Rainbow of Gold

A/N: I've no idea what possessed me to make the very first chapter all angsty. Thank you to all who reviewed. A very cheerful thank you to Arda Silverlace, my sister and excellent beta reader. It's due to her you shall have more than the three chapters I intended. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas.

Chapter Two: Foods, Moods, and Sweaters

"Erin go Bragh!" Alice exclaimed joyously opening the door before Edward reached for it. Her voice sparkled like wind chimes.

"Hello, Alice," I said, smiling at her appearance. She, always the stylish one, was wearing a lovely cut green sweater, a flowing rich brown skirt with embroidered flowers on the hem and a garland of shamrocks and flowers in her short black hair. She looked like a woodland pixie.

She hugged me and giggled. "You smell like Edward." I felt myself blush deeply, remembering our sweet moment outside. Edward just smiled guiltlessly. In vain, I looked around the room to hide my crimson face.

Wow. Alice had outdone herself.

The sweeping room was decorated with bright wreaths of green foliage and small flowers. Intricately designed Celtic patterns hung above every doorway. A satin banner of the Irish flag was suspended over the staircase and the small stone statue of a bearded medieval looking man wielding a staff stared up at me from the right of the doorframe. None of these ornaments looked like they could be purchased at any local store or even Wal Mart. Alice must have spent some time on the Internet.

Emmett's booming and impatient voice sounded from the dining room, interrupting my observations. "C'mere, Bella!"

I faintly heard Esme scolding him for bossing me around. Alice laughed and tucked her arm in mine. I grabbed Edward's hand and we headed towards the dining room.

"They're really excited," Edward whispered in a rare display of stating the obvious. He once told me that I'd given his family a reason to celebrate holidays, special occasions, and other things that they'd lost their enthusiasm for long ago. It was a bit of a weight on my shoulders, knowing that, but I usually had so much fun with the Cullens that any stress I felt melted away.

They were all situated in the dining room around the small table which had been covered with a pale green lace tablecloth for the occasion, with a tasteful clear glass bowl full of pebble-like gold and green glass stones as the centerpiece. What surprised me most were the dishes of food on the table.

Emmett was closest to the plates, sitting on the floor directly in front of the table, eyeing the food warily. He leaned against Rosalie who sat posed and gorgeous in the chair behind him. Jasper was to their right and watched Alice with a small smile on his face as she moved gracefully to his side. Esme and Carlisle stood in front the squashy black couch.

"Hello, Bella," Esme said warmly, giving me a gentle hug that I returned with equal affection.

"Hello, Esme. The food looks wonderful. You guys really didn't have to do all this for me."

"Oh, nonsense. You're family to us, sweetheart. And it was Edward who did the cooking. It doesn't come as easily as piano for him so it was quite amusing to watch."

Emmett chortled. "It didn't look appetizing then and it sure don't look any better now. I wouldn't eat it if I were you, Bella."

"Yes, it smells awful," Jasper commented.

Edward glared at them.

"Boys," Esme admonished in a soft whisper. They hastened to arrange their faces into more innocent looks.

Carlisle chuckled and hugged me to his chest briefly by the shoulders. "If Edward's cuisine knocks you out, don't worry; I'm the doctor for you."

"I wouldn't be shocked if it did." Rosalie added.

"I'm sure I'd have seen such a thing happening," Alice said, "but then again I've been wrong before…" She ended, teasingly.

"Well, I'm very eager to try it now," I muttered.

"While I'm quite enjoying everyone's raillery…" Edward said loudly but good-naturedly. "Bella's actually going to have to eat this." Everyone laughed or grinned. Rolling his eyes, Edward brought me to the couch and sat me down in front of the table. "They are—all of them—exaggerating. I made some traditional Irish meals for you. I followed the recipes exactly, it'll be delicious, and I'm sure you won't pass out. Try it, please."

I nodded.

Shoulders shaking in silent laughter, Emmett passed me a plate, which Edward ladled with a bit from each dish. Jasper gave Esme an empty glass cup and she poured a honey-colored liquid into it, putting it on the table before me. Edward handed me a silver fork and placed a cloth napkin on my lap. I felt like a baby being administered everything, but the feeling subsided when Edward's cool hand lingered on my leg.

The Cullens watched me with rapt attention as I took the first bite of something flat, circular, soft and salty.

"Potatoes?" I asked, swallowing.

"Yes!" Edward was delighted. "Potato pancakes," he said, his glee making him speak quickly, "And that there is corned beef and beside it is cabbage. Do you like it? How does it taste? It looks like it should but, I'm not sure…the smell, like Jasper said…was off."

"It's very good," I assured him, taking another bite.

Emmett pointed to the corned beef and cabbage. "Eat that next. I think it looks like something my mother used to cook when I was little."

"I thought you said it didn't look very appetizing," Edward accused.

"It doesn't, but I remember it." Rosalie touched his shoulders comfortingly as I sampled the morsel.

"I like the corned beef," I told him, "but the cabbage tastes funny."

Edward frowned.

