Queen Maker

Disclaimer: I do not own The Gifted. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Author's note: This fic takes place after Season 1 of The Gifted and contains a very minor spoiler, at least for that season.

*****

Lorna Dane watched from the shadows as her friends slowly got up, collected themselves, and then finally left, all the while ignoring the annoying voices in her head telling her she needed to go. She knew she should go, but she just couldn't, not until she knew her friends were okay.

Besides, the voices in her head were not her own, and she was in no mood to be told what to do by the Cuckoos, or Frosts, or whatever those triplets wanted to call themselves. Hell, part of her wanted to stay and get caught just to spite them. And because maybe she deserved it after what she'd just done, Lorna unable to stop her eyes from wandering to the flaming wreckage which was all that was left of the plane she had destroyed.

Suddenly a familiar voice called out, "Regret is natural, but beneath you. We both know you did what you had to do."

"I know that." Lorna snapped without bothering to turn around.

The familiar voice, which was much closer now, said, "Not yet. Not truly. But you will."

Finally turning around Lorna glared, "Are you questioning my commitment? After this!"

The blonde smiled softly, "No, but what you did, it wasn't easy. And it's only natural it would take a toll on you. But it will get easier, and the fact that you did it, proves that I was right about you."

"What about?" Lorna huffed.

Again the blonde just smiled, "You're a Queen."

Unsure how to take that Lorna just blushed and grumbled, "Erm, so which are you?"

Looking hurt the blonde softly asked, "You can't tell?"

"Esme?" Lorna guessed after a few long seconds, and then when the blonde grinned she quickly shut her down, "Don't look so happy. It was just one of you, instead of two, so I made an educated guess."

Undeterred by the attempt Esme teased, "Awww, that's cute, but the whole tough girl act won't work with me. Telepath, remember? I can tell when you're lying."

"Because that's not annoying." Lorna quipped, before sighing, "Look, do you want to wait around for Sentinel Services, or do you want to get out of here?"

Esme grinned, "My sisters are bringing the car around now."

"Great." Lorna said with no enthusiasm, following Esme out of the shadows before stopping her, "Wait, before I go anywhere with you, you have to promise me my friends won't get hurt."

Initially Esme opened her mouth to agree to that term as believably as she could, but instead pointed out, "You know that's an up to them thing, right? I mean, I don't want to hurt them, but if they get in the Hellfire Club's way..."

"What?" Lorna pushed, her eyes and hands glowing green.

"I can promise you that they wouldn't be killed. That's the best I can do, and you know it." Esme said pleadingly.

There was a long silence, and then Lorna grumbled, "I suppose that will do."

"Good." Esme smiled, and then again when a familiar black van came around the corner, "Our ride's here."

"One more thing." Lorna added quickly, again her eyes and hands glowing green as she stepped menacingly towards Esme, "Betray me, and I'll kill you myself."

There was a brief silence, then Esme laughed, "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Lorna grumbled.

"You're who I've been looking for." Esme explained as she guided Lorna into the car, "Those old farts funding the Hellfire Club, they think I want to be the Queen, but I don't. It's too much work. And I'm not exactly a leader of men. But you, you're royalty. And I'm not just talking about your father. Mutants would follow you just for that, or because you have his powers, but more importantly, you have his inner strength. You can command a room, if you let yourself. And deep down, you're willing to do what's necessary. I always knew you were, and you proved me right. Because of it mutants will flock to you, begging you to lead them, and with their help you could make a better world for all of us. Mutants, and humans. If you want. It's up to you."

For a few long seconds Lorna just stared at the other woman, then glared, "And what do you get out of this?"

"The honour of watching you change the world, like the proud Queen maker I am." Esme grinned, "And to be your right-hand woman."

"Oh, is that all?" Lorna mocked, "And what makes you think that I would trust you, let alone put you in that position?"

Esme smirked, flipped her hair and with a grin designed to make her new Queen uneasy told her, "I can be very persuasive."

That much was pretty clear, although Lorna didn't want to tell Esme that, so she just folded her arms and refused to talk again for the rest of the ride back to the Hellfire Club mansion. Unfortunately Esme didn't seem to be at all put off by this, and from the faraway look on her face she was probably talking to her sisters the entire ride.

