A/N: So, I watched the Sandman show on Netflix and fell in love with Morpheus. This is based off the show, because I have not seen or read the comics at all. This is also a Soulmate AU. I hope you enjoy the story!

Anya looked up at the large, foreboding manor before her and gulped, her fingers curling around the small golden ankh that hung around her neck. She felt a wave of comfort and relief flow through her as she touched the old necklace. She brushed back a lock of her long, straight, black hair and tightened her grip on her small leather suitcase. Taking in a deep breath, the twenty-two-year-old woman walked up to the door, knocking on it with a cream-colored hand.

A smile spread across her face when she saw a young man, just a few years younger than herself, open it, a confused look on his face. "Hello...?" He asked, confused. "Hello, I'm Anya, I have a letter for Roderick Burgess." She explained, lifting up the small tan colored envelope for the young man to see. His eyes widened at the letter, and he backed away, opening the door wider for her.

She nodded gratefully to the young man, stepping inside the threshold. "What's your name?" She asked him, her brown eyes regarding him curiously. "Alex. Alex Burgess." He introduced, holding out his hand. She took it and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Alex." She said with a smile.

Alex led Anya through the manor until they reached the study where his father presided. He knocked on the door and a mildly annoyed male voice spoke up on the other side. As the duo stepped through, Roderick's eyes landed on his guest, and he tilted his head with a polite smile. "Ah, a guest. I must admit, I wasn't expecting anyone. Alex, make us some tea, would you?" Roderick said, gesturing to a chair for Anya to sit in. She obliged with a polite smile, already getting a bad feeling tightening in her chest as she looked at the older man.

"And what is your name, my dear?" He asked her as Alex set down two cups in front of them. "My name is Anya. I've come with a letter from my mother, Elena Clearheart." Roderick's hands stilled as he heard the name, and his gaze carefully looked over her face. "That's a name I haven't heard in quite a while." He sighed, fixing the glasses on his face. "I saw the obituary in the newspaper, I'm sorry for your loss." He said, sympathy in his gaze. "And I'm sorry to hear about Randall." She responded, frowning slightly.

They took a moment of silence before Anya shook her head and handed the letter off to Roderick. "I was told to give this to you after my mother passed." The older man accepted the letter and began to open it. "Do you know what it's about?" He asked. Anya shook her head, "I was informed not to read it, sir." She hummed, taking a sip of her drink.

Roderick read the letter before he let out a sigh, sitting back in his chair. "Is everything alright?" Anya asked, worried. "Yes, it's just fine. Your mother asked for me to house you and give you a job as a favor." He stated, shocking her. "Why on Earth would she ask for that?!" Anya questioned, shocked. "Your mother had several large debts, I'm afraid, which were left to you when she passed." He informed her. Anya winced and frowned. "Not surprising." She huffed out.

"In any case, I needed a maid, if you're alright with that position." Roderick announced, standing up. Anya stood as well, giving him a concerned look. "And it wouldn't be imposing?" She asked him. Roderick smiled and shook his head. "If you're anything like your mother was, you would be a blessing in this house. The rest of my staff is practically useless." Roderick scoffed out, making Anya frown. "Thank you very much. Mr. Burgess." She said, giving him a polite smile.

Alex showed her around the house per his father's orders, as they passed by a door on the main floor that she assumed led to their basement, a sudden chill ran down her spine as the ankh on her chest pulsed in response to a great, hidden power beyond the door. Anya shuddered, shocked at the sudden feeling, but Alex didn't seem to notice anything as he continued on, bringing her upstairs and showing her to her room.

Alex left her after telling her that her duties will start tomorrow. Wanting to explore the house on her own, she waited until the late hours of the evening before she snuck out of her room and silently padded around the house, her bare feet making no noise in the eerily silent house.

She felt that pulse of power again as she neared the basement door, and she forced herself not to back away from it. With a frown, she pressed her ear against the old door, her fingers curling around her necklace to help her focus her powers.

There were voices, but they weren't very clear. The door was thick and the people talking were far away from it. Anya couldn't make out what was being said, which frustrated her. She huffed out an aggravated sigh before she suddenly heard the voices getting louder as loud footsteps came up the stairs.

With a small gasp, she backpedaled, her back hitting a pillar across from the door. Just as it opened, Anya's fingers tightened around her ankh, and she felt her power cover herself as Roderick and his son emerged from the basement.

