Sooo. I can't believe I'm actually going to write this, my two fanfic reader friends will laugh their heads off at me, but….yup, I'm going to admit I have no clue what I'm doing and I'm winging it. Like I've been doing frequently lately. And I can't resist, I love Delos too darn much.

NOtalka: His hair is black! Don't deny it! Everyone else, don't ask, it's just plain sad. My friendy here thinks Delos is blond. No offence to anyone else who thinks like her..

Anyway, this is obviously a Black Dawn fanfic, with Maggie and Delos starring, of course. Delos..*sigh* Okay, story, right!

Oh, yeah, this takes place right after the end of Black Dawn. And I mean right after it.

Chapter One of Shadow SapphireMaggie POV

So everyone made their way up to the castle, as Delos had invited. Jeanne and Miles walked with Delos and I, and we were getting a lot of awed looks from the slaves. I guess it was pretty cool to have witnessed Delos blast Hunter Redfern to pieces, and then get invited inside for supper when they had all thought Delos to be cold-hearted and merciless. So not true. I should know, I've seen his mind and soul. Delos reached over and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze. Then I realized something.

"Who's going to cook?" I asked.

"No one. Supper is always prepared quite early, because if it's late, the slaves knew they'd be punished. It was already made today." Delos told me, using the past tense, which made me smile. He really had changed.

"Well, that's convenient." I muttered, before Miles spoke up.

"So, what now? Are we going to go save the world with Delos's blue fire, or what?" he asked brightly.

"I don't know, Miles. What I do know is that I don't want to think about it. There's too many possibilities." I rubbed my forehead.

"Are there really that many, Maggie? I see only one." Delos stared straight ahead.

"And what would that be, oh mighty Prince Know-it-all?" Jeanne quipped.

My eyebrows shot up. I couldn't help it. I didn't know many people who had the guts to insult Delos. I was almost scared to see what he'd do. I thought he was going to let it drop, but then he turned to Jeanne. If looks could kill, that particular look would have wiped out armies. Then he said, "I'm not a know-it-all, but I know enough to understand that it's pointless to respond to that, because you're just not worth it."

I grinned to myself. I knew he had better comebacks on his lips than that, but he didn't want to offend Jeanne because she was my friend. He could certainly be gentlemanly when he wanted to be.

"So what's your idea?" I asked.

"Why don't we wait until we're inside?" Delos said it as a statement, not a question. Not surprising.

I nodded and followed Delos into the castle, joining the general herd of former slaves as we all followed the notorious-bad-guy-turned-good-guy who happened to be my soulmate. He led us through many corridors until finally he stopped and opened a huge, carved wooden door to reveal a gigantic room, with a long table in the middle. Delos continued inside, and everyone took this as their cue to sit down. The food was brought out by the people who had worked in the kitchen and knew their way around there, and everyone helped themselves to the mashed potatoes and roast beef. We ate and talked and laughed, and then we were done and the slaves were leaving to go to their huts outside. Jeanne got up to leave, and I frowned. It didn't seem right to make her sleep outside after all she'd done for us. "Delos, is there a room Jeanne can sleep in?"

"Yes, of course. Miles, too. Come with me, I'll show you," he got up and took us back out into the hall. A few turns and multiple stair cases later, we reached a long hall that seemed to be a bunch of rooms. Delos gestured to two rooms, and told Jeanne and Miles, "Those two there. They were always empty, no one used them."

Jeanne and Miles thanked him and went off into their rooms. It was actually pretty late. Hunter had apparently preferred hunting in the evening. Then Delos turned to me and asked, "Are you tired?"

I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. "Yeah, I am." I admitted.

"Do you want to sleep in my room? There is another empty room," Delos said, not hinting at what he wanted.

Damn him. He never thought about himself, only about me. And besides, why the heck would I want my own room? He was my soulmate, for God's sake. I put my hands on my hips and looked him in the eye. "For heaven's sake, you're going to spoil me. And I don't want to leave you. You're room's fine. Unless you don't want me around?" I raised an eyebrow and pretended to look hurt, knowing full well that I wasn't fooling him. Delos could read people better than anyone else I had ever met.

"Maggie. Of course I want you around. I love you," he said.

"I know." I said. Delos took my hand, and we walked slowly to his room, not in any hurry.

He opened the door, and I was struck again by the size of the bed. I mean, really. Who needs a bed that big? Then we walked inside, and I realized that I didn't have any other clothes than what I was wearing. Great. Sleeping in scratchy burlap was going to not going to be fun. Delos seemed to notice this at the same time I did, and said, "I'm sure we can find something that will fit you."

He tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me back out the door. Soon I was standing in a large, decorated room, looking around and trying to figure out who in the heck had lived here. Finally I gave up and asked. "Who's room is this?"

