Hacker Confidential [AU] (Complete)

[love_2003]

Yay for bringing in new characters. Looking forward to the bachelorette party and it will be so romantic having the wedding where they had their first kiss.

[Laragh]

Zampsa1975 –

Good that they have began to plan their wedding...

It’ll probably take some planning so it’s good they got started

Thanks for commenting!

rhh21 –

I love the idea of them getting married there!

I like it too

Glad you liked the update and thanks for your comment!!

Alex_Vixen –

THAT was AWESOME, DUDE!!!!!!!!!!! AND SOOOO SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad you liked!

AWWWWWWWW YOU CANT DO THAT TO A GIRL!!!!!!!!! *pouts**whines*
I NEED MORE!!!!!!!!!

I know the updates are kinda short and I only post twice a week but if it’s any consolation, I did my chapter-outline the other day and I envision this being a long one!

Thanks for commenting!!

Cyteach –

First off, I would like to commend you for being brave and throwing 3 original characters into the mix... I'm super excited about all of the possiblities that this is going to open up for your story.

Well thank you and I’ve got a few ideas of where to bring the story friends-wise so I hope I can do these new guys justice!

Secondly, I drink Triple Lattes too and the fact that Tara did as well... well that just makes me all warm and tingly

Oh my god I’m so glad you said that because I only had Tara drink Triple Lattes ‘cause I do and it gave me the warm tingles to write it that way too!

And last but not least.... that exhange at the end was SOO sweet...

Glad you liked!

Thanks for your feedback

me+you=we –

Awww! It adorable! I can't wait for their wedding!

Glad you liked I’ve started planning the wedding in my head so I hope it comes out on paper okay.

Thanks for your comment!

leonhart17 –

lol at bachelorette party - that would be funny with Willow...

I’m looking forward to writing it

Glad you liked the update and thanks for your comment!

taralicious –

Okay so Becky has been spared from being thrown into the river, for now anyway

Lol, I’ll try and keep her under control!

If I ever get married, I would opt for a small wedding myself since I don't know that many people either.

As would I. It seems silly to me to have hundreds of people you barely know at your wedding.

The bench will make for a terrific altar.

Lol it would.

Thanks for your feedback!

love_2003 –

Yay for bringing in new characters.

I hope you like them as you get to know them a bit better

Looking forward to the bachelorette party and it will be so romantic having the wedding where they had their first kiss.

I look forward to depicting them

Thanks for your comment!

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: Hacker Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: AU, set in contemporary setting. A lot of W/T fluff and some semblance of a storyline.

SPOILERS: AU fic, so at most minor references or pieces of dialogue

FEEDBACK: Yes please

Chapter 6

********


“Going to work, sweetie,” Tara said quietly, kneeling beside the bed of the still-sleeping redhead, placing a kiss on her temple.


Willow normally got up with Tara every morning and before her on weekends, liking the early mornings, but occasionally, generally when certain amorous activities completely tired her out, as was the case this particular Monday morning, she slept in. Still, Tara knew the redhead would be pissed if she wasn’t woken for a proper goodbye.


“Frog babies, no…don’t want frog babies…want Tara babies.”


Tara had gotten used to the smaller girl’s nonsensical sleep-talk and thought it was hilarious that they could sometimes have full conversations that Willow would never remember.


“You want a little redhead?” she whispered with a grin.


“Nuh uh. No fire, it’s dangerous.”


Tara smiled again and glanced at the clock. As much as she would enjoy staying there all morning and have more teasing-ammo for future use, she had to leave in the next five minutes or she was going to be late for work. Seeing that gentle persuasion out of slumber was not working, she placed a finger either side of Willow’s nostrils and plugged her nose. She redhead shot up in the bed straight away, gasping slightly and looking around the room in confusion. She finally settled her gaze on a guilty-looking Tara.


“Sorry, honey. I have to go to work.”


“I was having a nice dream,” Willow replied, still sleepy.


“About us having a baby?”


Willow turned to the blonde wide-eyed before realisation crossed her features.


“I was talking again, huh?”


Tara stroked the redhead’s cheek and nodded.


“We’ll have our own little bundle of joy someday, sweetie.”


Willow’s smile beamed and she leaned into the hand on her cheek, giving the blonde’s palm a kiss.


“Have a good day,” she said after a minute, knowing they could get lost just looking at each other, “I love you.”


“I love you too,” Tara replied and leaned over for a chaste kiss, before standing and making her way towards the bedroom door, “Have fun with Oprah.”


Willow picked up and threw a pillow at Tara’s retreating figure and heard a giggle before the front door slammed shut. She let herself fall back onto the mattress and just lay there for a few minutes, quietly contemplating her day and decided she’d research all she needed to about having their wedding in the park.


Ooh and I can do a spreadsheet, figure out how long it’ll take to save!


Happy that she could do something genuinely helpful and valuable to their lives, she jumped up and made her way into the bathroom, getting ready for the day.


**


Tara rummaged through her handbag looking for her cell phone as she walked down the hallway and turned into the offices she worked in, expecting the usual hustle and bustle of people going about their business. What she wasn’t expecting was a thunderous round of applause as soon as she walked in. She jumped back slightly at the sound, dropping her bag in the process but Alice was quickly beside her, picking it up and handing it back to her.


