Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or it's characters. If I did, The Originals and Steroline would never have happened, Kol would be permanently alive and happily causing mayhem somewhere, and Klaus and Caroline would be travelling the world and sexing it up.

CIA Headquarters: Langley, Virginia- 2017

"Sloppy." Katherine admonishes, whacking her on her left shoulder with her Escrima stick as she attempts to dodge out of the way.

"Sorry." She replies, slightly out of breath as their sticks clack together once, twice, three times.

"Don't apologise." Katherine snaps, one of her sticks flying right towards her face. "Do better."

Caroline lets herself fall into the rhythm of the fight as they often do, both of them stalking each others footsteps as they come together and whirl apart in a violent, blinding tempo.

She eyes Katherine off carefully, the other woman as tense as a coiled viper waiting to strike. An apt description of Katherine, if ever there was one.

Katherine's curly dark hair is pulled back into a single, long braid at the back of her neck, and in an instant she sees her opening.

They come together once more, sticks flying towards body parts, each trying to get the edge over the other.

They're fairly evenly matched, even if Katherine had been doing it for just a little bit longer than her. She was a quick study, had the ability to absorb things quickly. It's what has kept her alive in the field for all these years, when usually there's a short life expectancy in their realm of work.

Katherine whirls, her braid flying off her shoulder as she does so. Caroline steps under the Escrima stick that had been heading straight for her throat and grabs Katherine's braid, pulling hard enough to yank the other woman to the floor.

Katherine lands hard, sticks clattering out of her hands as her head connects with the training mat.

Caroline sucks in some much needed air as she regards the other woman, who's staring at her through a narrowed gaze. If looks could kill she'd be dead a million times over right now.

But instead of being pissed off at her, Katherine instead lets a slow smile creep across her face. It's equal parts terrifying and thrilling, because maybe she's actually done something right.

"Nice move Forbes. Dirty, but you can hardly expect someone in the field to play by the rules."

"I thought you were going to murder me." Caroline replies honestly, holding out a hand for Katherine, pulling her up from the mats.

"You're learning. I can't fault you for that."

There were many names for Katerina Petrova. That Bitch, the Bulgarian Widow, The Cavalry. But to her friends and allies, she was simply Katherine Pierce.

Before she'd worked for the CIA, Katherine had worked in Bulgarian intelligence, carving up a bloody path across most of Europe, quickly building up a somewhat terrifying reputation for herself.

Katherine was prickly and at times a stone cold bitch, but had also mentored her throughout her career. She credited most of her training to Katherine, and had honestly lost count of the amount of scrapes that Katherine had gotten her out of out in the field.

The story of why she came to work for the CIA is shrouded in mystery, and she's never found out the real reason why.

Katherine glances down at her watch, tucking her Escrima sticks under her arm.

"We should probably call time on this one. Nice work today Forbes."

She smiles at that, because Katherine giving out a compliment was rare enough as is.

Katherine straightens as they head to the edge of the mats where their gym bags are all in a pile, reaching for a towel and slinging it around her neck.

"Did you hear that MI6 is coming to visit today? Apparently Alaric is having a meeting with them in a little while."

She raises an eyebrow at that as she takes a swig from her water bottle, because that was certainly unexpected.

Intelligence organisations like the CIA and MI6 definitely colluded with each other, sharing information and the like. But for either organisation to willingly visit the other was almost unheard of.

They did their best not to meddle in each other's missions, even if their paths occasionally did cross out in the field.

"Any theories?" She asks of Katherine, who lifts one shoulder in a shrug as she slings her gym bag over her shoulder.

"Unsure. It's all a little hush hush. The only reason I knew was because I took a peek at Alaric's calendar while I was in his office the other day."

Caroline groans, because Katherine really needed to stop doing shit like that.

"Kat, not cool and you know it. Anyway, I'm sure we'll find out regardless. Come on. I still have to find a dress for the gala tonight and the rest of my schedule is clear for the day. You coming?"

Katherine falls into step beside her, arm slung around her shoulders and sultry grin creeping across her face.

