It was 3 A.M when he received the first call. Unfortunately, the events of the previous night had physically and emotionally exhausted him and he was no condition to answer any calls. When his apartment came alive with the brightness and song coming from his phone once again, he had no choice but to answer. He reached over to his nightstand where his phone restlessly continued to notify him of the call. When he was able to see who was calling, a sudden wave of energy rushed through his body and he was immediately on the alert. His thumb came into contact with the green rectangle on the screen and he raised the phone to his ear.
With his back now resting against the wooden bed frame of his bed he cleared his throat before speaking "Damon, what's wrong?" There was no good reason for someone to call him in the middle of the night, so he was expecting a mission or the notification of a disastrous event that effected the agency.
"Stefan, I won't talk about this on the phone. You need to come in ASAP so I'll be able to brief you before your flight in.." There was a brief pause and Stefan assumed Damon was checking the time of his flight. He was used to the late night phone calls and the missions he's notified that he would have to take part in. ".. 3 hours. Your flight is in 3 hours so get out of bed and start getting ready. I'll see you soon, brother." When Damon had hung up, Stefan wasted no time to get out of bed and start getting ready. His conversations with Damon over the phone were usually brief with his brother doing most of the talking and Stefan listening to his orders.
After splashing cold water on his face in attempt to wake himself up he dried his face with the towel and took a moment to look in the mirror. It was in no way an act of vanity considering that he's disgusted by himself. It was no shock that his last mission had taken a toll on Stefan and his appearance reflected that. Various bruises and cuts decorated his chest and back that caused difficultly to walk and breath. However, nobody knew of the emotional toll that the mission had caused. Stefan has always made it a priority during missions to not get emotionally attached to anything or anyone but it was impossible to not form a bond with Natalya. Stefan closed his eyes, knowing if he continued to stare at himself the anger would only build and he's already broken enough mirrors. Besides, he didn't want to explain to Damon why his knuckles were freshly cut and bruised. If Damon were to be made aware that Stefan was not in the right emotional state he would order him to go on vacation and get shit his together and that was the last thing Stefan needed. What he needed was a mission that would prevent him from thinking about Natayla.
With a deep breath, he opened his eyes once again and avoided the mirror as he dressed himself. His attire consisted of a leather jacket on top a white v-neck t-shirt, dark navy jeans, and black sneakers. If he were to be going to the agency during usual work-hours, he would wear suit, but considering the fact that there wouldn't be a lot of people in agency he took the chance to dress casual. After clasping his watch to his wrist, Stefan checked the time and decided to pick up his pace to avoid a lecture from Damon. He grabbed the phone from the nightstand and dropping inside his front pocket before walking out of his apartment and making his way towards the garage. As he walked his mind began to wonder on his new mission and for a split second he actually questioned his ability to be on a new case considering his current state. The thought was quickly pushed back into the far corners of his mind and he stepped inside his car without hesitation.
The ride to the agency took about 15 minutes and after showing his I.D to the security guard at the gate, Stefan parked his car in his assigned lot and stepped out of the car. He took a quick glance at his watch before walking inside building, he nodded at the familiar faces he passed on the way to Damon's office. Stefan could see his brother clearly sitting in his neck through the glass wall of his office. He took a deep breath before finally stepping into the office and meeting his brothers gaze.
"Damon." Stefan greeted as he took a seat on the chair facing his brother. Damon was wearing a light blue dress shirt with a tie hanging loosely around his neck. By the puffiness of eyes and slightly lighter dark circles under his eyes, Stefan assumed his brother hasn't gotten much sleep as well.
"Stefan, I'm sorry for calling you this early but this mission's been moved to top priority." Damon said as he slid a folder towards Stefan. "The NSA has notified us that Klaus Mikaelson will be at The Casino de Monte-Carlo alongside his siblings. The NSA suspects that the Mikaelson family has provided money for various terrorist organization in return for protection from The Secret Intelligence Service. The MI6 also suspected the family in the past and have sent multiple agents to infiltrate their organization but none have succeeded."
Stefan looked up from the file to look Damon in the eyes when he heard his last words. "You mean none have survived." Stefan watched as his brothers eyes dropped and his entire body stiffened.
"I don't want you to go on this mission, Stefan." Damon rubbed his eyes before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his desk. "It's incredibly dangerous and after what you went through in the last mission, I don't think your ready for this. Unfortunately, I don't run the CIA and I don't have the power to choose another agent for this mission."
Stefan tried to keep his cool and attempt to hide how his body tensed at the fact that his brother knew what was going on with him. He was stupid to think that Damon wouldn't notice but was glad he didn't have the authority to keep him from doing the mission. "I'm fine, Damon. I can handle it." Stefan didn't bother to make eye contact, instead he focused on reading over the few.
"Whatever you say, little brother." With a sigh, Damon leaned back on the seat. "Your main objective is to get close to Klaus and find proof that he's providing money to the terrorist organizations. He's known to get the money by hosting high stake poker games such as the one taking place in Monte Carlo. The CIA will provide you with five million dollars that will buy you a seat in the game and another five to gamble with. The NSA will also give you another ten million to get yourself back in the game if you lose." As Damon spoke, Stefan followed along with the words on the file. When he turned the page over he was greeted with a picture of Klaus and his family. Just by their picture he could already tell the kind of people they were and he already decided that he wouldn't enjoy being friendly with the family.
"In order to get on Klaus's good side, you need to impress him. Losing is not an option, do you understand?" Stefan nodded as his eyes continued to browse the files and absorbing all the information.