“I kinda told Jamie about the engagement and she told Tyler and well, a memo went around just before you got here,” she whispered to the shocked blonde.


Tara nodded her understanding and smiled at the group of her colleagues who were standing and clapping, embarrassed by the show of affection. She felt herself blushing and ducked her head, walking over to her cubicle quickly and sitting down. Jamie, one of the assistants, and someone Tara was friendly with walked over, grabbing a chair from the cubicle opposite, before giving the blonde a quick hug and sitting beside her.


“Ring, Tara! Let me see the ring!”


Tara bashfully held out her hand and Jamie inspected the ring, a slight frown forming on her face.


“It’s gorgeous…” she started, biting her lip, “Is it a real-”


“It’s from Willow,” Tara cut her off, snatching her hand back, “It’s the most special thing in the world to me.”


“Right. Of course,” Jamie replied, clearing her throat, “It really is beautiful. And, um, congratulations.”


“I know,” Tara responded, still a little miffed, but deciding to let it go, “And thank you.”


“Hey, Tara, I didn’t mean-”


“I know,” Tara cut her off again, but with a small smile this time, “I know. It’s cool.”


“I’ll, um, I’ll just leave you to your work.”


“Hey, Jamie?” Tara said as the other woman turned to leave, “I’ll make sure you get an invite to the wedding.”


Jamie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that she hadn’t pissed off the blonde and gave her a broad smile.


“Thank you. I would love that.”


The two women nodded at each other and Tara twirled back around in her chair, glancing at the reports that had been put on her desk as she booted her computer. She sighed as she took the first file and looked over the latest hospital report for Timmy Buckton, the child she’d spoken to Willow about the night she proposed.


Seeing that he had been admitted and was due to be discharged later than afternoon, she decided she’d try another visit to the boy to get him to open up. She had felt she was getting somewhere with him the last time she had seen him, but his father had forced his way back into the room and he had clammed up.


She put Timmy’s report to the side for the moment and addressed the others on her desk before going through her emails. When she’d dealt with everything she needed to, she stood up and walked over to the office at the back of the room, knocking on the open door of her boss, Mr. Evans.


“Come in,” the middle-aged, balding man said, looking up at Tara with a smile, “I hear congratulations are in order.”


“Thank you, sir,” Tara replied with a blush, “I just came to get the okay to go on a hospital visit for Timmy Buckton? I reviewed the case with you last Friday…”


Mr. Evans indicated for Tara to take a seat and the blonde walked into the office, closing the door behind her.


“Has there been a new development in his case?”


“Uh, well, no, but he’s getting discharged today and I think if I just talk to him, I can-”


“Tara…I know this case is a hard one…but we’ve gone to the length of our capabilities for him and there’s just nothing we can do at this moment.”


“I know I can get him to talk, sir. I just need ten minutes with him away from his father. He trusts me, I know he does.”


“Tara-”


“I’ll go on my lunch hour,” Tara replied in a pleading tone, “I just need one more try.”


Mr. Evans shook his head back and forth a few times before exhaling loudly.


“Okay. Alright. But not a minute over your lunch hour. And Tara?”


“Yes, sir?”


“I hope he talks.”


“I hope so too,” Tara replied, standing up, “Thank you.”


“Don’t thank me,” Mr. Evans said, shaking his hands back and forth, “What my employees do or don’t do on their lunch hour is none of my business. I can’t be held responsible for them.”


Tara nodded her understanding and smiled as her boss winked at her before leaving his office and going over to Alice’s cubicle, on the opposite side of the room. The brunette was on the phone so Tara hung back for a few minutes, checking out the pictures on the notice board of the various staff parties there had been until she heard the click of Alice’s phone and turned back around.


“Tara, what can I do for you?” Alice asked with a smile.


“Um, our lunch plans? I have to cancel.”


“Tara,” Alice whined, “I wanted to talk wedding!”


“I know, I promise, we’ll have plenty of time for that but I have to make a hospital visit and my lunch hour is the only time I can go.”


Alice raised her eyebrows for a moment and regarded her friend seriously.


“Is this the Buckton case?”


Tara nodded slowly; she had told Alice about Timmy, hoping the more experienced social worker would have some idea of how to help.


“You’re getting too involved, Tare. You can’t let this consume you.”


Tara opened her mouth to object but sighed instead.


“I know. But I can’t just let his father hurt him.”


Alice gave the blonde a small smile, Tara’s super-caring attitude is what made her a brilliant social worker but, like Willow, she worried that her friend cared too much. Unlike Willow though, she wasn’t aware of why Tara got so involved, of the kinship she felt with the abused children.


“Well good luck. Let me know how you get on.”


“I will. Thanks, Al.”


Tara smiled at her friend and made her way back to her cubicle. Glancing at the clock on her computer, she saw she had just under an hour before she could take lunch, she took some papers from the pile of unfinished paperwork she had on her desk and took a pen, getting stuck in.


**


At the same time, Willow was busy in research mode, looking at the requirements for holding their wedding in the Public Gardens, as well as other general wedding costs, like the flowers and cake. She had an Excel sheet open as well, noting the estimates as she went along and was starting to panic as she realised just how much it was going to cost to give Tara the wedding she wanted.