Roderick stopped for a moment, looking in her direction with a confused look on his face. "Is something wrong, father?" Alex asked, shaking the old man from his reverie. "I thought I sensed something there..." Roderick hummed out, looking over at the pillar suspiciously. Alex looked over to it as well, squinting his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. Anya held her breath, afraid her powers wouldn't keep her safe for much longer.

As the two finally walked away, Anya let out a breath of relief and she released herself from her cloak of shadows. "That was a close one." She murmured, casting one last worrying glance to the now closed door to the basement. "Just what could be down there to give off such power..." Anya wondered aloud, before she ultimately decided it would be best to go to bed.

She easily made her way back to her room before getting changed into a black nightgown with a golden trim. She sat down at a vanity as she brushed her long, black hair. When she pulled the strands over her left shoulder, she could see the edge of a marking on the back of her neck.

Turning slightly in her seat, she looked at the mark in the mirror, running a finger gently over the familiar picture that's been there since she was born; the silhouette of a raven with its wings spread, as if ready to take flight. It was colored in dark black, the color of the midnight sky, and it had small, white dots that were scattered along its body, looking almost like the stars that dotted the night sky. When she moved, the marking of the raven seemed to shimmer and move, giving off the illusion that it was alive.

As Anya ran her fingers over the marking, a sense of relief filled her. Her mother had told her that everyone has a soulmate, but only very few people are born with some sort of marking that will help identify their soulmates. Anya wasn't quite sure who her soulmate was, or why her marking is that of a raven, but she had a feeling that her soulmate was very special.

She didn't know how right she was.

Finishing up her nightly routine, Anya laid her head down to rest, letting out a small yawn as she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

*****

It's been nearly five months since Anya arrived at the manor, and she has finally settled into a comfortable routine; She would wake up early and start on her chores and have them all finished by lunch. Roderick was pleasantly surprised by her helpfulness and would allow her to relax for the rest of the day. Anya would choose to sit in the garden by a bush of white lilies and read a book she had bought from town with her earnings.

She hadn't done much more in the way of spying on what could be in the basement, choosing instead to lie low. If Roderick could detect her using her powers, he must be magically sensitive, which didn't bode well for her if he found out.

Although, the longer she stayed, the more Anya heard rumors about a demon that was trapped in that basement, making her grow ever curious.

Her thoughts went wild with theories of what could be down there as she sat in her usual spot, when suddenly a flurry of feathers caused her to pause and look up.

Standing in front of her was a raven with a large stripe of white feathers surrounding its torso. Anya blinked in surprise as the intelligent creature looked her up and down, as if sizing her up as a threat or not.

"Hello. Do you have a name?" Anya asked gently, tilting her head slightly. The raven blinked at her before it turned its head to the side, its beady eye narrowing as it looked at her. "Your feathers are beautiful." Anya said with a gentle smile. The raven pulled its head back slightly, as if not expecting her words.

"Jessamy." The raven suddenly said, her voice quiet and soft. Anya's smile grew. "Pleasure to meet you, Jessamy. My name's Anya." She said, holding a finger out towards the raven. Jessamy looked at Anya curiously before she lifted a talon and wrapped it around her finger, as if she was shaking it.

"So, do you belong to anyone, Jessamy?" Anya asked, closing her book and setting it off to the side. The raven looked down at this, as if upset by the question. "I do have a Master, but he's being held against his will." She revealed, shocking Anya. "What?! Where is he being held? Is there anything I can do to help?!" She asked, sitting up straighter. Jessamy hopped onto Anya's lap, moving her black feathered head to point towards the manor. "He's being held there." She stated.

Anya froze, realization crossing her face, before anger flashed through her brown eyes turning them golden and she growled lowly. Jessamy was shocked at the sudden change of eye color in the young woman, and she tilted her head to get a better look at Anya.

"I'll try to sneak in there and get a look at him tonight, see if there's any way for me to help him get out." Anya promised quietly, being careful in case anyone was listening. Jessamy's wings relaxed and she nodded her head, before wishing her luck and flying off.

Anya stood up, grabbed her book, and made her way back inside, taking a deep breath to calm her anger and force her eyes back to their normal brown color.

As she walked down the hall, Anya's eyes drifted over to the basement door, her anger simmering as she pictured a a man locked away in chains down there. Thoroughly disgusted by her employer, Anya shook her head with a scoff and went up to her room to get herself ready for that night.

