she commented before she tossed the cover-up on a chair and dived gracefully, surfacing next to Edward and kissing him warmly. She looked at Alice in surprise, commenting "I can't believe you actually got your hair wet, Alice! Whatever possessed you?"
Alice chuckled, looking toward Seth as he swam underwater toward Bella. Quick as a flash, Edward picked Seth up and threw him toward the other end of the pool before he could reach Bella. As he treaded water in the deep end of the pool, he grinned at them. "Nice bodyguard, Bella! But if you ever want to build a deck, I'm your man!"