"Lead the way Forbes."

"I still don't understand why we're here." Klaus grumbles to his older brother as they push their way through the doors of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Kol has stopped to stare open mouthed at the lavish foyer, and he can't help but sigh as he reaches out and bodily hauls Kol after them.

They all stop for the security guards who wave wands over their body, checking for any concealed weapons apart from the ones that they'd already declared ahead of time.

Once they're done, Elijah adjusts the cuffs of his Armani suit before turning to face his two younger brothers.

"We are here Niklaus because Tatia Petrova has gone dark, and the mission has clearly become too much for us to handle. Kol, stop gaping, it doesn't become you." Elijah turns his dark gaze from Klaus to Kol.

Kol, thoroughly admonished, rolls his eyes and shoves his hands into the pocket of his own suit. It's not Armani like Elijah's but the cut and cloth are still finely made, evidence of the money that the Mikaelson family were made of.

"Forgive me my curiosity brother." Kol replies disdainfully.

"Kol, I would be slightly less concerned had I not suspected you were working out the quickest way to access the weapons section of this building. Do not embarrass us while you are here." Elijah hisses towards Kol, who has the good sense to look apologetic.

Klaus just presses his lips together in amusement, falling into step beside Elijah as Kol reluctantly trails behind.

"Well they are trialling a new version of C4…" Kol mumbles under his breath, finally matching his stride to Elijah's, ignoring the somewhat curious looks that they're getting from various CIA staffers.

He knows that they make a formidable trio, both in the field and out of it. With Elijah's special forces his training, Kol's expertise in munitions, and his ability to get the job done no matter how bloody, they'd quickly garnered a reputation for being the best, and the most effective in the espionage community.

Elijah pushes the call button for the elevator, and out of the corner of his eye he sees a flash of golden blonde. He turns as they pile into the elevator car, and he stiffens as he hears a very familiar, melodious laugh float across the foyer.

It couldn't be…

Stopping the doors from closing, he leans bodily out of the elevator, eyes tracking around the wide foyer for the source of his suspicions.

It's with a growl of frustration that he realises he can only see the back of her as she strolls across the foyer, another taller, brunette woman beside her.

And to be honest, he doesn't know for certain that it's her.

Caroline.

"Are you quite alright Niklaus?" Elijah questions in a low voice as he turns back towards his brothers.

Elijah is leaning up against the back wall of the elevator, feet crossed at the ankle and looking the very image of poised and unbothered by the fact that they're currently running ten minutes late for a meeting with the director of the CIA.

"You look like you've seen a ghost Nik. Could it be the ghost of one night stand's past?" Kol quips with a smile to himself, probably mentally hi fiving himself for the opportune joke at his brother's expense.

"I'm fine." He replies stiffly, fiddling with his tie, stepping back and letting the doors slide shut. "Let's just get this over and done with."

Elijah raises his eyebrow at the sudden change in his brother's attitude, but perhaps wisely chooses to say nothing more on the matter.

Kol however, looks as if he's storing this away to revisit later, and Klaus begins to think of ways to creatively murder his brother if he ends up crossing a line.

With a ding, the doors open at the fifth level, and Elijah gestures for his brother's to lead the way.

Kol bounds forward, only for Klaus to wrench him backwards by his shoulder, the youngest Mikaelson brother yelping in consternation.

"Perhaps we should let Elijah do the talking, wouldn't you agree Kol?" He remarks smoothly as Kol agrees with a reluctant sigh.

The Director's assistant is eyeing them off curiously and not without a little heat in her gaze. When her eyes settle on Elijah she shifts slightly in her seat, colour blooming in her cheeks.

It still amazed him the effect that the seemingly stuffy Elijah had on women.

"Hello. We have an appointment with Director Saltzman." Elijah begins politely, planting his hands on the desk and leaning forward, just stopping himself short of invading the girl's personal space.

It was both an intimidation technique and a seductive one, with the aim being ultimately to get exactly what he wants, when he wants it, in the most convenient manner possible.

The assistant blinks up at Elijah for a moment, half in a daze before collecting herself and remembering her professionalism.