"There's one more thing." Stefan looked up from the file and met the famous Damon Salvatore smirk. "One of the benefits of this mission is that you'll be able to meet NSA agent, Elena Gilbert and let me tell you little brother, she's one hell of a woman. She's the only one who has managed to infiltrate the family and is now Klaus's lover. That wasn't her main objective at first, but once Klaus saw her there was no going back and I don't blame the son of a bitch." Damon reached over and slid another file towards Stefan.
The younger Salvatore placed Klaus's file back on the desk and grabbed a hold of the other file. When he finally opened it the first thing his eyes locked upon was the picture of Elena Gilbert. Damon was right, she was beautiful. "Klaus is a lucky man." Stefan muttered as he read Elena's file.
"Not only is she beautiful but she's also extremely skilled in martial arts and her shooting marks are off the charts." Damon nodded along with Stefan's words. "She's one of NSA's best agents and they think that by putting you on this mission you'll both finally take Klaus and his organization down." Damon replied.
Stefan closed the file and locked eyes with his brother with his lips slightly curled up. "I can't wait to meet her."
NSA agent Elena Gilbert was currently undercover for almost a year and it would be an understatement to say that she desperately wanted the mission to reach its end. Even though Klaus enjoyed her company enough to keep her around for such a long time, it was difficult for her to gain any proof of his association with the terrorist organization he was funding. It was only after he had gotten a few drinks in him that she was able to extract information but it was never enough.
A couple of days ago she was approached by another NSA agent and she was notified that a CIA agent would be joining the mission in an attempt to finally bring down Klaus and his organization. To say the least, she was skeptical but the NSA seemed to be confident that the two agents could bring down Klaus together and Elena didn't really have a choice in the matter so she accepted the new change. The reason she was skeptical was because other agents have attempted to bring down Klaus but none have managed achieve their goal.
With Klaus making the final arrangements for the poker game at the casino, Elena's allowed to roam the streets and take in the sights. However, she lost interest in the sights when she stopped the NSA agent that had approached her days before. Remaining calm, Elena walked towards him but stopped a few feet away to sit on the bench and open up the magazine she carried in her bag. From the corner of her eye she saw the agent approach her and she looked up when he was only inches away from her. She noticed the map in his hand and instantly understood his cover.
"Excuse me ma'am, do you mind pointing me in the right direction?" He asked as he raised the map slightly higher to cover their faces once she had stood up to meet with him.
"Of course." She replied. Once they were sure nobody was looking in their direction, the NSA agent secretly handed Elena a flash drive.
"You'll find all the information on the CIA agent who will be joining you. He's set to arrive tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. Detailed information on his mission is also in the flash drive and how you're supposed to act around him. That's all, agent Gilbert. The NSA is confident that you will not be undercover for much longer. Good luck." With that, the two agents shook hands in a friendly gesture but going their separate ways.
The flash drive inside her bag seemed to weigh a ton and it's safe to say she's relieved when she finally reached the hotel she was staying at with Klaus and his family. The Mikaelson's weren't always associated with terrorist organizations but after the death of their parents and income slowly decreasing, Klaus used the money that was left to build his own organization. As expected, his greed grew and the organizations that he was funding were extremely dangerous and thus he started popping up on MI6's radar. Klaus is smart and he's managed to hide any evidence that connects him to any of the organizations that he funds which is why he's managed to roam the world as he pleases with Elena on his arm. Even though she's gotten the opportunity to travel the world and stay in the most expensive hotels, she still misses her bed in the small apartment in Maryland.
When she started her undercover mission, her identity's stripped away from her and she's forced to become a whole new person. She was now Scarlett Davis, a young and carefree woman constantly looking for an adventure. Her personality and need for a good time was what attracted Klaus and Elena has had to keep up the act for almost a year. Carefree isn't a personality trait an NSA agent's supposed to have and besides, Elena has been the kind of person who prefers to stay home and relax not go out with her girlfriends and get drunk.
Elena opened her hotel room door and was greeted by her least favorite Mikaelson. She hated them all, but she felt a strong hatred towards the blonde standing before her. "Rebekah, what are you doing here?" Elena questioned, attempting to keep her cool as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"Klaus wanted me to come up and check on you." The blonde replied with annoyance lacing her every word. The only reason Rebekah hated Elena was because Klaus was showing more attention to her than to his own sister. When Elena was in the room it was as though Rebekah disappeared from the world and she's forced to act extra bratty to get her brother to notice her.
"I'm alright, I just went out for a little while to get some lunch and see the sights." Elena replied as she set her bag down and pretended the flash drive inside her bag didn't exist. She needed Rebekah to leave before she even allowed herself to think about the CIA agent.
Rebekah flipped her hair to the side and scoffed at Elena. "With that outfit? I honestly don't know what my brother sees in you and I hope he throws you away like the piece of trash that you are." In her mind, Elena pictured herself killing Rebekah in various ways and the thoughts almost made her smile.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Rebekah. I truly love you brother and I see a future for us." Elena replied, causing the blonde to look at her in disgust before storming out of the room. Elena instantly dropped her act and grabbed the flash drive. It was time she got to know the CIA agent that would be joining her. She sat down on the bed, inserted the drive on her computer, and opened the file that popped up. The first thing she saw was his name. "Stefan Salvatore." She murmured his name before scrolling down as she read his information. He was highly skilled in various areas of combat and spoke seven different languages. To say she's impressed with Stefan Salvatore would be an understatement. As she kept scrolling down her eyes locked on a picture of him and her eyes widened in shock of how hot he was. His features were incredibly defined and his hair was perfectly styled. The guy looked like he belonged in a magazine not in the CIA.
"I can't wait to meet you, Agent Salvatore." Her lips curled into a smile as she leaned back on the bed while she continued to stare at the picture of Stefan. For the first time in a long time she found herself wanting tomorrow to hurry up and greet her.