Title: At His Feet

Rating: M

Synopsis: Edward and Bella find themselves swept away into a world of horror and fantasy. Stolen from Earth and taken to another planet that is very similar, and very very different from our own, they must face the different social order there and the implications it will have for both of them. Separated upon arrival, Bella struggles to survive in a world where women are subject to and property of men. Edward must learn to be strong and brave by different standards, to earn the respect of men who view him as an outsider, and to find and save his beloved. By the time he does find her, however, will things ever be the same? What kind of changes will this strange and wild planet bring about in both of them?

Warning: This will include all sorts of depravity, including but not limited to strong themes of slavery, sadism, and the like. D/s is a bit of a watery term for this. :)

A/N -

Welcome to my first Twilight fanfic! This will be a Bella/Edward story. All-Human, and alternate universe in a quite literal sense. Bella and Edward will find one another in another world entirely very soon. This first chapter isn't riddled with action, but it was necessary to establish their frame of mind a bit. This story is a compilation of everything I've ever read, probably, and a weird mix of my own imagination. It will eventually be filled with lots of yummy lemons and will be, by most standards, quite a dark fic. I hope you enjoy! -M

BPOV

It was a typical day. Long, endlessly long as it stretched out before me. I couldn't know then that this would be the most important, most terrible day of my life. All I was thinking of as that morning trudged along in a slow and boring manner was the enormous pile of clothing left to be returned to the shelves. I would never understand how dressing rooms could fill so quickly with discarded clothing, but it was my job to sort and return the merchandise to it's appropriate section nonetheless.

"Ouch. I don't envy you," a soft voice to my left said, and I looked up from the mountain of brightly colored apparel to find Anne, my aging but exuberant co-worker smiling at me with a look of pity in her eyes.

"A group of teenage girls just left," I said with a groan.

"You're still a teenager," the kind-hearted woman countered with a grin. She loved to tease me about my age because, as she said, I was a middle-aged woman trapped in the hormonally driven body of a teenager.

"Eighteen in two weeks," I countered, folding the fuschia tank top carefully.

Anne only laughed and moved to help me. I worked in the Junior's department and Anne worked in Intimates. She had it much easier, of course, and sometimes would keep me company as I worked. I shooed her away, assuring her that I could finish the pile but secretly was glad for the help. We soon fell into our easy banter, as she asked me about school, about family, about life. Things were comfortable and familiar here.

"Here comes trouble," Anne teased in a sing-song voice that was little more than a whisper. I glanced up, expecting to find myself faced with a horde of girls prepared to demolish all of my best efforts at restoring order to this department of the store. Instead I found myself staring into endless green orbs, and my breath caught in my throat. It wasn't fair, the way he dazzled me like this. Even after two years together, he took my breath away with a glance.

"Edward!"

His handsome face lit up with that crooked smile. If my insides weren't already in a molten state, I would have melted.

"How's the most beautiful saleswoman I know?" he asked, producing a single white flower from behind his back. I could feel the heat of my blush on my face, but I couldn't help the smile that formed to mirror his own. This man was perfect, and I still couldn't believe he was mine. I leaned forward to press my lips to his, and I heard Anne clear her throat behind me.

"I'll just get back to my own work then, Bella. Undergarments wait for no man!"

With that she was gone, and I was left with the most gorgeous man in the world wrapping his arms about my waist. He pressed his lips to mine again, and once more for another kiss. It never ceased to amaze me the way such a simple act could send fire running through my veins. I wiggled out of his grasp before I was tempted to take it further, giggling at the expression of mock-hurt upon his face.

"You'll get me fired," I retorted, turning back to the pile of tanks.