The wedding she deserves. Beautiful and spectacular, just like her. Well, no matter what, baby, you’re getting that wedding.


Willow rested her chin on her hand, forgetting about her laptop for a moment as she thought about Tara and how beautiful she was, a fond smile gracing her features until a loud knocking on the front door disturbed her from her reverie. She saved her documents on her laptop and stood up, going over to answer the door, a look of confusion on her face when she saw two men in suits on the other side.


“Willow Rosenberg?”


“Um, yes?”


One of the men pulled a badge from his pocket and held it up in front of her.


“I’m Special Agent Monroe, this is Special Agent Morgan. We need you to come with us.”

[rhh21]

dibs!

[leonhart17]

I'm guessing Willow's about to get a job... loved the update!

(And I'm glad you enjoyed Every Step! Thanks so much for reading!)

[rhh21]

now that i've read it lol...
Whats Willow bn up2? Hope shes not in trouble!
I wish that kid would open up then Tara can deal with his dad.
Loved this!
Rhiannon x [/blockquote]

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for great update-y goodness... I truly hope that Tara gets Timmy to open up and get him away from his poop-head father... I hope Willow is not in too much trouble...

[Alex_Vixen]

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!! UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AWESOME!!!!!!! I hope the kid opens up to Tara and they kick his dad's butt! And I hope Willow's not in trouble!!

OH OH!!! I HAVE AN IDEA!!

She could be like Penelope Garcia!! From Criminal Minds!!! She used to be a Hacker and the FBI offered her a job!! THAT WOULD BE SOOOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME DUDE!!! Anyway, I hope shes not in trouble...

Please!! More soon!!

[angieb86]

AHHHH!! Where is she going?!!!

Where are they taking her?!!!

Torture, I tell you....Pure TORTURE!

And Jamie SOOOOO would NOT be getting an invite to the wedding...Questioning the ring?! Nuh-uh, not cool!

You know...I just realized something...All the times I've accidentally left readers with a cliffhanger...Not so much fun on the other side.

Anyways, I loved the update, and I can't wait for more!

And I totally agree with Alex...Some Garcia action would be awesome...And let's throw Xander in the mix for some shiggles! LOL Love Criminal Minds

[mmmh-Hot-Sauce]

The beginning of this chapter was so cute. Willow's sleep talking is adorable as always. Also, I plug my girlfriends nose to wake her up if I'm in a hurry to leave for work. lol.

And the whole entire time I was reading this, I was wondering to myself when Willow's hackering was going to catch up to her...

“I’m Special Agent Monroe, this is Special Agent Morgan. We need you to come with us.”

... and here it is!!! I wonder if she's going to get a job with the F.B.I now and be paid booco bucks. Can't wait for Monday's update.

[taralicious]

Boy, if ever there were a career and a person so completely suited for each other, it's social work and Tara.
Her amazing capacity for empathy and first-hand knowledge of how some wounds never heal make her such a formidable advocate for the rights of abused children.
And if any of the parents give her grief, we can always throw them in the river.
Willow and two special agents...wonder what's goin' down there? SHe would so be a great law enforcement advocate and then she and Tara could really put some might and muscle in back of the kids.

[love_2003]

Loved the update. Wondering if those agents at the door are there to offer Willow a job or arrest her for hacking where she shouldn't be. Hope Tara is able to get the little boy to talk.

[Laragh]

rhh21 –

dibs!

Hey, you got it!!

Whats Willow bn up2? Hope shes not in trouble!

All will be revealed

I wish that kid would open up then Tara can deal with his dad.

Don’t worry, things’ll get sorted.

Loved this!

I’m glad

Thanks for commenting!

leonhart17 –

I'm guessing Willow's about to get a job...

Hmm, you think? Lol, you’re probably right.

(And I'm glad you enjoyed Every Step! Thanks so much for reading!)

Thanks so much for writing! I saw you started a new one, you’re writing faster than I can read! Looking forward to reading them though.

Thanks for your comment!

Zampsa1975 –

I truly hope that Tara gets Timmy to open up and get him away from his poop-head father...

Me too...

I hope Willow is not in too much trouble...

Don’t worry, she’ll be okay.

Thanks for commenting

Alex_Vixen –

I hope the kid opens up to Tara and they kick his dad's butt! And I hope Willow's not in trouble!!

I think that’s likely! And don’t worry.

She could be like Penelope Garcia!! From Criminal Minds!!! She used to be a Hacker and the FBI offered her a job!! THAT WOULD BE SOOOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME DUDE!!!

Lol, we talked about this already but still, you’re totally right.

Thanks for your feedback!

angieb86 –

AHHHH!! Where is she going?!!!

Where are they taking her?!!!

Torture, I tell you....Pure TORTURE!

Lol, all will be revealed!

And Jamie SOOOOO would NOT be getting an invite to the wedding...Questioning the ring?! Nuh-uh, not cool!

From me either lol. Tara’s just too compassionate.

You know...I just realized something...All the times I've accidentally left readers with a cliffhanger...Not so much fun on the other side.

