+    Internal Thoughts Part II    +

Title: "Internal Thoughts Part II"
Author: Monica Vanessa Martinez
Summary: Angel and his gang, including Wesley's new crush Thalia realize that Gunn isn't the same old Gunn.
Feedback: Please Please Please email me with comments, suggestions, trash talk, something to let me know you are actually reading my stories. All comments good and bad are welcome. SparklinGlitr822@aol.com.

* * * * *

"Angel, it astonished me that you know my feelings for Thalia and yet not let me stay with her," Wesley said.

"It's because of those feeling that I put Gunn for the first watch. If you love her Wes, you won't make a good bodyguard," Angel stated.

"Well, Gunn appeared to be guarding her body all too well," Wesley retorted.

"That's uncalled for. He's with Fred. He'd never cheat on her," Angel defended.

Inside the room Thalia got up from the bed and walked towards the window and away from Gunn. There's something up. I don't trust him all of a sudden, Thalia thought, I need to get him out of here.

"What's wrong Thalia? You look tense," Gunn mentioned.

"I'm fine. It's just that dream shook me up. But hey, it's just a dream right?" Thalia replied.

"Tell me about it," Gunn said finally rising from the seat he'd taken on the bed. He walked over to Thalia slowly. He stood before her and reached up to touch her face. She backed away.

"Why back away from me 'Lia?" Gunn asked. She was astonished to hear the nickname only Ryan had called her.

"What did you call me?" Thalia questioned as Angel walked in.

Gunn spoke to Angel without looking away from Thalia, "Angel, I think Thalia could use some more tea. Why don't you go--"

"I sent Wesley," Angel stated, "And I thought I sent you to bed."

Gunn began to leave at the order. When he reached the door he turned and looked at Thalia. A look that sent chills up her spine. He's not the same Gunn as earlier, she thought.

"He's not the same, is he?" Angel asked pulling Thalia out of her internal thoughts.

"No he's not. He's Ryan," Thalia stated matter of factly.

"Yup," Angel agreed.

"Tea anyone?" Wesley said when he entered cheerily.

"So what are we going to do?" Fred asked.

"Kill him," suggested Lorne. Fred became shocked. "Sorry pumpkin. When someone bashes you over the head to keep you from telling what you read in their shower singing, you get bitter," Lorne explained.

"We can't kill him," Angel began. "We have to reverse the spell first . . . then we'll have to kill Ryan when he's in his own body."

"You can't," Thalia stepped in.

"And why not," Lorne said.

"Because he took half the medallion from her," Angel answered. "The Medallion of Ninytal has two halves that break into to halves. The four pieces each stand for something. One for life, one for wealth, one for love and the last one is for death. Let me guess he took wealth and life?"

Thalia nodded and thought, Nothing and no one - not even Angel - can save me now.

"The medallion protects his life. As long as he wears the medallion you can't do anything to him. Not even switch him back to his own body," Thalia informed them.

"In order for us to perform the body switch spell the death section of the medallion must be connected to the life so that he becomes mortal," Angel explained.

"So what do we do," Fred asked.

"First we need to find Gunn. The Gunn in Ryan's body not Gunn's body," Wesley began.

"I'm the only one that knows what Ryan looks like," Thalia concluded. "I'll look for him."

"Oh no you don't," Wesley objected. Everyone looked at him.

"Why don't you both look for him," Angel suggested after everyone looked at Wesley inquisitively, "and take The Book Of Barnith. So if you find him you can do the body switch." Angel continued his orders. "Lorne, read Fred maybe that'll help us find Gunn. Thalia and Wes, here's the cell: keep in constant contact and Thalia," Angel warned, "take care. You have the death part of the medallion. You're especially susceptible to --"

"Death," Thalia finished, "I know. But I'm the only one I trust to hold the medallion pieces. Besides Angel, I have the love part too." With that Thalia kissed Wesley on the cheek, grabbed his hand and the couple exited.

I hope that Lorne can read me. Most of all I hope that Gunn loves me enough to leave part of himself with me.

I hope that Gunn loves this girl enough to leave a part of himself with her, if not I'm not going to be able to read her. Ugh I hope she doesn't sing that one song. Oww . . . Now *that's* pain.

Let's just hope that I can protect Thalia and find Gunn.

I hope that I can find the strength to kill Ryan. But first I hope I can find Gunn before it's too late for him and for me.