*****

The night came relatively fast, and she hid in the shadows by the pillar across from the basement door, waiting for the guards to come out. She had observed their schedule since noticing them on her second week working at the Burgess estate.

They didn't break schedule as the day shift guards left, walking out and nodding to the night shift guards as they came in. Not releasing her powers, Anya slipped in behind the guards, the shadows conforming to her body and keeping her hidden as she quietly followed them down the stairs and slipping through the large metal gate just before the wide-open area.

Anya ducked behind another pillar as the guards walked over to a small table and sat down. The hidden woman looked around the expansive cellar before her eyes locked onto a large glass sphere and her breath caught in her throat.

A man, seemingly around her age at least physically, was sitting inside, completely devoid of clothes. He had spiky, black hair, pale skin, his lips were drawn in a frown, and his dark eyes seemed to be endless. Also, his gaze was directly on her, which shocked Anya.

She glanced behind her, just to make sure there was nothing there, but when she saw nothing, Anya moved to the side, the shadows still hiding her from mortal eyes. She watched, curious, as his eyes followed her movements. Realization dawned on her a moment later. He's immortal... He's not a god... no... he's way more powerful than that... Her mind was racing, her heart slamming against her chest.

She needed to get closer to him.

Anya glanced at the guards; they were wrapped up in a card game with each other.

Taking in a deep breath, Anya kept her fingers wrapped around her necklace as she crept along the edge of the room, making her way to the other side of the sphere to keep herself hidden better. The amount of light in the room only made her able to keep to the shadows so much.

Anya quietly crept to the large sphere, her eyes looking it up and down as she looked for a latch or something that could help her figure out how to get him out. His eyes regarding her with caution and curiosity as she bent down to get a better look at the yellow binding circle on the ground. She reached out a hand, hoping it would be easy enough to smear the lines.

Anya pulled back her hand as an electric shock ran through her body, forcing her to bite back a shout of pain. Damn. I can't touch this binding circle to get rid of it... I'll have to find another way to- Her thoughts stopped short as she eyed the moat of water around the sphere. A smile slowly spread across her face. Perfect. She thought.

Anya glanced over to the guards again, making sure they weren't paying attention, before she slowly crawled towards the moat to dip her hands in.

The sound of the gate opening made her freeze and she cast a panicked look to the man in the sphere before she quickly darted to a nearby pillar and used her powers to surround herself in shadows once again. She did it just in time as Roderick came up to the sphere, right where she had been standing moments before. Anya stiffened and gulped silently as Roderick eyed where she was, a scowl on his face and a thoughtful look in his eyes. It wasn't long before the older man turned to face his prisoner.

"Well, Dream of the Endless? Have you decided to accept my offer?" Roderick asked. Anya held back a gasp when she heard the man's name. He's Endless?! This madman trapped an Endless down here?!

The man, or Dream, ignored Roderick, sticking to silence as he gazed blankly ahead. Anya realized that Dream was no longer looking in her direction, as if he didn't want to give her away. It was something that Anya greatly appreciated.

Roderick scoffed and paced around the sphere, asking question after question, each one going unanswered. Anya realized that he'd be leaving soon, so she pointedly made eye contact with Dream. The Endless looked up at her, narrowing his eyes slightly. 'I'll be back to get you out' she mouthed quietly, watching as Dream nodded almost imperceptibly.

Anya slowly crept behind Roderick as he left the basement and followed him up the stairs until he branched off to go to his room. Releasing herself from the shadows once she was in the clear, Anya hurriedly rushed to her room, and closed the door behind her.

The young woman released a sigh she had been holding in and relaxed as she got into her nightgown. Just before she sat down on her bed, there was a faint knocking at her window. Curious, Anya opened it, only to see Jessamy quickly flutter into the room. "Any luck?" The raven asked, perching herself on Anya's bedpost. Anya sat by the raven, gently running her fingers down her feather back. Jessamy preened at the attention. "I found him, but I didn't get the chance to release him. I think I figured out how to at least get rid of the binding circle that surrounds him though. I need to be careful; I think Roderick can sense when I use my powers..." Anya informed the raven. Jessamy nodded, thanking her for the information. "If you can break the binding circle, I can break him out of the sphere." The raven stated. "That's great, but we'll need a distraction." Anya said.

Jessamy's eyes glinted mischievously. "Just leave that to me."