A/N: Inspired by a challenge I wrote myself, and decided to try.

Summary: Their roles are reversed, and Cordelia's the vampire with the soul, while Angel--better known as Liam--is, ultimately, her human messenger from the Powers That Be, complete with those pesky visions. (AU obviously.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel; if I did, his official characterization would've been a little different.

Chapter 1

Liam couldn't figure when he had the time during the whole settling down in L.A., but the man did manage building some sort of relationship with Tina, a waitress from one of the nearby diners that was so-so. She would've been a nice girl of plain vanilla, if not for the trace of loneliness edging her wiry frame. Liam figures that was what drew him to her, some desire to help that had been left over from those damnable Scoobie days. (The 19-year-old also figures his bitterness results from the natural loathing of highschool, and his ex-girlfriend Willow going at it with Harris behind his back.)

Thus, he truly shouldn't have been surprised to find trouble, especially in the form of a vampire. Upon that realization, Liam instinctively planned on stakes, crosses, holy water...then actually used his brain and looked for Cordy. He had just seen her the other day...

"Cordy!"

"Cordelia." She had snapped in reply like normal, as if they were still in Sunnydale and not L.A., at some party Tina had taken him to; the vampire had never liked that nickname, and she never would. Thus, Liam's repeated usage.

"Really small world, eh?" He had continued, ignoring her correction as usual. There had been a small smile on his face; it wasn't like he and Ms. Schizo had ever been close, he just teased her once in a while. (O.K., more like teased her at least once whenever they got together, usually on another one of those monster-hunts that never seemed to fade away.)

"You're not living here, are you?" It's not like Cordelia asked in a normal voice, more like grunted, yet still remained looking as hot as ever, especially when in such a sleek black dress that went nicely with her typical long curls of ebony.

"Alright, total stab in the dark," began Liam sarcastically. "But you live here too, don't you?"

"Fantastic; as if centuries' guilt wasn't enough, I get my own second-rate jester for a neighbor."

"Second-rate?" He had only wanted to play a bit, and then she had to fire back with "Yes; Harris is #1."

"...That's just low." What else could he have said?

"Please! Still steaming after being dumped by something so scrawny and colored an unflattering red, with enough social skills to fill a thimble?"

"Still able to pass yourself of as a highschool bitch queen, I see; or maybe I'm wrong...by the looks of things, could this be another plunge into darkness? Have we been feeling a little too happy these days Cordy?" Liam had been certain he had gone even lower than she did, but couldn't find it within himself to care. The vampire's eyes had shadowed then, obviously remembering her covert bitings at parties during her soul's absence.

"Highschool bitch queen in the driver's seat, buddy; and right now, she wants to be with people someone that isn't such a complete nobody." And with a hiss and a turn of her heel, Cordelia was gone.

Following that mini-fiaso, full-fledged fiascos had cropped up when those gunmen came after Tina, and Liam finally got the name "Russell" out of her, spoken in tones of great fear and in connection to relationship issues; wouldn't say his last name, but mentioned an ex-beau of his that had vanished a while ago. Liam knew a lead when he saw one, and went after it in the local library, already screwing up an oath he had taken; on the Internet, he found Russell's long-lost beau--6 feet under, and sporting dual puncture marks in her neck.

Before he went looking for Cordy's help, the 19-year-old gave Tina edited news. ("That girl you mentioned--she was murdered." Blunt as ever. "This Russell guy goes after girls with no family, no one to care." Painfully blunt. "I know someone who can help, we just have to find her." Hand on the doorknob. "I'd like to stay here." Tina, all meek and scared. "...O.K." Submissive as ever.)

In the end, it was a miracle Liam found Cordelia at all, with no phone number or adress to go on.

"Your place has a real bat-cave vibe, Andrew and Jonathan and Warren would be drooling if they saw this... There wouldn't happen to be a butler, would there?" The look on her face...priceless.

A/N: Up next, ensouled vampire Cordelia's POV.