Not that Lorna really cared. No, she was too busy hating herself and second-guessing her decision, and when they got back to the mansion she just wanted to curl up in her bed and go to sleep, or more likely spend a few more hours in her own head while breaking everything metal around her.

*

Lorna had forgotten that she had already broken her new bed, but when she returned she found it as good as new. Which made her wonder, had they fixed it somehow or was it just new. Was there someone like her already in the Hellfire Club? No, she thought, if there was Esme probably wouldn't be taking such an interest in her.

Then again, who knows with that girl. Or girls. Lorna was still a little confused about how all that worked. She tried to put it out of her mind, but the next hour or so she found her mind wandering back to Esme, which was extremely annoying. She told herself it must be the Frost sisters deliberately doing this to her, just like they had the last few days... only, why would they? Unless...

Hearing a knock on her door Lorna was initially relieved to have something to interrupt her thoughts, only for it to of course be a certain beautiful blonde, causing the green haired girl to grumble, "What do you want?"

That annoying blonde asked, "Can I come in?"

"Why? Do you need an invitation?" Lorna quipped, leaning in and slightly smirking, "Are you a vampire?"

The blonde smirked back, gently but firmly pushed her back and practically slipped her way inside while murmuring in a singsong voice, "I'm Esme, by the way."

"I know!" Lorna snapped, hating the way those words caused Esme to smile happily, "What do you want?"

Those words also caused Esme to smile as she thought about the obvious reply, before ignoring the question and telling the other girl, "I have a little gift for you."

Lorna had been so distracted by Esme she hadn't noticed the other girl had a hand behind her back, which momentarily concerned her until she saw what the blonde was holding. Then Lorna groaned, "Really, a crown? Really? Aren't you taking this whole Queen thing a little too far?"

"Honestly? I just wanted to see if I could get a smile out of you." Esme confessed, to her delight getting what she wanted, "Oh, there it is! Totally worth it."

Hating herself for the moment of weakness Lorna grumbled, "I was just laughing at how pathetic you are."

"You know it's pointless to lie to a telepath, right?" Esme asked softly, moving closer.

There was a brief pause as Lorna consider denying it, and then just sighed, "You know that's super annoying, right?"

"I've been told." Esme said softly, closing the distance between them before gesturing to the little crown she was holding, "Can I?"

Lorna looked down at the crown, and then scoffed with only a fraction of the annoyance and contempt she meant to convey, "Seriously?"

"I just want to see how it looks." Esme shrugged, gently pushing, "Come on, what's the harm?"

There was another brief pause, and then Lorna sighed and nodded, causing the blonde to smile softly, reach up and slowly place the crown upon her head. There was nothing playful or mocking about it as far as Lorna could tell, and there was this weird, rather intense moment right after it where Esme brushed a stray strand of green hair behind Lorna's ear and just stared at her for a few long seconds.

Then Lorna cleared her throat, moved back slightly and then turned to look in the full length mirror, a cutting quip on the tip of her tongue about how tacky and cheap the thing looked. Only that quip was quickly forgotten as she had to admit, if only just to herself, that she looked kind of good.

"See, a perfect fit." Esme smiled.

Yet another brief pause and then Lorna asked softly, "Is it real?"

Esme nodded, "To the tune of $30000."

"Fuck me, seriously?" Lorna exclaimed, "That's more than anything else I've ever owned. Combined!"

"So, maybe don't wear it when you think you're going to have to get your hands dirty." Esme suggested playfully.

"Wait, you're giving this to me? Seriously?" Lorna exclaimed in disbelief.

"Welcome to the Hellfire Club." Esme winked, and then when Lorna gave her a sour look she pouted, "Oh don't be like that Lorna. You can still save the world without wearing rags. Speaking of which, your wardrobe is filled with clothes in your size. Pick something out and join me downstairs. We've got some mutants to recruit."

With that Esme turned and left the room, Lorna watching her leave before snapping herself out of it and walking over to the wardrobe and opening it up to sure enough find plenty of expensive looking clothes inside. They were all in her size, and more or less all in her style, or at the very least something she might consider wearing, which Lorna couldn't decide whether was creepy or impressive.

