A/N Quick shout out! I must thank Jenrar for her edits! I have comma issues and she wades her way through, commaing me up right! So thanks, Jen! I've made some post-edits to this one so any missing commas or other stuff is on me.

Fill Me with Your Poison Chapter 9

Word of Edward and Bella's engagement spread as quickly as news of their mating had, only this time, Edward wasn't upset about it. He'd been the first to let everyone know that Bella was going to be his bride. He'd texted his brothers immediately after he and Bella had been spent from their own private celebration.

Bella laughed as his fingers flew over the screen. "You're going to tell them over a text message?"

He smiled at her, his eyes tracing over the curve of her bare torso. "I'm not ready to give up my perfect view in order to tell them in person."

"Sweet talker. I already said yes." But her answering smile was nearly brighter than the sun in Edward's eyes.

"And that, my love, will always be one of my most favorite words you could ever utter." He brushed a kiss over her palm that lay on the pillow next to his head.

What are the others?

He answered before she could verbalize the thought. "Well, of course there's 'I love you.'" Bella's soft sigh at his words made him grin. "And on our wedding day, I'm pretty sure 'I do' will be near the top of the list as well."

"Yes, I can see how those would be favorites."

"Then there's the way you growl my name when I make you come and-" He broke off, laughing as she pushed him off the bed. "You asked!"

Bella peered over the side of the bed, looking contrite. "I didn't mean to push you that hard."

Edward continued to laugh as he sprang to his feet and tackled his mate, pinning her to the bed. "You're stronger than I am, my beauty, in many, many ways. But you didn't hurt me, and I rather love when you manhandle me. Feel free to do it again."

She giggled as she reversed their positions. "Why don't we-" She broke off at the sound of Emmett bellowing Edward's name from outside the door. "I guess he got your text."

Edward sighed as he sat up, lamenting the fact that he'd inadvertently caused their interruption when things were getting fun again. "Let's just pretend we don't hear him," he suggested as the wall started to shake from Emmett's pounding upon it.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work." Bella got off his lap and pulled on Edward's shirt and a pair of her own jeans. "You have only yourself to blame."

"You'd think a man could be left alone to celebration his engagement in peace."

Bella laughed at his sullen expression, tossing him a pair of jeans. "We have been alone-" She glanced at the clock- "for eighteen hours."

He got up and put on his jeans, not fastening the button. "Not nearly enough time." But he knew that he had to get back to reality very soon. "Let's go see what the overgrown child wants, and then we can get back to celebrating."

Bella shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror, finding she looked no worse for the wear, despite the marathon sex session. One of the best parts of being a vampire, in her eyes, was that she didn't have to fuss with her appearance at all. She combed her fingers through her hair once and looked just as put together as she had earlier in the day.

"Well, you know now that Jasper and Emmett know; we have to tell Aro before he hears it from someone else." Her red eyes met his in the reflection of the mirror, gauging his reaction to her words.

Edward tensed at the mention of the name, but he knew she was right. It had actually been his plan before he'd decided he hadn't had enough of his Bella yet.

When Emmett bellowed again, Edward picked his phone back up from where it had fallen when his beloved had pushed him off the bed and fired off a text.

Five minutes, you loud baboon. I have to call Aro.

"Let's do that now," Bella suggested.

He didn't have to say or think anything for Bella to know that he needed to touch her as he put the call through to Aro.

"Edward, my boy! It's been far too long!"

Edward rolled his eyes at the chiding tone. "Ah, Father, surely you know that I haven't had much free time since Bella came along."

A delighted laugh filled the line. "Yes, my son, I remember all too well what it was like to be newly mated. Have you two come up for air at all yet?"

Like you don't know? Edward thought sourly.

Bella squeezed his hand gently and pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder in quiet support.

"Occasionally." Though he just wanted to announce his news and hang up, Edward knew there were certain conversational niceties that had to be met in order to satisfy Aro. "How are you, Father? How's Mother?"