Delos's expression hardened, and I wondered briefly if I shouldn't have asked, but then he said flatly, "My parents'."

"Oh. Delos, I didn't mean"-

He cut me off. "I don't care, Maggie. I really wasn't that sad when my father died, and I never knew my mother. I just never bothered to clean out their room. Mother's clothes are still in the closet, which is why we're here."

It always seemed so weird to hear Delos talk about his parents. It just seemed like he did fine on his own, like he didn't need them. Delos broke me out of my thoughts by tugging me over to the closet. He opened the door, revealing a whole lot of clothes. Some men's, but mostly women's.

"I'll leave you to it. I have something else I should probably go do." Delos kissed me quickly before walking out of the room.

I sighed. My life seemed so incredibly crazy sometimes. Actually, it didn't just ­seem incredibly crazy. It was incredibly crazy. I turned back to the closet, and began rifling gently through the old dresses. I found the nightgowns, and then an absolutely gorgeous velvet one. It was a very dark green, and would probably go to my ankles. It had short sleeves and a low neckline. In truth, all the nightgowns had low necklines. I gingerly eased it off the hanger, feeling like I was going through someone's very personal belongings. But Delos made it clear that he really didn't care at all, so I squashed the feeling and brought it out of the closet. I figured Delos wouldn't be back anytime too soon, so I gratefully took off the itchy burlap clothing and pulled the nightgown down over my head. It fit like it was made for me. There was a mirror on the wall, so I strode over and examined myself. I was shocked for a moment. I didn't look like myself at all. My auburn hair was longer and wilder, but pretty. My face looked less like a kid now, which made sense, considering what I'd been through. And the dress fit me snugly, so it showed off my hips and….well…chest. I almost laughed. I had gone from being dressed like some dirty slave, probably looking about five years younger, to being dressed like a princess or something, and looking about five years older.

I turned, taking a step towards the door, when I heard Delos's voice. "Maggie? Can I come in?"

At least he had the sense not to come barging in like someone else I know. Not mentioning any names. Miles. I didn't answer, just strode over to the door and opened it to face Delos. I smiled at his expression. Shocked but pleased. Like someone had just given him an unexpected present. Which wasn't far off, I suppose. Then he shook his head and reached for my hand again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"That I am worried about how many other men I'm going to have to fight off." Delos grinned, unusual for him.

I laughed, and then said, "No need to worry. We'll be in the same position there. I'll be fending off girls everywhere we go."

He rolled his eyes, and then we came to his room again. And I realized something.

"You never told us your idea!" I cried.

"I guess I didn't, did I? Oh, well, I wanted to talk to you about it without the others. But let me get changed first," Delos said, letting go of my hand and grabbing a loose pair of pants and a shirt, and then going into the bathroom.

I turned off the light, knowing he could see just fine in the dark, being a vampire. Then I settled down in the big white bed, putting my head on a pillow and turning onto my side. Delos came out of the bathroom, and climbed into the bed beside me. His black hair fell across his forehead and into his eyes, so I lifted a hand and brushed it away. Much better. His yellow eyes were smoldering, and he caught my hand and held it. I was fighting the urge to just abandon any conversation about the future and lean over and kiss him, but I didn't. I could see him fighting the same urge. Then he seemed to give up, and he moved over and pressed his lips to my forehead. I frowned, that's not what I wanted. So as he started to pull away, I turned my face upward, my lips catching his. Delos seemed slightly surprised, but he responded, his warm lips moving softly against mine. I slowly reached up with one hand, touching his cheek. My other hand went to the back of his neck, keeping his face locked to mine. His arms were around my waist, and then he raised one hand to rest on my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. Eventually I ran out of air, and reluctantly pulled away, putting my head on his chest. I was panting, and his breathing was uneven and quick. Delos shifted onto his back, so I could more comfortably rest my head on his chest, his arms still holding my body close to him. The hand I had on his face came back down to lay beside my face on his chest. Neither of us said anything, until my curiosity got the better of me.

"So what's your idea?" I whispered.

"Which one, the one that no one could ever love some one as much as I love you, or the other one, that I'm not going to let another male near you?" he murmured, his lips twitching.

"Funny. I mean the other other one. About what we do now."

"Oh, that one. Well, have you ever heard of Circle Daybreak?" Delos asked me.

Yay! One chapter finished! I should tell you something. These chapters are going to be kinda short, in the five page region, so that there can be more of them and I'll update sooner. Which you want, because I'm notorious for not updating.

Anyway, this is the first chapter, and I have no clue what I did right or wrong. I don't know if I got Delos right. Please tell me, and criticism is welcome!

I'd love a couple reviews! *Wiggles eyebrows and gives readers a crazy grin*

Over and out,

*SanraitaFang*