Maybe slightly less so because she knew it was a result of literally having three mind readers at it's disposal. But still, the Hellfire Club was clearly trying to buy her loyalty, proving they didn't know her at all. Lorna couldn't, and wouldn't, be bought by pretty things. She was here because she had to be. No other reason. That said, the benefits certainly didn't suck.

*

Lorna spent an embarrassingly long time picking out her outfit. Normally that wasn't her. That was the kind of girly girl that used to make fun of her, until they realised they should be scared of her. But she had to admit, it was nice to have the time for that indulgence, and it was certainly worth it.

While all of it looked and felt so right on her body, there were a few combinations which seemed to be made for her. Which again, kind of creepy, but totally worth it for the feeling she got from looking at herself in a full-length mirror. And the look on a certain pretty blonde's face, as she knocked on the door and then walked in after getting permission and then looked her up and down.

Which made Lorna frown, and blush a little, "What?"

The blonde shrugged, "I just see why my sister likes you."

Still frowning Lorna guessed, "So, not Esme?"

"Sophie." Sophie clarified, before turning her attention to the rejected clothes covering the bed, "Been busy, I see."

Lorna shrugged, begrudgingly began to put the clothes away, and grumbled, "Did you want something?"

"You don't have too do that you know? We have maids. Just one of many benefits of being on a team with actual money." Sophie quipped, trying not to smirk as of course this just made Lorna defiantly put away everything herself. It did make her chuckle a bit, before she walked over to the dresser containing the crown and murmured, "Pretty... you know how much it costs, right?"

There was a brief pause, then Lorna waved her hand, causing a bedside drawer to open up in the crown to fly into it and then as the drawer closed itself Lorna quipped, "Better?"

"Not what I meant." Sophie quipped.

"So what do you actually mean?" Lorna grumbled.

There was another pause and then Sophie smirked, "Esme is really embarrassing us right now. Normally she is the best, and God does she know it. Infiltration, seduction, extermination... nothing phases her. Then you show up, and suddenly she's a big dork who's handing out gifts like candy. Like, geez girl, control your-"

"Are you getting to a point?" Lorna interrupted, shutting her wardrobe.

"Just that if this continues being a problem, we'll have to re-evaluate... certain things." Sophie said sweetly

Lorna got right in her face and asked, "Is that a threat?"

"Just a warning." Sophie said, "Trust me, you'll know if one of us is threatening you."

Yet another pause, then Lorna shrugged it off, and headed for the door, "Whatever."

"Also, if you ever hurt Esme, I'll kill you, and convince the Inner Circle that it was a tragic accident." Sophie called after her.

"You can try." Lorna singsonged, briefly turning to give the other girl the finger, before opening the door and startling when she saw another one of the annoying blondes, "Whoa, stop doing that?"

The blonde frowned, "Doing what?"

"You know what." Lorna grumbled, "Anyway what gives, I thought you were going to wait for me downstairs?"

"Esme is. I'm Phoebe." Phoebe casually explained.

"Isn't it the same thing?" Lorna shrugged, already walking towards the stairs.

"Yes and no." Phoebe said casually, she and Sophie following behind the green haired girl, "You know, the Inner Circle is pretty pissed at Esme for giving you that crown. They think she's laying it on too thick. Of course, they'd be even more pissed if they knew she wasn't trying to buy you off."

"Then why is she doing it?" Lorna frowned, beginning to descend the stairs.

"You can't tell?" Phoebe smirked, crossing her arms as she and Sophie stayed on top of the stairs.

"She's not exactly being subtle." Sophie grumbled.

As Lorna slowly descended those stairs and came into view Esme's mouth opened slightly, and then when she was close enough Esme murmured, "Wow... good choice."

"Thanks." Lorna said dismissively, and... was she blushing? Again? Desperately trying to distract from that she clarified, "Just so we're clear-"

"No one touches your friends, I know. I know." Esme sighed, before grinning, "There isn't going to be a fight, don't worry. I'm not even bringing my sisters, so if your friends did attack us, I'd be helpless."

"As if." Lorna scoffed.

"Okay, maybe not." Esme admitted, before teasing, "I would be out gunned, but I'm sure you would protect me."

"Don't flatter yourself." Lorna grumbled.

Which of course led to Esme quipping, "Telepath, remember?"