"You must be the Mikaelson brothers. Of course, gentlemen, go right through. Director Saltzman is expecting you."

Elijah just throws a smirk at them over his shoulder.

"Shall we gentlemen?"

"Remind me again why we're here? God I hate these things." Caroline grumbles under her breath as she hitches up the skirt of her Zuhair Murad couture gown as she and Katherine ascend the steps to the lavish city hall.

She feels like a old school movie star, with the silver sequin overlay in a chequered pattern over the gauzy skirt, her hair thrown up in an elegant top knot, and some burgundy lipstick currently coating her lips.

Katherine just takes a swig of her flask before handing it over.

"Bottoms up Forbes. You're here to support Elena as you very well know."

She takes a sip of the flask, nose screwing up delicately at the bitterness of the alcohol. She forces it down her throat, trying not to splutter and make her eyes water lest she ruin her mascara.

"God why did she have to get engaged to that prick?" She murmurs, more to herself than Katherine, who simply flips her skirt aside, revealing miles of tanned, toned leg as she tucks the flask back into where it was previously strapped to her thigh.

Katherine is dressed in a daring, scarlet red, and looks like a seductress sent from hell itself to torment the soul of every man in the building tonight.

'The prick' in question is Damon Salvatore, senator and all around arrogant asshole. But for some inconceivable reason, he is capable of loving, and has been utterly faithful to her best friend since he first laid eyes on her, eschewing all other women that had previously been in his life.

And as much as she hated to admit it, Damon and Elena were good together. Elena had mellowed out Damon over the years, and at times Caroline had even learnt to tolerate him.

And now with their recent engagement being splashed all over the papers, Elena had practically begged her to come tonight to support her given the current scrutiny from the press. She had agreed once she found out that Katherine had also been invited, along with a few of her other CIA associates.

Katherine as it turns out, had come from old money, and had donated substantial amounts of money to the foundation that Damon chaired, a charity designed to help get kids off the streets.

"She's young, and she's in love. Just be happy for her and try not to dwell too much on it." Katherine finally replies, shrugging out of her coat and handing it to one of the ushers. They joint he steady stream of guests forming a line to greet Damon and Elena before being swept off into the ballroom.

They only have to wait a few monents, and then they're in front of the Senator himself. Damon grins at them, bright blue eyes twinkling.

"Evening Forbes, Pierce. Try not to blow anything up tonight okay? Enjoy, bye." Damon says quickly, ushering them towards Elena before either of them can respond to his teasing statement.

She just rolls her eyes, air kissing each of Elena's cheeks as the two of them clasp hands.

"Care you look gorgeous." Elena pronounces, giving her a quick once over. "Thanks for coming." Elena squeezes her hand before turning to face Katherine.

She just watches on in amusement as the two cousins greet each other somewhat awkwardly before Katherine is moving to stand next to her.

"I'll come and find you later." Elena promises, giving her a smile and a wave before turning to the next guest waiting to greet her.

She's all smiles and charm and Caroline has to marvel at the transformation in her oldest friend, the healthy dose of confidence that Damon had given her. Okay, so maybe there was something positive about Damon Salvatore.

"Come on Forbes. Let's go take advantage of that open bar hmm?"

She laughs, letting Katherine pull her further into the ballroom and the milling crowd.

"Now I like the sound of that."

She's managed to catch up with most of her friends, which makes her happy given how little time she usually has to be social outside of work. Bonnie Bennett had put in a rare appearance, looking resplendent in a floor length black gown. She'd been off at university doing a post doc in Tulane, close to New Orleans, and she'd honest to god missed her so much.

Stefan Salvatore had also made an appearance a little further into the night, looking sharp in a Tom Ford tuxedo, hair slicked back from his forehead. Much to her delight he'd also introduced her to his girlfriend Valerie, a sweet if not timid girl that made him smile much more than she was used to seeing.

Alaric had crossed paths with her and Katherine while they were halfway through a second round of dirty martinis, asking them both to stop by his office in the morning, stating that he had something to brief them in on before moving past them into the crowd to schmooze with the elite of Virginian society.

