Developing-Witness Protection (beta needed please)

[Taralover]

I'd like to write a fic where Tara is in witness protection. At the moment I'd just like to throw a few ideas out there and see what you think of them.

The one I'm most likely to do. Tara witnesses something (a Mafia murder, most likely, something big and bad) and is forced to adopt a new identity. Willow is also in witness protection either because of the same thing or some totally different thing. They meet, fall in love and decide that they are totally sick of living in hiding and want their old names back. OR there is a traitor in the witness protection scheme who tips off the bad guys about where they are. Either way they fall in love.

If it is in the Buffyverse universe, they could meet the Slayer and Xander and join the Scoobies. The bad guys, when they come after them a) could accidently end up in a fight with vampires (they barely escape with their lives and have to get reenforcements), and b) then face the Slayer and any magic Willow and Tara may have learned that is at a combat level. I'm thinking the Trio and Scoobies are allies although perhaps a bit uneasy about each other.

If it was set in AU they could lure the bad guys intp an area they know (a bit like in Crocodile Dundee 2.)

Although most likely it would be in the Buffyverse. There would be violence in the fic but not so foul that it breaks the laws of the Kitten Board.

It ends up with the bad guys defeated (maybe killed, maybe arrested, maybe they promise never to come after Willow and Tara again) and a happy ending with a Willow/Tara handfasting type wedding.

At the moment I'm looking for ideas. Ideas for alternate names (first name and family name) for the disguised Willow and Tara, possible disguises that they might need to wear, that sort of thing.

Also ideas for the bad guys that might be after them, and why, and just ideas as to how to make the story enjoyable and interesting for my fellow Kitten Board members. Thank you to anyone who helps me. If anyone wants to be my beta plese let me know in this thread and give me some means to contact you online.

[thiswomanswork]

For some reason this is hitting me more as AU than buffyverse, but then again that may just be because I like those better.

howstuffworks dot com did a really good one on 'how witness protection works'... you might find that helpful for your fic.

The program advises that witnesses keep their initials or first name the same. 'Tara' is a common enough name that she could be Tara Kensington or whatever and be fine. Willow would probably want to change her name, though, 'cos there's not a tonne of Willows out there. So maybe something like Wendy Rogers' or somesuch.

As for the 'who they've ticked off' question... nothing coming to mind right now, sorry.

[Taralover]

Planned Chapters

Chapter One-Willow and Tara (not quite lovers at that stage) witness a road-rage murder of someone they really care about. The police are soon on the trail of the perp but it turns out the killer is a major gangster and hires killers to take out the witnesses against him. Luckily for Willow and Tara a police informant (unnamed) tells his contacts what is going to happen and the police get there before the killers.

Since the trial date is so far away the police advise Willow and Tara to go into witness protection. Willow does not want to, prefering to take her chances as she is. Tara persuades her to go into hiding, pointing out that if she did somehow harm those who were coming after her the police might arrest her for it. They give them new names and send them to.....Sunnydale.

Chapter Two-When in Sunnydale a vampire tries to bite Tara but Buffy intervenes and dusts the vamp. Tara introduces Buffy to Willow and they become close friends. Willow reveals to Tara that she is a witch and her powers for some reason are stronger here. She teaches her magic and the two fall in love with each other. Willow joins Buffy and Faith in slaying vampires (imagining that she is slaying the gangsters that put her in hiding.) Willow and Tara reveal their true names to Buffy and Faith.

Chapter Three-Somehow the bad guys find out where Willow and Tara are and their new names. They send a small hit team to get them but the unsuspecting hit team get into a fight with hungry vampires. One escapes to bring back the news. Meanwhile Willow and Tara are now really in love with each other.

Chapter Four-Learning from their mistakes, a bigger and more careful hit team set out only to come into contact with the Slayers and find their targets have magical powers. They get their asses kicked (no killing though) Tara wants to hide again but Willow this time gets her to stand and fight.

Chapter Five, a big battle in which the Trio get involved on the Scoobie's side. No killing as the Scoobies and Trio will not kill humans. Willow decides to deal with the problem once and for all and they decide to go looking for the boss of the bad guys. They enforce a magicly binding oath on him and any who he may contact or have under his command, that works very much like Spike's chip in the Buffyverse, rendering them unable to harm any living thing without great pain. They can still harm undead though, and I might have one or two of the lesser bad guys reforming and joining the Scoobies to fight the undead.