Lol, no they’re not. You have to have a little bit of suspense though

Anyways, I loved the update, and I can't wait for more!

More is here!

And I totally agree with Alex...Some Garcia action would be awesome...And let's throw Xander in the mix for some shiggles! LOL Love Criminal Minds

I think you’ll like where this is going then...

Thanks for commenting!

Vanessa –

The beginning of this chapter was so cute. Willow's sleep talking is adorable as always.

I think it’s one of those things that’s universally cute no matter who’s doing it.

Also, I plug my girlfriends nose to wake her up if I'm in a hurry to leave for work. lol.

Lol, well it always works!

And the whole entire time I was reading this, I was wondering to myself when Willow's hackering was going to catch up to her...

... and here it is!!!

Lol, well it had to eventually!

I wonder if she's going to get a job with the F.B.I now and be paid booco bucks.

Hmm, I think you wonder correctly!

Thanks for commenting!

taralicious –

Boy, if ever there were a career and a person so completely suited for each other, it's social work and Tara.
Her amazing capacity for empathy and first-hand knowledge of how some wounds never heal make her such a formidable advocate for the rights of abused children.

She does make an excellent social worker.

And if any of the parents give her grief, we can always throw them in the river.

That river is gonna be filled with people by the end of this fic

Willow and two special agents...wonder what's goin' down there? SHe would so be a great law enforcement advocate and then she and Tara could really put some might and muscle in back of the kids.

I agree wholeheartedly

Thanks for your feedback!

love_2003 –

Wondering if those agents at the door are there to offer Willow a job or arrest her for hacking where she shouldn't be.

Possibly a bit of both...

Hope Tara is able to get the little boy to talk.

She does have powerful communication skills!

Thanks for commenting!

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: Hacker Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: AU, set in contemporary setting. A lot of W/T fluff and some semblance of a storyline.

SPOILERS: AU fic, so at most minor references or pieces of dialogue

FEEDBACK: Yes please

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Quite a few of you have guessed already but added disclaimer here, I'm pulling inspiration from Criminal Minds.

Chapter 7

********

Previously:

“Willow Rosenberg?”


“Um, yes?”


One of the men pulled a badge from his pocket and held it up in front of her.


“I’m Special Agent Monroe, this is Special Agent Morgan. We need you to come with us.”

---

“You need me…um, what?” Willow asked, bewildered, “You’re FBI? Why the hell does the FBI want to see me?”


“If you could just come with us, ma’am,” Agent Monroe said stoically, nodding to the other agent.


Agent Morgan walked passed Willow into the apartment and went over to her laptop.


“Uh, that’s mine,” Willow said, going over and grabbing her laptop before the man could take it, “And I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”


“Ms. Rosenberg, we have a warrant here to take possession of that laptop. Now you can either co-operate or we can arrest you, but you will be coming with us this afternoon.”


Willow opened and closed her mouth in shock and placed her laptop back on the table.


“Can I see your badges again?” she asked in small voice.


“Of course,” Agent Morgan said, producing his badge again, Monroe doing the same.


Willow looked them over and satisfied that they were the real thing, she nodded and looked between the men.


“Okay,” she said, before a thought struck her, “Hey, this isn’t about Tara, is it? She isn’t hurt or something or, or that guy who was hitting his kid, he didn’t hurt her, did he? Oh god, please don’t tell me she’s hurt. I couldn’t handle it if she was hurt.”


The agents glanced at each other, confused by the sudden outburst but Morgan saw the redhead was getting quite distressed and put a hand on her shoulder.


“I can assure you, ma’am, we’re not here to tell you of your friend being hurt.”


“My girlfriend,” Willow replied quietly, “Fiancée, actually.”


“Ma’am, we’d like if you could come with us. We’ll be taking you to the Boston FBI offices and we need to take possession of your laptop. Everything will be explained to you in due time, but for the moment we just need you to follow us.”


Willow didn’t like not knowing what was going on, much less the idea of being somehow involved in something with the FBI and even less the thought of giving someone her laptop, but was still aware of the threat of arrest and knew it would be easier if she just complied.


“Okay. Um…lead the way?”


Morgan put the laptop under his arm as Monroe started walking down the hallway again. Willow grabbed her cell and keys from beside the door and closed it, following the two agents out of their building and into the black SUV that was parked on the road, her heart pounding in her chest as she wondered what exactly was going on. It was a short car ride to the FBI offices and once there the redhead was lead to a small room where she sat by herself for a few minutes before a new man, dressed in similar suits to the first two agents came in and sat opposite her, smacking a large file down on the table.


“Ms. Rosenberg. We have a lot to talk about.”


**


Tara left her office building and walked around the corner to where there was a taxi rank. She normally relied on public transport or walking wherever she needed to go, mainly because of the cost, but using either of those options today would take up her entire lunch hour to get to the hospital and back and she needed as much time as possible with Timmy to talk to him. She slid into the back seat of the cab at the front of the line.


“Boston’s Children’s Hospital, please.”


“Yes, ma’am,” the driver replied in a thick Boston accent, “Hope there ain’t no one too sick there.”


“He’ll be okay,” Tara said with a small smile, “I’ll make sure of it.”