Bella marveled at how smooth Edward's voice was, not betraying the hatred that he so clearly felt for Aro.

"We are quite well, son! Your mother hasn't stopped talking about you since she heard you'd found your mate. I'm afraid it's taken all of my persuasion to keep her from boarding a plane to come meet your Bella."

Edward fought to control the growl that wanted to spill forth at those words. He didn't want them to come to Seattle. He didn't want them on his turf. The next time he saw them would be in Volterra, and if he had anything to say about it, it would be the last.

Bella stroked his arm in a soothing gesture. He closed his eyes and leaned into her, inhaling her scent. Just that was enough to calm him.

"Tell her that won't be necessary, Father. I'll be bringing Bella to her soon enough." He brought his mate's hand to his lips and kissed her just below her sparkling ring. "I've asked Bella to marry me, and she said yes. We wanted you to be the first to know."

The gasp that filled the line was loud and sharp and very excited. "I'm delighted! Your mother will be beside herself! I hope that you plan to let her help with the wedding, because she's already been muttering about it and-"

"Let me talk to him!" a sharp female voice demanded. Before Aro could respond, she was on the line. "Edward! Is it true? Is my baby getting married?"

Bella laughed at the exasperated expression on Edward's face. Just a few words was all it took to make him feel like a child.

"Yes, Mother, Bella agreed to marry me." He held the phone away from their ears and covered the receiver to muffle the shriek that sounded through it. When he was relatively sure it was safe, he moved the phone back to his ear.

"When are you coming? We have so much to do. Your father and I will throw you a wonderful engagement party so everyone can meet Bella. Then we have to talk flowers and music and-"

Edward stopped her before she could get in full planning mode. "We just got engaged, Mother. We haven't worked out the timing yet, but I promise it'll be soon." His gaze met his Bella's. "I can't wait to make her my wife."

Sulpicia's sigh carried through the line. "So romantic. I always knew what a beautiful heart you had, and I knew one day you'd find your other half and she'd take you away from me. I look forward to meeting her."

Edward found he didn't really know what to say, which was rare for him. Fortunately, Bella heard the blankness in his mind, and she took the phone gently from him.

"I can't wait to meet you, either." Though it pained her to say the next words, she knew she needed to say them to help further her mate's plans. "I lost my mother a long time ago, and I'm very much hoping that you'll help me when it comes to planning the wedding. I don't really have a clue."

"Oh, yes! Of course I'll help you! My son deserves nothing but the best. No girl should have to plan her wedding without a mother's help."

Bella bit back a sob. "Thank you. I'm thrilled to become a part of your family, and I know from everything Edward's told me that I'm going to love you just as much as he does."

Edward regarded his mate with pure awe. Every time he thought she couldn't surprise him, couldn't make him love her even more, she did.

Sulpicia's gasping sob told him that his Bella had said the perfect words to her.

"I love him just as much and look forward to meeting the girl he's given his heart. I can't wait to meet you."

Edward took the phone, saving his Bella from having to respond. "You will, soon, Mother. We'll be in touch shortly to start planning, but right now, we want to celebrate being engaged for a little while, if you know what I mean."

Her tinkling laugh told him she knew exactly what he meant. "Okay, dear heart. Have her call me soon! We have lots to plan! I love you!"

"Will do, Mother. Love you, too. Bye!"

He disconnected and tossed the phone aside, pulling Bella onto his lap. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That was hard, but I knew you needed me to involve her so she wouldn't come here before you were ready for…you know."

He kissed her hard, filled with wonder that his mate was truly perfect for him. "You said the perfect thing, my beauty. She loves planning events, and her happiness will make Aro happy, which will keep him from getting too suspicious."

"That was my goal."

He shifted her so that she straddled his lap. "You were made for me, you know that?"

She laughed. "Of course I was. Who else could put up with your insatiable lust?"