As the director of the CIA, his presence at these sorts of events were practically expected, no matter how much he hated them.

It's when Katherine has left her for a bathroom break that she feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She's being watched, and she tries to stop her body from stiffening in response.

Bringing her martini glass to her lips, she tilts her head slightly to the side, eyes training around the ballroom before landing on a very familiar figure.

She almost spills her drink all over her skirt.

Because it's Klaus.

As in Klaus, the guy that she'd spent the most amazing weekend with two years ago, the guy that she'd taken so long to get over afterwards.

The guy that had left her high and dry without a word of goodbye. That Klaus.

His gaze is burning into her, eyes dark as he leans up against a marbled pillar, drink in one hand and the other tucked into the pocket of his tailored suit pants.

He looks like sin in a tuxedo, bow tie knotted at his neck, hair swept artfully back from his forehead.

What the hell was Klaus doing here of all places?

Klaus raises an eyebrow as his eyes flare imperceptibly at the familiarity of her, eyes roving lazily over her body, taking in every inch of her from head to toe.

With an easy movement he pushes off from the pillar, drink brought to his lips as his progress attracts the attention of more than a few women in the room.

There's something predatory about his gait, the way he practically stalks towards her across the room, looking totally at ease in another unfamiliar situation for him, because she's never seen him at one of those events, ever.

Klaus steps up next to her as she stands rooted to the spot, unable to move even if she wanted to. His elbow is resting against the bar as he swirls his glass absentmindedly in his hand.

His lips curl into an infuriating smile.

"Hello Caroline."

She swallows audibly, wishing that she'd had time to drink at least one more dirty martini.

"Klaus."

Time takes on a strange quality as Klaus drains the rest of his drink, setting the glass on the bar before turning back to her.

"Long time no see."

He's all flirtatious smiles and open body language, and is this guy actually being serious enough to think that he can just pick up where they left off?

"I'd rather not talk about it actually." She replies with a sniff, taking in his surprised reaction before he hastily rearranges his expression into a more passive one.

"Very well then. Would you do me the honour?" He asks instead, tilting his head towards the dance floor, where couples are already swaying back and forth to the live jazz band that had struck up a tune.

"Fine." She says stiffly, draining the rest of her martini and placing her hand in his outstretched one.

Internal her is probably really wanting to punch herself in the face right about now, because what the hell was she getting herself into?

Once Klaus determines that they're adequately placed in the crowd twirls her before pulling her closer into his body, hand drifting down towards her waist, grip surprisingly appropriate.

"So. Do you have a last name, Klaus?" She asks pointedly, avoiding his gaze as his eyes flick towards her in surprise.

She instead looks over his left shoulder, eyes landing on Damon and Elena dancing together, hands clasped between their bodies and heads bent in quiet conversation. It's oddly sweet, to see Damon like this with her.

"Mikaelson. I presume you're familiar with the surname." Klaus responds just as carefully, waiting for her inevitable reaction.

Holy shit.

She hadn't been in the espionage community for long, but even she had heard of the Mikaelson Triad, even if she'd never really seen pictures of them or had crossed paths with them before. Or so she'd thought.

The trio of brothers were the stuff of nightmares in the espionage community, operating with a ruthless efficiency that was enough to scare off all but the most hardened of criminals.

Elijah was the oldest, a British SAS trained soldier that was more often than not working for MI6 as opposed to the British army. She'd heard whispers of the sorts of training that the SAS put their potential recruits through out in the Breacon Beacons, and knew that if Elijah had managed to pass that, he was the sort of person that you definitely did not want to fuck around with.

Next came Kol Mikaelson, a munitions expert and the youngest of the Mikaelson trio. Kol was the brains behind the operations, the shadow that ran in the background, often causing just as much damage as his brothers did, if not more on some occasions. Kol had a knack for inventions, and some of his stuff had been patented for use, and came at an obscenely expensive price.