The man nodded before turning on the radio and singing along softly to a Johnny Cash song. Tara found herself tapping along to the tune as well, but it was more out of nervousness than any real love of the song until the cab pulled up outside the hospital. She thanked the man and handed over the fare before getting out of the car and going up to the ward that Timmy had been admitted to, stopping by the nurse’s station on the way.


“Tara, hi,” a young, raven-haired woman said from behind the desk.


“Hi, Cheryl,” Tara greeted the nurse with a smile, “Um, I kinda have a favour to ask.”


“Shoot. I’ll try and help with whatever I can.”


“I need to talk to Timmy again and I need you to distract Mr. Buckton while I do it.”


Cheryl bit her lip but nodded.


“Okay. I can tell him he has more discharge papers to sign or something. But you know what he’s like, you might not have long. And you probably shouldn’t let him see you. He goes ape when ever social workers are mentioned. Trying to cover his own ass, the bastard.”


“I owe you one. Is he in there now?”


“Yea, I saw him go in a few minutes ago. I’ll go get him out here.”


Tara mouthed ‘thank you’ and grabbed Timmy’s file from her bag, hiding her face behind it as Cheryl went behind one of the curtains, bringing a tall, hard-faced man out with her a minute later. She got a subtle nod from the nurse and slipped inside the curtain herself, her heart breaking when she saw the young boy still covered in bruises.


**


“We do?” Willow asked, biting her lip, “What about?”


“Indeed we do. I’m Agent Patterson,” the man said, extending his hand which Willow took, “It’s seems you’re quite the computer whiz.”



“Well, you know what they say. There are 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary code and those who don’t,” Willow replied with a nervous chuckle, ducking her head when the agent just stared at her, “Geek humour.”


“We’ve been watching you for a while, Ms. Rosenberg,” Patterson said, opening the file in front of him, “A long while. Ever since you blipped up on our radar when you were in high school for hacking into the SAT website. Eager to get your results, were we?”


Willow looked at Patterson, wide-eyed, having no idea how to respond.


“I, um…well I just…”


“You’re quite the adept at bypassing security systems and gaining access to servers you have no business having access too. Like government databases. Like the FBI database four years ago looking for information on a man in Rochester.”


Willow’s face turned into a scowl as she remembered trying to access information on Tara’s father – just after she’d been told about the abuse – and had failed at trying to get him locked up for something, anything, wanting the man to pay for what he’d done to her love. She'd spent hours trying to break into the server and when she had she'd found nothing that could've actually helped her.


“Most recently," Patterson continued, "The city power grid…”


“It was only lights,” Willow protested, quickly “I didn’t turn off the power supply of anywhere. That could cause all kind of havoc or lost work, you know, people really don’t save their data enough or back it up, which is irresponsible really and-”


“You’re on a list, Ms. Rosenberg,” Patterson cut her off, rubbing his temples as he tried to keep up with the redhead’s speech.


“A list? Like a list-y list?”


“Um, yes. A list-y list,” Patterson agreed, blinking a few times in confusion, “You’re one of a few what we consider extremely dangerous hackers in the world.”


**


Timmy’s face lit up as he saw Tara and tried to sit up more in his bed.


“Tara! Hi!”


“Hey, Timmy,” Tara greeted with a warm smile, sitting on the chair beside the bed, “How’re you doing?”


“Okay. My arm isn’t so sore now, but the cast is kinda itchy.”


“Well don’t stick a pencil down there. You don’t want to break off and be stuck.”


“I won’t,” Timmy shook his head, “I promise.”


Tara scooted closer and took one of the boy’s hands in hers in comfort.


“So you’re going home this afternoon. How’re you feeling about that?”


“Fine,” Timmy answered, but Tara saw his face fall.


“Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to go home?”


Timmy stayed quiet and averted his eyes.


“You can tell me, Timmy. I just wanna help. I can keep you safe.”


“No one can keep me safe,” Timmy whispered.


Tara leaned forward, this was the closest she’d ever gotten to the boy telling her something.


“Safe from who? Who’s hurting you?”


Timmy ducked his head and Tara saw him purse his lips, trying not to say anything.


“If you tell me, I can make sure they never hurt you again. That you never have to see them again.”


“What would happen to me?” Timmy asked in the same small voice.


“Well, you’d go to a big house with lots of other kids to play with for a while and no one there would hurt you. Then we’d try and find a new family for you to stay with.”


“Would they really play with me?”


“Yep,” Tara nodded, “And I bet they’d all think your cast was super cool and want to sign it.”


“Really?”


“Uh huh.”


Timmy looked at his cast and Tara for a few moments.


“He doesn’t mean to hurt me. He just gets mad ‘cause Mommy went to heaven when I was borned and it was my fault. I didn’t mean to make her go to heaven or anything.”


“Oh sweetheart, of course you didn’t,” Tara replied, holding the boy’s head to her shoulder, “Sweetie, who gets mad and hurts you?”


“My dad,” Timmy replied, almost inaudibly.


“Timmy, how did your dad hurt your arm?”


“I was brushing my teeth and he told me I was wasting water. So he dragged me out and kicked me and I fell down the stairs.”


“Oh, sweetie,” Tara said, stroking his hair, “And your dad told you to say you hurt it during a soccer game?”