He growled. "I'll show you insatiable…"

"Edward! Bellaaaaaaa!"

"Damn him!"

Bella laughed and kissed his forehead before standing and pulling him to his feet. "Later, my love. Let's go see what our brother is up to now."

He stopped her before she could get to the door. "Our brother. Our wedding. Our lives. I can't tell you what it does to me to see you so completely fit into my world, Bella. I would walk away from it all for you without a thought but-"

"They wouldn't let you." She kissed him softly. "And I don't want you to. You're going to get everything you ever wanted, Edward. You've promised me the world, which is beyond anything I could ever imagine, and I'm promising you here and now that I'll help you get what you want most. Our wedding will be the perfect time, won't it?" We'll kill him and end the control he has over all of us, you especially.

He had never been more conflicted. "Of course, but I don't want to ruin-"

"You'll ruin nothing. Your freedom means more to me than any vows you could make at our wedding. I already know how you feel about me, Edward."

He shook his head and pulled her close. "You couldn't possibly. Every time I think I couldn't love you more, you make me fall even harder and faster. How is that possible?"

"Because I was made for you." She kissed his chin. "Don't you forget it."

"I couldn't." He ran his fingers through her hair. "I won't do a thing until we're married. I want to be your husband more than I want anything else. Don't doubt that." He would give her all the pomp and circumstance of a Volterra wedding. It rivaled anything the royal families around the world could conceive of to be sure.

She smiled at him. "I know. Now let's go see what our brother wants before he breaks the wall."

No sooner had she spoken than the pounding started up again.

Edward muttered the whole way about interruptions and damning the outside world for keeping him from his mate while Bella laughed at his grumping. They emerged from the private chambers and found Emmett grinning maniacally while Jasper scowled at him.

"What the fuck is going on?" Edward demanded, his glare completely deadly. Unfortunately for him, it fell on two of the three vampires who were least likely to cower under it.

"Bro! Sis! Congratulations!" Emmett crushed them together in a tight hug, making Edward growl and smack at him while Bella laughed and hugged him back.

"Is that what had you screaming?" Edward demanded once he'd disentangled himself and Bella from his brother's bulky arms. "Don't you think that maybe the reason I texted you was so that you'd know but leave us alone?"

Emmett pursed his lips. "I might have thought that, true, but I knew deep down that you'd want to celebrate with your best friends and favorite brothers. You're welcome."

"Why haven't I killed you yet?" Edward wondered aloud.

"Easy. You love me." Dimples winked at Edward before he held up a hand to ward off a likely attack. "That's not really why I bothered you, though." Emmett could appear stupid sometimes, but he knew just how far he could push his brother before it was too far. "I should have waited, but I was too excited."

"What's this all about, man? Edward and Bella were clearly having a good time, and I was headed toward my own when you grabbed me and dragged me back here, practically skipping down the street the entire way. What gives?" Jasper was nearly as put out by Emmett's behavior as Edward was, and his scowl had only deepened as Emmett congratulated their brother and his fiancée on their engagement.

"Okay, wait for it!" Emmett took a deep breath, keeping his mind from wandering to the place it had been since his world had changed an hour ago. At the growls that came from his brothers for yet another delay tactic, he smiled.

"I found her!"

"Who the hell is her?" Jasper wondered, confused at Emmett's random announcements. As far as he knew, Emmett wasn't looking for anyone.

Edward's eyes narrowed a bit, but Bella got it right away. "Your mate? You found your mate?"

"Yes!" Emmett twirled Bella around the room while Edward watched him wearily.

Jasper felt a spike of jealousy. He was happy for his brother, but the last thing he wanted to be around was another mated pair. The lust that rolled off Edward and Bella every second of the day was enough to drive him mad. He'd had more sex in the past month than he'd had in an entire year. Desperation even had him sleeping with Maria again; something he'd sworn off in the past few months because he knew it was only going to encourage her to stick around once their time was up. She was the clingy type, and it was enough to drive him insane.