I hope I've been a good leader. Because if I don't make it through this I'm going to want to be remembered by them in a good way . . . I'm going to face this problem head on.

My plan is working. They are all divided. Ryan thought as he looked at himself in the mirror. He turned and looked at the man tied, gagged and knocked out on the closet floor. Ryan closed the closet door just as Angel burst through the bedroom door.

"So where should we look first?" Wesley asked Thalia.

"The last place we'd normally look. Gunn's room," Thalia announced as she headed towards the side of the Hyperion Hotel and the fire escape the led to Gunn's room. Thalia went first. When she reached the window she saw Angel burst in. Quietly she tried to open the window but it was locked. Shit! she thought to herself.

"Hey man, what's up Angel?" Ryan in Gunn's body began.

"Cut the act Ryan, I know you're not Gunn," Angel announced.

"Ok, fine. What now?" Ryan asked, "You can't kill me."

"But I can fight you," Angel said and went into motion.

Outside Thalia looked for something to break the window. "How are we going to get in?" Wesley pondered out loud.

"Like this," Thalia said as she stood and kicked the glass, which shattered instantly. Thalia jumped in followed by Wesley. "Ryan quit the bullshit. It's me you want," Thalia announced.

Ryan stopped fighting Angel. Out of nowhere he pulled out a crossbow and shot Thalia. She fell to the floor apparently dead. Wesley looked between his love and the man who had just shot her. He happened to look like his best friend but Wes knew that it wasn't Gunn, it was Ryan. Do I go to her or do I go kick his ass? Wesley thought and then made his move. Before Ryan in Gunn's body could move Wesley had kicked the crossbow out of Ryan's hand and yanked the chain that had the medallion off of Ryan's neck. Both the crossbow and the medallion landed by the closet door.

Dammit, Thalia thought when the arrow hit her shoulder, no not dammit. This could work to my advantage. Once the fighting began Thalia made her move. Army style she crawled over to the closet. She opened the door and Ryan's body. He was passed-out but alive.

Quickly, Thalia grabbed the medallion from the floor and connected that half of the medallion to her own. She fumbled though the Book of Barnith Wesley had brought with him. Finding the right spell she quietly began to chant as the fight between Angel, Wesley and Ryan continued. When Thalia finished the spell. Gunn's body abruptly hit the floor and Ryan's tied up body came to life.

"How'd you . . .?" Wesley began to question Thalia.

"It's simple. Angel's translation from the Book of Ninytal was backwards. I didn't realize it until the arrow hit me and I didn't even feel a pinch. The death section prevents death and the life section steals life."

Angel moved to aid the unconscious Gunn who was back in his own body. Wesley moved to Thalia. "Thank goodness you're okay," Wesley said and touched Thalia's face. Just then Lorne and Fred burst through the door.

"He's in the closet," Fred yelled not noticing that everything was back to normal and Gunn was waking up.

Just then there was a burst of movement and Ryan jumped out of his binds. He jumped through the already broken window. Wesley was about to go after him.

"Wait!" Thalia shouted. She picked up the crossbow and climbed onto the fire escape. She chased after Ryan, who was running to save his newly returned body. Wesley tried to go after her. Angel stopped him and picked up the half of the medallion that Thalia had dropped on her way out.

"She has the right sections he can't hurt her. But just in case, we'll all take the front door." With that the gang headed down stairs and used the front door. They ran around to the alley and saw Ryan on the floor. An arrow right through his heart.

"What can I say? I'm a good shot," Thalia said from her place by the dead body. She was kneeling by her ex-lover's corpse. As all the gang gathered around her and the body she thought about what happened: I ran after him. By the time I made it down the fire escape I couldn't see him. I walked quietly but he sneaked up behind me. We fought and he threw me against a wall. Had I not been wearing the medallion I'd have been knocked unconscious. I was picking up the crossbow, which had fallen by some crates when he hit me with an old trash can. He ran away thinking he'd knocked me out. I called out his name and he turned around and looked at me. I aimed . . . and I shot . . . and I killed him.

On the inside there was a mental slide show of what had just happened but on the outside she was crying. Wesley walked over and knelt beside her. He hugged her and she fell into his arms outright sobbing. His only thought, Now I know I'm in love. For I'd give it all to stop this pain for her.

In the darkened alley behind the old Hyperion Hotel, Angel, Lorne, Fred and Gunn stayed lost in their own internal thought . . .