Maria Lorde-Gilbert. The other adopted kid

23

Maria had slept in the next morning. Sara had stayed in bed but busied herself by playing with her mother's hair. When she did wake up she made her daughter breakfast and left her in the care of her best friend.

"Hey!" Maria called and observed her surroundings. She'd gone to the Mystic grill in an effort to find at least one Mikaelson. Just not Finn. She saw Kol on the ground slightly grey and veiny and Klaus, Elijah, Damon and Stefan all together. "Esther's linked you Mikaelsons together and Finn's offering himself up as dog meat to get you all killed."
"Yes. So I've been told. And you knew about it since yesterday, didn't you?" Klaus accused. "But you waited until today."
"Well I had my reasons."
"Or perhaps, you hoped you could wait long enough that it wouldn't be likely that we'd succeed in stopping her. Perhaps the only reason you even came to warn us is so that if we do succeed we won't come after you."
"Stop being so paranoid. I may want you to die, but I don't want to kill you."
"So why are you warning us?" Elijah asked.
"Because the rest of you Mikaelsons might not be so bad. I don't know you, and I definitely can't judge you or want you dead."
"Can't argue with that logic," Kol said waking up.
"Why did you wait to tell us? I mean you had a clear shot yesterday."
"Yeah, your mother linked me to her. If I told you- you would have killed her and I would be dead. I can't let my siblings lose another family member. I have people to think about. People who depend on me." She glared at Klaus meaningfully and he seemed to understand. He shut up then.
"What's different about it now? Aren't you still linked?" Elijah inquired. "I really hope you didn't come here to ask us to spare her."
"No, your blood helped me get a secure link to her and break it, last night/early this morning."
"So why didn't you come this morning?"
"Klaus. Your mother is a thousand year old witch. Even with help, it was exhausting. I didn't have the energy to even get to the front door afterwards." They all seemed to accept the explanation and the Mikaelsons took off. The Salvatore brothers shared a look before running off too. Maria felt like her job was done and decided to go home and spend some time with her daughter and Skype her little brother. Jeremy knew about Sara now, and though she wished she could have done it face to face, she knew the sooner she told him, the better.

As soon as she walked in, Sara ran to see her mother at the door. "Mummy!" She grinned. She wasn't used to seeing her mother this often or even living with her because she didn't understand that her adoptive parents were dead.
"Hey, baby." Maria picked her up. "Were you a good girl for aunt T?"
"Yeahhh." She dragged and giggled. "She made my hair for me."
"Did she do your hair? Wow, that looks beautiful. Did you say thank you?" Sara shook her head and squirmed in Maria's arms indicating she wanted to be put down. She ran to the kitchen where T was preparing food.
"Than you, atitee." Sara said.
"For what, sweetie?"
"For maying my hair." The child replied, unable to say the k'. Sara was unable to say a few letters in the alphabet, which was to be expected because she was barely 3.
"It's fine, sweetie."
"You are a lifesaver, Tiana Louise Bennett."
"Why, thank you Maria Lorde slash Gilbert."
"Mummy, where Fay?"
"Oh, Sara. Faith has gone to sleep. Forever, okay?" Maria had no idea how else to put it. Faith had been a great role model and mother figure to Sara. She'd looked after her, and adopted Sara as her own, well more like fostered, but didn't protest when Maria hung around all the time, and integrated herself into their lives. In fact it had been Faith's idea to teach Sara to call Maria Mum. She'd understood that Sara being in her life probably was a temporary arrangement and that Maria just needed to time to put herself together and sort her life out to make it child-friendly.
"So who wants some spaghetti?" T broke the silence.
"Me! Me!" Sara exclaimed. T was an awesome cook and generally cooked for Michael and Maria, the latter not being able to cook and the former refusing to.
"Whoever ends up with you will be one lucky guy. How is Jason?"
"Jason isn't the one. He's too picky about his food, he has a shower like every two days and not great in-"
"Hey hey. Kid in the room." Maria exclaimed. "Every two days? Ew."
"Exactly. He doesn't clean up after himself either. You know how much of a pet peeve that is to me. And he hates Ben and Jerry's, and chocolate. How can he hate Galaxy?"
"No way. But they're amazing. Especially minstrels."
"I couldn't stay with him."
"And you guys dated for like 2 weeks? How do you know he doesn't clean up?"
"I visited his flat for those two weeks."
"Right. Well you'll find someone. If not, I'm always available."
"Girl, you know you're my first choice." T winked, as she brought plates of food to the table.

"What do you say?" Maria asked once she finished.
"Thank you atitee."
"It was my pleasure, sweetie."
"Seriously, thanks. I'd burn the house down without you." Maria thanked her best friend. "Where's Michael?"
"No idea. He said he had to go do something."
"Oh, alright. So, whilst we're here. Want me to set you up with some guys?"
"Are they hot?"
"Of course."
"Then you have my answer." T said.
"There's Jackson, Carter, Will, Jayden and Levi."
"Hmm, Will sounds hot."
"Alright. Tomorrow I'll get to planning."
"So how do you know these guys?"
"Jackson and Levi went to my school."
"I don't want to go out with them. That's weird." T scrunched her nose.
"Kay. That leaves Carter, Will and Jayden."
"Alright. Work some of that magic and we'll see."