"Then come back here," he murmured, fingers stroking the curve of my shoulder. I shivered. Edward hated my job. Rather, he hated that I had to work at all. It was pointless, he had argued so many times. He had more than enough money to care for both of us, and he certainly didn't mind doing so. I couldn't accept such an offer, though, for many reasons. I knew the Cullens well. I spent nearly as much time at their lavish, sprawling home as I did in the cramped quarters Charlie and I shared. Dr. Cullens was a beloved doctor in this bustling city and he and his wife, Esme, treated me like one of their own. That didn't mean I was helpless, though, and to accept hand-outs from them would humiliate me. I like to think that I am a strong woman, that I can survive just as well on my own. Charlie takes care of the things we need at home, and I save every penny I can milk out of this little after-school job. All for The Plan.

The Plan, as Edward and I had taken to calling it, was a beautiful and terrifying dream only weeks away from becoming a reality.

I had known Edward Cullen for nearly three years, now. He had been a Senior when I had arrived in Phoenix, a terrified freshman leaving behind the lush, green world of Washington for the barren desert of my fathers hometown. My mother had died, succumbing to a long and painful battle with cancer. I was left with no choice but to return to the father I had only seen for two weeks each summer for years. I was broken, withdrawn, and had nothing to offer anyone. Somehow the beautiful and perfect Edward Cullen had taken an interest in me, though. He spent that entire year holding my hand when I was afraid, rocking me against his strong chest when I wept, and simply being there. He didn't promise that things would be better tomorrow, only that he'd be there with me to face them. How could I not fall in love with him?

Charlie had been livid, of course. Edward was much too old for me, by his standards. That didn't matter. Nothing would matter. My love for Edward was completely irrevocable, and Charlie soon realized that nothing he could do would keep me from him. We were inseparable. Life soon morphed into a blissful existence where there was only Edward, homework, and sleep. And then he graduated. I learned from Alice that Edward had been accepted to Dartmouth, but he never mentioned it to me. When I had finally cornered him about the issue of college, he'd admitted that Dartmouth had been his intent. Before me. I was heartbroken at the idea of holding him back from such a fabulous opportunity, but he'd hear nothing of it. He enrolled instead close-by, insisting that he didn't really want to go to Dartmouth anyway. This was the only time we've ever argued, really.

Edward won. He always does. Life went on and, as I approached the end of my Junior year, we began to discuss our future. Ours. The idea still sends butterflies into a frenzy in my stomach. It was decided that we would both attend Dartmouth, Edward as a transfer student and I as a Freshman. We would have our own apartment. Together. Edward and I would live together in less than a month.

I had argued that I couldn't afford Dartmouth, but Edward would hear nothing of it. Money would not keep us from being happy, he argued. He had eventually worn me down until I conceded, but I insisted on working after school to save money. He hated it, but I would contribute or else not go. He could see how serious I was about this, and so he had finally relented as well. A compromise.

"Edward," I warned, but my voice trembled near the end. He could drive me crazy with a simple touch. He laughed, that beautiful and rich sound that caused a sense of peace to blossom in my chest.

"Alright, fine. But you have lunch soon, don't you? How about we grab a bite at the food court?"

I glanced up from my work to find that hopeful expression present on his face. How could I deny him anything?

"Of course," I smiled and he leaned down to kiss me once again. With that he was gone, and I stared after him wistfully. Only the return of Anne brought me from my reverie. She gave a low whistle as we both watched the confident swagger of my wonderful boyfriend as he walked away.

"I'd hold on to that one, honey.." she said, admiration clear in her tone.

"I plan to, Anne. I plan to."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

EPOV

I spend way too much time in this mall. It's crowded, busy, and the architecture isn't great either. It doesn't let enough natural light in and sometimes I feel like I've ensconced myself in a cave for hours on end. I hate shopping, that penchant goes to Alice amongst the Cullens. The only reason I subject myself to this near-torture nearly every night of the week is for Bella. I can see her winding through the greedy shoppers, approaching the food court from the opposite end of the long hall that separates her department store and the assortment of restaurants. She is tired. I can tell it from the slump of her shoulders, the way her feet rather drag instead of her spry, excited gait. She'd deny it, of course, but I've long since given up trying to convince her to quit. It will all be over soon. One more week and she'll be free from this ridiculous job and I will finally be able to take care of her the way she deserves.