Timmy nodded silently and a tear came to his eye.


“I didn’t want to ‘cause I don’t like lying, ‘specially to you, Tara ‘cause you’re my friend but I was scared.”


“It’s okay, Timmy, you did nothing wrong. And no one is gonna hurt you ever again, okay? I promise.”


Just then the curtain swung open and Mr. Buckton appeared, seething.


“Get away from my son!”


Tara put herself in front of the bed and glared at the man.


“No, you get away from your son. You’ll never lay a hand on him again.”


**


“Dangerous?” Willow asked in shock, “I’m not dangerous, I mean just ‘cause I can get into the FBI or NSA or - whoops I probably shouldn’t have told you that, but I wouldn’t do anything, ever and oh god am I going to jail? I wouldn’t survive well in jail, I didn’t even survive high school well and what about Tara, oh god, this is not happening…”


“Ms. Rosenberg, that list can also go by another name. Extremely useful hackers. We have some of the best IT technicians in the world analyzing your laptop at the moment, gathering information to see just how savvy you are. You see, in these situations, we prefer to use all the intelligence we can and have useful personnel join us.”


Willow gaped at the man for a few seconds before speaking.


“Are you offering me a job?”

[leonhart17]

Yay! I was right! Hopefully hospital security is close by, because I don't guess that kid's dad is there just to talk...

(You'll have plenty of time to catch up - this one is going to be longer and I can only post once a week... Thanks so much for reading!)

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for great update-y goodness... I hope Willow accepts the job... I truly truly hope that hospital security is very close by and stops the poop-head before he hurts Tara or Timmy...

[rhh21]

i loved this!
Willow got a job, Tara got the dad! Amazingly awesome!
I love this flick!
Rhiannon x

[love_2003]

Great update. Looks like Willow might be getting a job and Tara got the little boy to talk. Things are starting to look good for them. Wondering what Tara's reaction will be when she hears about Willow's trip to the FBI offices.

[Foomatic]

Moved. Don't know how it happened, but apologies none the less.

[Codyteddyh]

That is so excellent for Willow. This is a great fiction and I'm hooked.

Cody

[taralicious]

Tara has such a warm inviting aura of security and comfor that it was really sweet that Timmy felt he could confide in her and hope for a better life for himself.
Tara, as defender of the innocent, has the truth on her side but that doesn't mean that hospital security and a couple of well-aimed taser shots couldn't help either in keeping Mr. Buckton the hell away from Timmy.
Willow reaction to the two FBI agents telling her they'd got a little list, apart from being very Gilbert and Sullivan, was a classic Willow response and I'm surprised she didn't hyperventilate.
Yay for Willow getting a chance to use her formidable hacker skills to help foil other people's evil schemes.

[me+you=we]

Yay for both of them! Poor Timmy. God. So. Can't wait for more!


Willow. Gettin in trouble.

[rawrmeister]

you know, the mixing of criminal minds and btvs never really occured to me, but now that you've plopped it so nicely in front of me.......I'm very excited to see where your talents will take it

[Laragh]

leonhart17 –

Yay! I was right! Hopefully hospital security is close by, because I don't guess that kid's dad is there just to talk...

Yep And don’t worry, he’ll be locked away safely!

(You'll have plenty of time to catch up - this one is going to be longer and I can only post once a week... Thanks so much for reading!)

Awesome! I’m halfway through ‘Always Leads Me Back To You’, loving it so far!

Thanks for commenting!

Zampsa1975 –

I hope Willow accepts the job...

Well she has to talk to Tara first...

I truly truly hope that hospital security is very close by and stops the poop-head before he hurts Tara or Timmy...

No hurt on the agenda for either of them

Thanks for your comment

rhh21 –

i loved this!

Yay!

Willow got a job, Tara got the dad! Amazingly awesome!

Lol, I like things to work out for our girls

I love this flick!

I’m glad!!

Thanks for commenting!

love_2003 –

Great update. Looks like Willow might be getting a job and Tara got the little boy to talk.

Glad you liked it

Things are starting to look good for them.

I like when things go good for them, lol, it always sucked that it didn’t in the show.

Wondering what Tara's reaction will be when she hears about Willow's trip to the FBI offices.

You’ll see now

Thanks for your feedback!

Foomatic –

Moved. Don't know how it happened, but apologies none the less.

No problem Thanks for moving it back!

Codyteddyh –

That is so excellent for Willow.

Glad you think so!

This is a great fiction and I'm hooked.

Thanks for your kind words! I’m really glad you’re enjoying it!

Thanks for commenting!

taralicious –

Tara has such a warm inviting aura of security and comfor that it was really sweet that Timmy felt he could confide in her and hope for a better life for himself.
Tara, as defender of the innocent, has the truth on her side but that doesn't mean that hospital security and a couple of well-aimed taser shots couldn't help either in keeping Mr. Buckton the hell away from Timmy.

Security are well equipped to deal with scumbags like Mr. Buckton, don’t worry!

Willow reaction to the two FBI agents telling her they'd got a little list, apart from being very Gilbert and Sullivan, was a classic Willow response and I'm surprised she didn't hyperventilate.

I’m sure if the agents left her hanging any longer she would’ve lol.