And then of course, there was…

"Niklaus Mikaelson. As in Klaus. God I'm so stupid." She says to herself, Klaus cocking his head to the side in bemusement. "Of course you're MI6. I suspected when we met, but…"

"You wanted to forget. For awhile." Klaus finishes for her as she falls silent, trying not to show just how accurately he'd guessed her thoughts. "Given that you were undoubtedly just finishing up a mission for the CIA."

It scares her a little, how accurately he'd managed to nail down exactly what she did for a living.

"What are you doing here Klaus?" She asks after a moment, eyes sweeping around the ballroom as Klaus moves closer to her, hand sliding from her waist to the small of her back.

"Official business." He whispers, breath hot against the side of her neck. "It seems that MI6 requires the assistance of the CIA."

She stiffens at that, sucking in a breath as she considers what that could possibly mean for her and Katherine.

"Of course, seeing you here was just a pleasant surprise." He continues smoothly, a charming smile in place as they sway back and forth.

"There you are Forbes, I thought you'd done a runner on me." Katherine remarks lightly, sweeping into place beside them, gazing up at Klaus in surprise. "Hello Nik. How do the two of you know each other?" Katherine asks in confusion, gaze flicking between the two of them curiously.

Nik? How many names does this guy have?

Klaus drops her hand immediately, bending down to press a careful kiss to Katherine's cheek, careful not to overstep his boundaries.

"Katerina." Klaus practically purrs in response, making Caroline arch a single eyebrow. "What a delight to see you again."

Katherine rolls her eyes, seemingly unimpressed by Klaus' apparent attempts at charm.

"I wish I could say the same Mikaelson. Are your brothers here with you? The three of you do have an annoying habit of all going where one goes." Katherine crosses her arms over her chest, tapping a heeled foot against the dance floor.

She's frozen to the spot, unable to move lest she draw attention to herself as Klaus squares off against Katherine.

"Charming as always Katerina. Elijah is with Director Saltzman, as I'm sure you've already used your unparalleled skills of observation to figure out. Kol is… around somewhere. And to answer your previous question, Caroline and I have crossed paths in the past."

She can almost see the wheels turning in Katherine's head as she stares at Klaus, putting two and two together as the penny drops, eyes widening as realisation sets in over what Klaus had just insinuated.

"Oh this is an interesting development." Katherine purses her lips, gaze turning towards her. "We'll be having words later Forbes."

She sees that as her opportunity to make her exit, because that was a conversation that she so did not want to be having with Katherine Pierce of all people.

Klaus just masks a chuckle as Katherine turns to him with a somewhat chilling stare.

"Actually I think I've had enough schmoozing for one night. I'll see you tomorrow Kat. Klaus." She farewells the both of them with a curt nod before drawing herself up to her full height, gathering her skirts in both hands and sweeping out of the ballroom.

She doesn't look back as she goes to hail a cab.

He feels rather than sees Kol sidle up next to him, drink in hand, hair ruffled artfully.

"What did you do to piss off the blonde one? She looks like a tasty thing." Kol pronounces with relish, taking a sip of his whisky.

He doesn't turn to stare at his brother, instead leans in close to Kol, fingers digging into his shoulder.

"Say another word, and I'll tear out your liver."

He waits long enough to feel Kol flinch at his words before he turns on his heel, stalking away from his little brother.

He needed another drink after what he'd learned tonight.

AN: And here's Chapter 2! The good news is, that this story is flowing much nicer than the previous version was. I have a somewhat clearer idea of how I'd like the story to go, as well as what the dynamics between the characters will be.

I've also really enjoyed writing the Mikaelson brothers this time around, as well as how they interact with each other. I just had to add in that last bit between Kol and Klaus ;)

And of course, there'll be plenty of Kol goodness in this one, because we all know just how much I love Kol.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts after Klaus and Caroline have come face to face for the first time in two years.

On another note, if you haven't already seen it, you have to go see Lion (the movie). I saw it today and apart from the fact that half of it was based in Australia, Dev Patel's performance in this was just stunning. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for Dev to take out the Oscar for best supporting actor, because he deserves it for this one.

See you on the other side, and don't forget to review!