"Unhand my woman and tell me about her," Edward suggested, taking Bella back into his arms and feeling better immediately. He wasn't worried about her and Emmett; he just didn't like her being away from him. Bella scratched his scalp lightly, and he purred and nuzzled at her neck.

"Okay, so Jasper and I were coming back from dropping off the girls at school when he decided he needed to stop off at that stupid shoe store that he can't stay away from."

Jasper glared at him. "I needed new boots!"

"You're worse than a chick when it comes to boots," Emmett told him before turning back to Edward and Bella. "Anyway, I wasn't about to stand there holding his purse while he tried on boots-Oof…" He grunted as Jasper plowed a fist into his face. He pushed Jasper and sent him flying halfway across the room.

"So I wandered into the electronics store, and there she was," he continued as if he hadn't just thrown his brother a good ten feet.

"What happened? What's she like?" Bella asked, looking enthralled, happy that Emmett was going to be as happy and in love as she and Edward were.

Edward loved her sweetness and how wholly she'd embraced his family as her own. How her family could turn their back on her was beyond comprehension for him.

"She's beautiful!" Emmett whirled around, looking every bit like an infatuated school girl.

Edward snickered at that thought, while Bella nudged him and shook her head. Then Edward wondered if he looked like that when he was with Bella, and she giggled and nodded.

"Don't you two start that voodoo no-talking shit! This is about me!" Emmett scolded them, but he was still grinning. "Her name is Rosalie Hale, and she works there. She knows everything there is to know about computers and TVs and stuff. She's blond, sexy, sweet, and smart!"

"And she was meant for you? I just don't see it," Edward said, biting back a laugh at Emmett's thunderous expression.

"Well, it's true! She's coming by tonight, and you can meet her then. You'll see. I took one look at her, and I knew. It was just like you and Bella. She feels it too; I know she does."

"How do you know?" Jasper's jealousy was growing by leaps and bounds. He never thought he'd see the day that Emmett, of all people, would settle down, leaving him well and truly alone.

"I don't know how to put it into words." Emmett shook his head. "It's just like…"

Edward put the thoughts into words for Emmett. "Your entire world shifts and she's all that matters. You feel like you'd do anything to make her smile, and when she does, you feel like you've won the lottery. If your heart beat, every beat would be for her. She just becomes everything."

He turned to Jasper. "You'll find her one day, and you'll know."

Emmett nodded. "Yes! Exactly like that. Leaving her felt awful, even though I was so happy and couldn't wait to tell you all about her. We barely talked, but I feel like I know her, you know? She knows what I am, and she's not afraid of me. She agreed to come tonight, to talk. Will you meet her?"

"Sure, but don't you want to be alone?" Edward still wanted the entire world to vanish so he could have Bella all to himself.

"I do, but…" Emmett turned to Bella. "Could you talk to her? I don't know how she feels about becoming a vampire. I don't know how she feels about any of it, really. I could tell she was affected by me, but she was working and said we'd talk more tonight."

"Of course I'll talk to her, Emmett, but I can't make her decide to change right away. I was looking for something different, and I wasn't sure what until the moment I set eyes on Edward. I can't imagine not becoming one with him, but everyone's circumstances are different." Her thoughts flashed to her mother, and Edward tightened his hold on her. "I'm sure she's just as anxious to be with you as you are with her, though. Edward and I are completely in tune, and I imagine all mates are this way."

Edward didn't challenge her words, although he felt that the two of them were more connected and united than most other vampire pairings. Still, a mate was a mate, and Edward was happy for his brother.

"We look forward to meeting her tonight." He took Bella's hand and grinned as she laughed at the turn his thoughts immediately took. "And since tonight is still several hours away…"

Jasper shook his head. "Disgusting. Just go. The sex vibes are enough to burn me alive."

Edward needed no further prompting and picked his amused mate up. "See you later, brothers."