"Edward!" she smiles as she finds me seated in our usual corner. I've taken the liberty of getting our food already. Today is Subway. We always have Subway on Thursday.

"Hello, sweetheart.." I smile at her and she seems, momentarily, stunned. I cannot understand this affect I seem to have upon her. Upon many women, if what Bella says is true. I am as plain as they come, I think. Maybe she flatters me.

"I'm starving," she admits as she drops into the seat across from me. I slide her food across towards her.

"Eat up."

Bella didn't speak again until she had devoured most of her veggie sub.

"Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Alice insists that I remind you, again, that you promised to go shopping with her this Saturday."

Bella groaned. "Oh, god, Edward. Please convince them that I don't need a birthday party." She seemed mortified at the thought, even as she picked at her chocolate chip cookie.

"It's also a going away party, you know. They just want to get everyone together one last time.." I lied smoothly. The going away bit had only come into play after Bella began to put up such a fight over her eighteenth birthday party. And she certainly didn't need to know that I was as much to blame as Alice for that.

"Oh, right." She sounded so defeated. Even her cookie had lost her interest.

I reached for her hand, stroking the smooth skin of her knuckles beneath my thumb.

"Bella, look at me."

She did so, a petulant sort of pout on her face. I fought back my laugh, managing to look quite serious instead.

"In a month we'll be happily sharing lunch in our own apartment on the other side of the country. All of these things are just details. Let's humor them, okay? Give them this? Please?"

I wasn't exactly sure what I did that dazzled Bella, but it always seemed to go along with my smile so I did my best effort at invoking that sort of response from her. It was probably dirty to use that tool like this, but I had to keep her in agreement. She had to be at that party because, when it was over, I would ask this amazing girl to be my wife.

Bella, of course, didn't know that. I could see the wheels of dissent turning in her pretty little mind, but she eventually nodded with a bit of a pout.

"Fine. But you'll pay for this, you know. You have birthdays too."

I just laughed at her threat. Bella's fury was something like a wet kitten on rampage, but it was terribly adorable on her.

"I'll remember that.."

Our conversation then slipped into that easy way that was between us. Bella complained about the teenagers who would bring a million articles of clothing into the dressing room, only to purchase nothing. We laughed together at the antics of some of her classmates, whom I scarcely remembered but sometimes knew their older siblings. Half an our passed by too quickly and soon I had to kiss my beloved goodbye, relinquishing her precious free time to the commercial gods. I felt disgruntled as I deposited our trash, and made my way toward the exit. I was parked out front, but I decided at the last moment to walk back through Bella's store on my way out. One last glimpse of that unruly brown hair couldn't hurt my evening.

She was busy at work by the time I reached her department, helping a mother and her clearly spoiled daughter with a massive pile of clothing the irritating daughter intended to try on. She caught my eye and smiled, then quickly went back to work. I watched her in her element for a long moment. Bella was an exceptionally kind person, the most gentle soul I'd ever known. I knew I couldn't stand there like a creepy stalker forever, though, so I turned to leave with a sigh.

I wouldn't have seen them if a little boy hadn't come barreling into my legs. I was distracted, thinking of my future with Bella, and would have walked out of that store without noticing them at all. Would that have changed things? Changed our future? If I could go back to that moment and do things differently, would I?

In the men's section there were two large men that could only be described as.. Strange. They had long hair and though they wore perfectly acceptable clothing, it seemed odd on them. I'm not sure words can describe this adequately but they seemed raw. Feral. Wild, perhaps. Dangerous, even. They were as disinterested in the clothing they were surrounded by as the little boy being dragged away with his mother was in shopping. I gaped at them, wondering where these strange men had materialized from. It only occurred to me that they were both staring in the same direction after a long moment and I turned to follow their gaze.

Bella.