March 1987
Undisclosed Federal Marshal's Office
Witsec Division

The trial was over, Lloyd "Dead-man" Davis was in prison; Sean's testimony regarding the nefarious dealings of his, now former, associate was the tipping point in the case. He knew it wasn't over just yet. Davis was just one man, there were a line of people eager to take his place and take Sean, the narc, out. It was only just a matter of time until someone came looking for him, which is why he was sitting here in this cold conference room. The McElroys didn't take kindly to traitors, especially ones with an intimate knowledge of their businesses, both legal and less so.

Normally not a nervous man, Sean McFadden couldn't help but pace the conference room. He didn't know what was going to come next, it was almost as if the Marshals were going out of their way to throw the usually in-control man off balance. Sometime later, Sean didn't know how long courtesy of the broken clock on the wall, an older man in a nice grey suit that was just loose enough to hide the service weapon that was tucked in the shoulder holster under the jacket. The older man indicated for McFadden to take a seat before placing the file in his hand on the table and sitting himself.

"Mr. McFadden," The older man spoke as he looked through the now opened file in front of him before looking up, his cool steely eyes matching McFadden's deep brown ones, "My name is Marshal Elias Greene; I assume you know why we are here?"

Sean just nodded, "I fulfilled my end of the agreement, and it is now time for you to fulfil yours." The portly man responded curtly.

"As you are well aware, your safety is in jeopardy due to your testimony. Due to the special circumstances surrounding your testimony, you have been assigned to an undercover agent whose purpose is to keep you safe in your new environment." Greene stated, not paying any mind to the other man's tone. "The agent in question will be in close proximity and undercover at all times. I trust you have already been briefed on the rules, but I shall review them with you anyway. By accepting our assistance, you wave all rights, privileges, and ties to the identity of Sean McFadden. You will have no contact with any one with whom you have ever been acquainted. This includes family. You are to maintain as low a profile possible at all times, and you will be required to consult with your agent of contact frequently to ensure you are staying within these boundaries. You will be assigned a new identity and job in your placement location. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir," McFadden shook his head as he ran his fingers through his greying brown hair.

"Good, like I said before, you will be assigned an agent who will remain in close proximity to you at all times. This does not mean that they will be at your beck and call, they will not be in your shadow, and they will have to maintain their cover." Marshal Greene informed Sean of the details including the possibility of an additional agent to also be eventually sent in. "The nice thing about where you will be placed is that it is a very small community and either agent will be able to get to you at a moment's notice if needed, not that we anticipate anything going wrong."

Sean was uncharacteristically quiet as he listened to Greene but was getting anxious to find out where he would be living for the foreseeable future. "If I may ask, where exactly will I be going?"

"I was hoping to wait for your agent of contact to arrive, but I suppose I could tell you what I know; you will be placed in a small town just outside of Hartford, Connecticut called Stars Hollow, which has a population of a few hundred people. Since outsiders generally stick out, instead of sending in two unknown adults with no ties to each other; your agent of contact is a former resident.

"You will be placed as a clerk in the town grocery and will be given a residence nearby. This will be your new identity." Greene turned the folder which contained Sean's new identity so that the middle aged man could see. "I recommend memorizing the details of this folder before you arrive in Stars Hollow; identity, background, everything, as you won't have access to it once you are relocated."

"Taylor?" The portly man groused, "My new name is going to be Taylor?"

"It's not negotiable." Came the stern reply, "Your contact as well as the location of the hardware store he will be working at is also included in the packet."

"Will I get to meet him prior to arrival?" Before Greene could give an answer, a sharp double knock was followed by the conference room swinging open, revealing a tall man with short brown hair and light blue eyes. Like the older Marshal, he wore as suit that bordered the line between following his natural line and concealing his service weapons on his shoulder and hip. "I apologize for my late arrival. I was making some last minute arrangements for the placement." The younger man, who looked to be in his late 20s or early 30's made his excuses before unbuttoning his suit jacket and taking a seat at the conference table.

"Will security be an issue?" The older man asked.

"No" His associate shook his head, "All they will know is that my father was in need of help due to his failing health and that I stepped up to help out. As for the other matter, while there may be some gossip about the new resident, it should blow over quickly. It usually doesn't take long for the gossips to find as new 'scandal'" He air-quoted the last word.

Greene just nodded quietly before turning to the new charge, "I would like to introduce you to your agent of contact, Federal Marshal Luke Danes. Danes, meet Taylor Doose."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Doose" Luke shook the man's hand with a slight smile on his lips, "I hope you like small town, USA."

"How old are you?" The new Doose asked incredulously, shaking the younger man's hand. "How do I know you're even qualified?"

Marshal Danes' smile shifted to a disgruntled scowl at the question. Greene, in an attempt to smooth over any rough edges, cut in. "Luke is one of our most decorated agents. He is a former Marine, has sharp shooter designation, graduated top of his class, and has a strong connection to Stars Hollow. All of this makes him the ideal candidate for this assignment. You will be in good hands."

The younger agent could see that Doose was not satisfied with this answer and groaned quietly as he realized that this could very well be his most challenging assignment. Not only was this going to be long-term, bordering on indefinite if he did his job right, but the man he was going to have to protect was looking to be a pain in the ass. "I'm 26, if you absolutely must know but that has nothing to do with my credentials, which are many. My primary job is to keep you safe while maintaining your new identity. I have never lost or had a charge injured on my watch. If that's not good enough for you, go back to being Sean McFadden, see how long you last." He growled out, crossing his arms impatiently in front of him.

Doose blanched at the thought of his chances of his survival in his former life, "No. I'll be fine."

"Good," Greene nodded, "There will be a transition period. So as to not arouse suspicion by having you both arrive at the same time, Marshal Danes will be sent out immediately. Mr. Doose, you are fairly well known within your former organization, which poses a small problem. We will keep you in a safe house for a few weeks while we make changes to your everyday appearance."

"What kind of changes?" Doose questioned, wondering how long it took to recover from plastic surgery.

"Nothing too drastic," Green smiled, reading the middle aged man's expression, "How do you feel about growing a beard?"