Hayley

A house is nothing more than a collection of materials. Its purpose is to shelter an inhabitant from the elements. It keeps their bodies warm, dry, and safe. A house can protect a person from an outside threat. The building itself is a stiff thing, cold and unfeeling. Nothing more than a hollow skeleton sitting on a piece of land.

A home, however, is a collection of memories. The very walls breathe warmth and safety for not just the bodies inside but for the souls who have attached themselves to its foundation. In a home - a good home - the body, mind, and soul are fed.

It was clear Hope had begun making this structure of brick and steel in Beacon Hills her home.

Hayley strolled through its rooms, taking in the home her daughter had begun building and had been forced to stop so abruptly. When they'd arrived that day, the front door had been hanging partially open. The entrance appeared fine; it wasn't until she, Elijah, and Klaus entered the living room that they saw the sure signs of struggle.

The coffee table had been turned on its side. Splintered wood and glass fragments lay strewn about.

Elijah had crouched near the mouth of the fireplace that held ashes and a few half-eaten logs. He'd narrowed his eyes as he picked up what looked to be a grenade. He stood slowly, removed his handkerchief from the breast pocket of his tidy black and white suit, and snapped it open before putting the item into the cloth. He folded it carefully and placed it inside one of the empty duffel bags they'd brought for safe keeping.

Hayley had been mortified to see the piece of equipment. The stinging stench of wolfsbane still hung in the air. Stale but still present. She'd had to walk away in search of her own clues, finding the weight of the living room too much to bear.

Taking a shaky breath, Hayley entered the kitchen and looked around. A small smile curved her lips. Coffee mugs on the little table by the window overlooking the backyard. It would have made wonderful memories...she trailed off in her thinking. It will make wonderful memories. Hope could still come back and fill this place with laughter and love.

She glanced up at the ceiling as she heard footsteps on the stairs. Hayley knew it would be Klaus searching the second floor. A part of her knew this would be a fruitless search. Still, they had to hold onto some sort of hope. Even if just a thread.

Upstairs, Klaus had stopped in the middle of the hallway. Broken wood covered the floor. He glared at the scene and moved forward, looking to his left to see the bathroom. Its door was missing from its hinges. He looked down at the wood below his feet. He couldn't help but smirk a little as he envisioned the scene. His Hope, fighting back, using a door as a weapon.

"She fought extraordinarily," Elijah spoke, stealing Klaus's thoughts from his head.

"That she did..." he murmured, walking past the broken door and disappearing into the bedroom, where he began tearing through. The bedding, the closet, behind the drapes. He was searching in the vanity as Hayley entered the room. She'd passed Elijah, who had been searching the bathroom.

Hayley stood against the door jam and pursed her lips, watching his manic energy. He had been so restless on the flight over, and now he was demolishing their daughter's bedroom. "What exactly are we searching for?" She asked gently. None of them had slept since the night before Stiles's arrival. Everyone was on edge.

The friction of nerves in the air was almost tangible.

Klaus stood back after searching every bit of the vanity and slowly shook his head. His shoulders slowly slumped as he felt a crushing weight lay on his shoulders. "I don't know..." he murmured. He knew they wouldn't have found Hope here, lounging on a chaise drinking coffee with a book. His instincts had told him they wouldn't see her here safe and sound. But, of course, Klaus had known that. But to have it confirmed in front of him was almost too much to bear.

He turned on his heel and went into the connecting master bath, but Hayley stood before him. "I'll search here," she nodded, knowing there was a chance they'd find some personal items that nobody, let alone fathers, should have to uncover.

Elijah stood in front of the mirror above the sink in the bathroom. Staring at his reflection. Despite his put-together appearance, he felt...disheveled. He adjusted a misplaced piece of hair, tucking it back into place.

Taking a deep breath, he turned on the faucet, wet his hands lightly with cool water, and patted the droplets against his face. Hoping to give some relief to the burning in his eyes. He turned the handle and sighed softly before opening the medicine cabinet, the mirror swinging away to reveal three shelves behind. A body spray, floss, and in the center of the middle shelf...odd, he thought.

With narrowed eyes, Elijah reached forward and picked up the contact lens case. He slowly shook his head and walked out of the bathroom, turning the item over in his fingers. Entering Hope's bedroom, he looked up at Klaus and Hayley. Hayley searched her private bath, and Niklaus stood against the wall just outside it. Staring at the room with distant eyes.