Yay for Willow getting a chance to use her formidable hacker skills to help foil other people's evil schemes

It’s about time she did lol

Thanks for feedbacking!

me+you=we –

Yay for both of them!

I’m happy for them too lol

Poor Timmy. God.

I know. But at least his dad won’t hurt him anymore.

Willow. Gettin in trouble.

Lol, well she shouldn’t have been hacking really...but at least it worked out for her!

Thanks for commenting!

rawrmeister –

you know, the mixing of criminal minds and btvs never really occured to me, but now that you've plopped it so nicely in front of me.......I'm very excited to see where your talents will take it

I hope I’m able to make it believable...I’m not sure whether I could write Willow in the same kinda role as Garcia, ‘cause she has to deal with a lot of gruesome cases that I think I’d have trouble writing, but I’m hoping you’ll still be able to enjoy the flow of the story It’ll still be mostly all W/T and their relationship anyway so jobs as a whole take a little bit of a backseat.

Thanks for your feedback!!

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: Hacker Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: AU, set in contemporary setting. A lot of W/T fluff and some semblance of a storyline.

SPOILERS: AU fic, so at most minor references or pieces of dialogue

FEEDBACK: Yes please

Chapter 8

********


Willow walked out of the FBI offices in a mild state of shock, a small folder filled with documents in one hand and her recovered laptop in the other and realised she was right around the corner from the DCF offices. Shuffling everything under one arm, she glanced at her watch and saw that she should be able to catch Tara just before she left for the day and they could travel home together.


She walked the couple of blocks to the building, her afternoon running through her head on a loop and walked into the officers of her fiancée, and over to her cubicle. Tara spun in her seat when she saw someone come up to her desk in her peripherals and her smiled beamed when she saw who it was.


“Hey, sweetie. What’re you doing here?”


“I had the…weirdest afternoon. Completely crazy.”


“Well you’ve got good timing,” Tara said, turning slightly to press a few buttons on her computer, watching as the screen turned to black, “I’m just done for the day. And I had a bit of a crazy day too.”


“Oh, believe you me, baby. It was not as crazy as mine.”


“Well you can tell me all about – why do you have your laptop with you?” Tara asked, crinkling her brow in confusion as she stood and picked her handbag up from the floor.


“All part of my crazy day,” Willow replied as they joined hands and started walking out,


There was a silent understanding that they’d wait until they got home to talk properly, the many people and loudness of rush hour on the T not being conducive to having a conversation. They walked through the front door of their apartment and Tara kicked off her shoes, putting her keys in the bowl by the door.


“I got a job,” Willow blurted before the door was even closed and Tara spun around, her eyes wide.


“You got a job? Oh honey, congratulations!” Tara replied, swooping the smaller girl up in her arms, “I’m so proud of you.”


“You don’t even know what it is,” Willow said with a small giggle, then pulled back from the hug, a serious look on her face, “I haven’t accepted yet. I need to talk to you about it fully and if you’re not happy, then I won’t go ahead, okay? I need you to know that.”


“This sounds serious…”


“Baby, I could really use a beer. And a cuddle. Can we get those and then talk?”


“Of course,” Tara replied, rubbing the redhead’s shoulder’s with a smile, “And you need to know I’ll support you through anything.”


Tara dropped her head and put a kiss on Willow’s forehead before making her way over to the kitchen and taking two beers from the fridge. She kicked the door shut and walked back into the living room, nodding for Willow to head over to the couch. She sat back and let the redhead use her as a backrest, opening both their beers. When they were settled comfortably, Willow started to speak.


“Okay. Now this is all gonna seem completely surreal, and it is, I still can’t believe it happened so I’m gonna tell you the story from beginning to end and then we talk about it, yea?”


“Okay. I got it.”


“Right. So, this afternoon I was looking up some wedding things and there was a knock on the door. I answer and there’s these two guys in black suits. From the FBI. They come in, take my laptop, tell me I need to go with them or they’ll arrest me and take me in.”


Willow could practically hear the wheels turning in the blonde’s head but appreciated that she was keeping her word and staying quiet throughout her story.


“So I go with them and they take my laptop away to these tech guys to analyze while I get taken into this little room and this other agent is there and he has this file on me, like this big file about all the things I’ve ever hacked into.”


Willow felt her fiancée stiffen and turned her head, quick to reassure her.


“Don’t worry, I’m not in trouble, I promise, baby, okay? I’m not in trouble. But this agent, his name was Patterson, he kinda made it seem like I was and I was panicking and then he says I’m on a list, this list of the most potentially dangerous hackers and then I really start to panic but then he says the same list can be known as the most useful. So then he says that they think I could be a valuable asset as an FBI technical analyst. And then I had to talk to a whole bunch of people and answer all these questions...they even made me give a urine sample and do a polygraph, I had wires and stuff all over me. And the questions were so invasive, they asked all about my history with my parents and you and everything. It’s scary how much information the government just have on us.”


Tara looked at the redhead, who nodded that she could speak.


“You weren’t kidding when you said it was a crazy day. But wow. My girl, working with the FBI. I certainly didn’t expect that when I woke up this morning. Why haven’t you said yes yet?”