Last Chapter-Now openly under their own names, Willow and Tara have a handfasting ceremony and afterwards, the fic ends with some NC 17 Willow/Tara loving. The bad guy who's crime started it all off is convicted and gets a life sentence that will mean life.

Again, any ideas, suggestions and the like are welcome.

[Taralover]

Here is a new bit. It's not wonderful yet by any means, it's too basic for the main board, the little details are missing, but then that is what this wonderful section of the board is for. Feedback is welcome. Hopefully the violence in it is not too graphic.I need some violence to start the story off in the first place.

*** Rating R at the moment for safety

Willow Rosenberg took a sly glimpse at her best friend Tara Maclay as her brother Donnie drove them home after a day spent shopping or “having retail therapy” as she called it. Her brother may be an almighty jerk at times but Tara is so hot. It’s a good thing that I’m not a male; she’d be able to notice my arousal. She can’t be gay, a girl that good, with my luck around women, would be as straight as a ruler. Everything about her is so…so gorgeous. It’s not just her looks- her lovely blonde hair and her beautiful sapphire eyes, it’s her entire personality. She’s so cute and funny and witty and sexy and I’m falling in love with her and…what the heck?”

A red Ferrari had come out without warning and without indicating into their path and Donnie slammed on the brakes but still thumped into it. Both he and the driver leapt out of their car. “You stupid idiot, you nearly got me killed! And look what you’ve done to my car…” Donnie snapped back “You’re the idiot here, you came out without indicating. You’re the one who should pay for the damage.” The man, dressed in a smart suit with a gold chain around his neck, responded by kicking Donnie’s car as hard as he could. Donnie made a grab for the man’s chain and ripped it away from his neck, snapping the chain in the process, and then waved it in front of him. “This will pay for my car, asshole.” The man swiped at him and missed and then both of them were trading punches and kicks and Donnie was starting to win the fight.

Until the man drew a large knife from inside his suit jacket and began stabbing Donnie over and over again, ignoring Willow and Tara’s screams to stop. He jumped into his car and sped off leaving Donnie lying in a pool of blood. Tara burst into tears and crouched over Donnie’s body trying to revive him whilst Willow used her mobile phone to call an ambulance and the police. By the time the ambulance and police cars arrived it was clear that Donnie had died. The police took a quick description of the car, it’s number plate and the killer from Willow and Tara and set off with their sirens blaring.

***

thiswomanswork-thanks for the help. I know that the first name should be the same but I want them to have both their names changed as it will hurt them more mentally. I want them to be upset about being in hiding to the point where they refuse to hide any more later in the fic.

To those who read this, I'm still not 100% sure what Willow Rosenberg and Tara MaClay's new first and family names should be despite some people very kindly helping me out. I'm inviting anyone who wants to to come up with alternate names. The one who's names I pick will get a little one-off 100 to 200 word drabble of any theme and rating they want, providing of course the theme does not break the rules of the Kitten Board.

[dlline]

Hey!

When I'm writing a fic and I need names, I just go back in my own family and use ancestor's names. That works pretty well and you don't have to worry about offending people that way. Also, when I needed a name for the FBI supervisor in both of my long stories, I just used the name of the Chief of Police that was in charge before my dad, the cop, retired. He's no longer living, and the name was common enough that I didn't worry about that either.

Don't let the lack of names slow you down. They're really not as important as the characters you create.

[Hemiola]

"deep brown hair"

Huh? But Tara has always been blonde!!!!!

[Taralover]

Hemiola, thank you. As you can guess it is a long time since I wrote a W/T fandic, I will edit it as soon as possible.

[Katharyn]

To be fair, there were a couple of eps where her hair was much darker than normal (to the point of brown) but not a deep brown. However I think you can make a case for anything when there's a place you can buy some dye and especially in this scenario!

On the other hand there's a reason 'the blonde' is probably one of the most highly used terms on Pens Right up there with 'the hacker' LOL.

Interesting premise you have here... Though my immediate thoughts were whether two people in witness protection (who weren't partners already) would be stashed in the same place or close enough to meet? I'm not saying they couldn't - just that you might need to explain it away!

Katharyn

[Taralover]

I'm having them both witness the same thing, and be best friends before the crime happened.

[Taralover]

After so long, the alternative names are ready and Chapter One is ready (I think) and will soon be up on the main board. A beta would be nice for chapter two if possible.

[Taralover]

I'm working on a simerler fic to this but different, hence I'll mention it here rather then use up forum space in a new thread. 1000 words of it written so far.