Elijah held up the little case. "Hope doesn't wear contacts."

Nik glanced up and furrowed his brow.

"It could easily belong to someone else," Hayley poked her head out of the bathroom, "Maybe Derek...."

Klaus cut in immediately, "Please don't finish that sentence."

Rolling her eyes, she moved forward. She took the case and opened it, but to her surprise... Elijah's suspicions had been rightful. Inside weren't lenses or even earrings she didn't want to risk losing. Instead, it was a small, circular black chip.

Leaning in, both brothers shook their heads in confusion.

"What is that?" she murmured, reaching her fingers in carefully and withdrawing it from its hiding place. She held it between her thumb and index finger, applied a little pressure, and it beeped. A circle of green lighting the outer edge of the thing.

Hayley jumped, the piece slipping from her fingers only to be quickly caught by Elijah. They all studied the strange piece, which they could only assume was a form of technology, with perplexed interest.

"Whatever Hope's use for this," Elijah began in a slow drawl, "It must have been important. She placed it hidden, yet front and center behind the medicine cabinet in the room she likely was in last. Given the way, the door had exploded outwardly. Perhaps I'm wrong, but perhaps not. I think she wanted us to find this."

"But what is it?" Klaus asked with a hint of frustration in his tone.

"That I do not know..." he handed the item to Niklaus and took his cell phone from his pocket. He paced the room as he dialed Freya's number.

"Elijah," she answered, and he quickly put her on speaker, "Have you found anything?"

Nodding, he pursed his lips, "Yes, I believe. Though we're not entirely sure what we've found."

Silence on the other line before she spoke again, "Go on...."

Klaus, tired of waiting, stalked closer. "It's a little black chip. When pressed, it...gave a...shrill sort of chirp. Now it's glowing green on the outer rim. It doesn't appear to be a form of magic. So what is it?" He asked, voice edging impatience.

"I know what that is!" Kol's voice suddenly sounded as if he'd likely been listening to the conversation.

Standing in the middle of Hope's bedroom, they waited with bated breath.

Kol continued. "It's a tracking device of sorts. Hope told me about it a few months before leaving for Beacon Hills. She'd been adamant it was a safety precaution. Something she could rely on outside of the realm of magic. She only mentioned it once, and I forgot about it since. The clever little creature," he chuckled, "The part you hold is the activator. The other half would be somewhere on Hope."

Elijah looked up from the spot on the floor he'd been staring at. His eyes held a new sparkle of determination. This...this was a leap in the right direction.

"We can track her," Hayley murmured, "Without magic rule stipulation."

Klaus nodded slowly. "Alright, then it's activated, but how do we know where to look? All we have is a little piece of plastic."

"It would be connected to her computer. Can you find her laptop anywhere?" Kol asked.

Elijah set the phone down. "Give us a moment to search," he said as he looked through the room that had already been gone through.

Hayley and Klaus walked through the house, entering various rooms. The guest room, the laundry room, and the cellar. It had been almost a fruitless search until they entered the downstairs study. It was apparent she hadn't made this room her top priority. It was vacant aside from a rectangular executive desk set in front of the expansive bay windows, which were decorated with a few fluffed pillows and blankets.

On the desk itself should have sat a laptop. Considering there was a sticky note on the side with a list of passwords. Hope always had been terrible at remembering those types of things.

Swallowing hard, Hayley shook her head, tears glittering in her eyes. "They must have taken it." The realization was a terrible blow. They had a useless tracker and- her eyes caught a glimpse of something under the desk chair. Squatting, she picked up a little purple wallet with a floral design etched into the faux leather. Hayley picked it up and opened it, brows raising as she looked up at Klaus, who still stared at the desk of passwords. His own expression was heavy with grief.

"Look." She said, rising to her feet just as Elijah entered the room. His expression matched his brothers. She held up the wallet and flashed the driver's license. "Seems Hope had a different unwanted guest in here."

Elijah leaned in, studying the smiling dark-haired young girl. "Allison Argent. Who do you propose she is?"

Klaus sneered, his dark eyes glinting dangerously. "Hm, let's pay her a visit, shall we?"