“Well…first off I have to go down to Quantico for training. It’s nine weeks, which means nine weeks away from you. And I’d have to leave in two weeks. And…well, baby, there’s no knowing where they could assign me. It all depends on staffing needs and stuff like that and I couldn’t ask you to move. You love Boston. It’s home.”


Tara placed a series of short kisses on Willow’s neck as she gathered her thoughts, moving slowly upwards until she tilted the smaller girl’s head back and let their lips met tenderly.


“You’re my home,” she said when they pulled back.


“And you’re mine,” Willow whispered.


“My Scarlet.”


“Huh?”


“In Gone With The Wind. Tara is Scarlet’s home.”


“That’s right. I remember from English Lit. So you think I should go for it?”


Tara could hear the excitement in the redhead’s voice as she spoke and nodded her head.


“I think if it’s what you want, then definitely. I know how much not having a job cuts you up inside, honey. And this seems like your dream job, analyzing and figuring stuff out and being your general wonderful self. I mean, you got recruited and were on a list – which, by the way worries me, but anyway. And if we have to move, then we move.”


“But you love your job.”


“I do. But I can do it from anywhere.”


“And our friends?”


“We’ll visit. They’ll visit. But who knows what’ll happen, as long as we’re together, we’ll be fine.”


“You really think so?”


“I know so. I trust implicitly in our love.”


“You’re willing to uproot and move somewhere with me that I don’t even know where?”


Tara held her hand out in front of them both.


“I didn’t accept this ring or put the one on your finger for nothing. It’s a promise to be with you wherever, forever.”


“Oh god, thank you. I mean, when I realised I was being offered a job and the actual job, I mean, it’s all so cool, I’d be helping with crimes and national security and I met some of the analysts already there and they were telling me about how they helped bring down a local crime gang and the money…”


Willow grabbed the file she’d been given with forms to fill out if she accepted the position, as well as information on the job and showed Tara the paragraph about salary. The blonde’s eyes widened as she read.


“That’s like triple what I make.”


“I know. We wouldn’t have to just scrape by or be on second and third notices for all our bills. I mean, we’d have so much less to worry about and I wouldn’t feel so awful about never being able to contribute and I can give you the wedding you deserve and buy you a proper ring and it’s like a really secure job for when we start a family and-”


“Take a breath or you’ll pass out.”


Willow took a lungful of air, grateful Tara had stopped her babble and put her empty beer bottle on the floor.


“Thank you. And thank you for being you, being amazing and letting me love you. Especially for loving me back.”


“It is my absolute pleasure,” Tara replied promptly and Willow turned her head again so they could kiss.


“Tell me about your crazy day,” Willow said when they pulled back.


“One of my kids spoke up,” Tara said with a grin, “His father got taken away and I got him into emergency foster care. He was so frightened, his dad kicked up one hell of a fuss when the police came, but he was so brave. His mother died in childbirth, which we knew, but he said his dad would get angry with him for ‘sending his mommy to heaven’.”


“Oh my god. That’s terrible.”


“I know. But when he got to the foster house, he was clinging to my leg for all of a minute before he saw another boy playing with a truck and ran over to him, showing off his cast. It was the first time I ever saw him laugh. He smiled a few times when I’d talk to him but he never laughed. And when I was leaving he told me that he loved me.”


“Oh, baby.”


“I know you and Alice and Evans and everyone say I get too involved, and I know, I do. But if I hadn’t pushed, he could be home with that man, getting hurt, or killed if it went on long enough and nobody would help and, and-”


“Oh baby, I’m so sorry,” Willow whispered, turning around and cupping Tara’s cheeks, “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”


It had been obvious from the beginning that Timmy’s case brought up best-forgotten old memories for the blonde, but those memories were clearly more potent than Willow had realised.


Willow’s thumb brushed away the single tear that fell from Tara’s eye and she leaned in for a gentle kiss. When they pulled back, Tara gave a small smile.


“God, I’m sorry. It was just… it was like I was back there, just for a second, but I could feel the hopelessness. So stupid.”


“It’s not stupid at all. I promise no one will hurt you ever again. I’ll die before I let something happen to you, okay?”


“I’m your girl, right?” Tara asked with a sniffle.


“Of course you’re my girl, silly,” Willow said with a grin, “And I’m yours.”


Tara manoeuvred them so that Willow was lying on top of her instead of kneeling in front and looked straight into the redhead’s eyes, feeling vulnerable after her momentary breakdown.


“Show me.”

[leonhart17]

Aww, yay for good news from both of the girls! Now I'm curious if they're going to have to move, and how they'll handle 9 weeks away from each other....

Great chapter!

(Glad you're liking it! - Thanks a lot!)

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... Good that Mr. Poop-Head was arrested by police and Timmy got to go to a good foster home... I truly hope that Willow's new FBI career doesn't derail their wedding plans...

[rhh21]

poor Tara. I would have been upset 2.
9 weeks apart thats a loooong time but if their happy....
Awesome update.
Rhiannon x

[JustSkipIt]

Ah yes. I suspected they were after her for a job. So that's good news. Big stuff coming. I hope it all goes well.

[Codyteddyh]

Willow's job is great for the girls. Now they can have the wedding of their dreams. Excellent update.

Cody