"No, no," I hurried to clarify, "I just don't like cabbage. It always tastes rubbery to me."

Emmett made a face. "Rubbery? Yuck."

I finished my meal and the rest of them chatted and laughed amongst themselves. Only Edward watched me the entire time. The honey colored drink was apple cider I soon found out. Edward said a traditional Irish meal would include whiskey or ale but he couldn't give someone under twenty-one an alcoholic beverage. What would Charlie say?

He'd said it with a mocking smile. I gave him a withering glance for that one.

"Bella!" Alice trilled suddenly. I looked at her, startled.

"What?"

"You're not wearing green!"

"So?"

"You have to wear green on St. Patrick's Day otherwise you'll get pinched. Do you want Edward to pinch you?"

It was a rhetorical question, of course, but I couldn't help but flush as Alice yanked me to my feet and pulled me upstairs to her room. I heard Rosalie's half-hearted rebukes as Emmett attempted to pinch her in her green-less attire.

"This really isn't necessary, Alice," I protested, climbing up the stairs behind her.

"Oh, c'mon! You have to admit, this is fun."

I couldn't argue with that.

"Here," Alice danced into her room and went to a sweater folded neatly on her bed. She picked it up and gave it to me. "I thought you might like this even though you won't let me or Edward buy you anything decent. It's an Aran sweater. And look, it's green!"

I frowned at them spending money on me, but the sweater was very nice and warm looking. I put it on over my shirt.

"Thanks, Alice. Let me guess, it's an Irish sweater, right?"

She giggled. "Right."

I sat on her bed and traced the braided pattern on my sweater. "Are you happy?" I asked, suddenly.

"Happy?" She sat down next to me. "Always. But what about in particular?"

"Life…" I trailed off.

Alice seemed to realize what I was talking about. "Oh," she said significantly. "That."

"It's just…" I searched for the right words. "Are you all content being vampires? I see how unhappy Rosalie is with her life sometimes. And how passionately Edward really hates the idea of changing me. It makes me wonder. I don't get what's so wrong with it. You say you're happy and I think Carlisle and Esme are. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie, sometimes. But Edward…never."

Alice took my hands into her diamond smooth ones. "It's not that he's not content with his life. Out of all of us, Carlisle aside, Edward has had the most time to adjust and find peace with what we are. He just doesn't want to doom you to a life of eternal secrets, hiding, deception, lies, and, more often than not, darkness. I believe Carlisle once told you that Edward believes that vampires have no souls and when we die, that's it? Personally, I don't agree, but Edward truly believes this. He doesn't want to take away your soul and sentence you to hell. Edward's a smart boy. He'll do his best to wiggle his way out of his side of the deal you two made. His love for you will make him desperate."

"No." I interrupted, shaking my head. "He promised."

"He'll break that promise if he thinks it's the best thing for you. You know Edward. Extreme in the most extreme ways. He'll do what he thinks he has to do to save you." She squeezed my hands. "Don't let him not do it though. I really want you for a sister."

"If Edward refuses to change me, I can always go to you or Carlisle…"

She winced, picturing Edward's anger. "I'm not too keen on crossing him like that, Bella. Carlisle might get away with it, but Edward wouldn't let me walk three steps away if I did. Besides, I think I'd inadvertently kill you."

I sighed, and looked away.

"Oh, perk up," she said cheerfully. "This is all speculation. I haven't actually seen anything yet." I breathed a sigh of relief. "In answer to your very first question, we pretty much enjoy our long existence. We don't harm anyone, Carlisle actually saves lives, and Edward, Jasper and I are raising the high school's GPA. I'm with Jasper; I can't be anything but giddy with him. Carlisle and Esme are still dears in love, just a bit older. Not visibly, though." She smiled.

"Emmett's got Rosalie. Even though she's got her own reasons for her discontentment, she loves him and he keeps her sane. And Edward's much improved upon your arrival."

"Hmmm…Sounds like all you need is love," I joked weakly.

"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it?" Alice smiled once more. "I don't know how Edward carried on for so long without you, if that's the case."

"Well, he's only got the most loving and supporting family I know. I'm sure that's a big part of it. The immunity to sickness and aging thing might also come in there somewhere."

She giggled and helped me to my feet. "On a completely different note, Edward will be up here to abduct you from me any minute now. He didn't want me to tell you this so act surprised when—oh, hello, Edward. Come up to see if you could pinch Bella? I'm afraid you're too late."

Alice smoothly altered her words when a shadow appeared at the doorway and Edward entered. He gave her a look as if he'd heard part of our secret conversation but she only presented him with a beaming smile. I leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

"So amusing, Alice," he said in response to her innocent inquiry and most likely some unspoken thought of hers. "But Emmett, growing bored, challenged Jasper to another arm wrestling contest. I thought you might like to be there when Jasper beats Emmett once more."

"Ooh, Emmett hates that!" Alice kissed my cheek and left to cheer on her Jasper.

I glanced at Edward, somewhat wary. How much had he heard?

"So, I'm abducting you, am I?"