*

It was harder than Lorna thought it would be, and that was saying a lot. She truly, deeply loved Marcos. That didn't just go away overnight, but he didn't understand what she was doing. What she needed to do. And she was afraid he never would. Perhaps she should have been glad there was still love in his eyes after what she had done, even after it became clear what she was doing now, but it just made things harder.

Of course, it was foolish to think he'd make this easy on her, but she had to remain strong, something that Lorna reminded herself over and over again as he approached, not stopping until he grabbed her arm and tried to yank her away from Esme and their new recruits, as if it would change anything.

"Lorna please, you can't do this." Marcos pleaded.

"Let go of her!" Esme said softly and darkly, her eyes glowing blue.

"Stay out of this!" Marcos snapped, just before Lorna pushed him back.

"Get your hands off me!" Lorna yelled as she pushed.

"Babe?" Marcos protested, obviously hurt.

But not enough if she was going to let he was go, Lorna realised, so she told him, "I've made my choice."

"It's a bad choice." Marcos said firmly.

"We'll see." Lorna said dismissively.

"What about... us?" Marcos asked.

That was the billion-dollar question that Lorna had been trying to decide herself, and she had gone back and forth for what felt like a thousand times, but in that moment it was never more clear that he would never be okay with her choice. And even if he did, pretending to for the sake of their relationship and/or the baby, she didn't want him to follow her down the path she was now going.

So even though it broke her heart, she was going to have to break his. It was the only way to keep him safe. And perhaps more importantly, to stop him from changing her mind. But what could she possibly do or say to make him leave her alone if killing people wasn't a deal breaker?

Lorna certainly couldn't think of anything to say, but as she glanced around she thought of something she could do as her eyes fell on Esme. There was just something in the blonde's eyes which had Lorna re-evaluating everything that had happened over the past couple of days and suddenly she saw it in a new light. At least as far as everything with Esme was concerned.

She actually felt a little stupid for not realising it sooner. No, she'd realised what had been happening, what she had been doing, but she hadn't wanted to admit it. After all, Esme was manipulative by nature and a little flirting didn't have to mean anything. But, at least in this case, it did.

It was surprising, and exciting, and worrying, and most of all confusing and Lorna just didn't have the time to figure out what it truly meant, but in that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she had her answer to her previous question. Because she knew what she could do now to push Marcus away for good. Something which would break Marcos's heart and get him to leave her alone.

Something which at least one person in this room wanted. Maybe two. No, definitely two, if only for this one crazy moment. Something she could blame on needing to push Marcos away, if needs be. Perhaps something she'd do once, and then never again. Or maybe not. And admittedly, it would be something deliciously overdramatic to bring this awkward reunion to a close.

That thing? Lorna turning to Esme, grabbing her head firmly with both hands and then yanking her into a kiss. She didn't need to be a telepath to know that everyone around them was shocked, and if Lorna was honest she was shocked too. Mostly, because it didn't suck. In fact, it was worryingly good, Esme quickly getting over her shock and kissing back with skill and enthusiasm.

So much so that the kiss went on much longer than Lorna had intended, and when she broke it she needed a few seconds to recover. Also to stop herself from apologising to Marcos, who sure enough looked completely heartbroken. Then she forced on her best cruel smirk, And twisted the knife.

"Like I said, I've made my choice." Lorna quipped.

*

"Well, that was... eventful." Esme grinned teasingly a few minutes later once they were back in the van.

"You know that was just for show, right?" Lorna questioned, "I needed to make sure he'd stay away."

Esme cocked her head, then repeated, "Telepath, remember?"

"Meaning?" Lorna frowned.

"I know when you're lying." Esme repeated with a grin.

"You wish." Lorna scoffed.

"I do." Esme admitted softly.

There was a brief pause, then despite herself Lorna murmured, "You realise I just used you to hurt my ex, right? That doesn't bother you?"

"Nope." Esme softly smiled, shuffling forwards slightly as she admitted, "I'm a, by any means necessary, kind of girl."

For a moment Lorna actually found herself considering it, "How do I know this isn't just another lie?"

"How does anyone?" Esme questioned, before amending, "Other than me, or someone like me. But the rest of you? You just have to trust. And maybe you're not there yet, and maybe you never will be. But why should that stop us from having some fun?"

As she spoke Esme undid her seatbelt, slowly moved across to the middle seat so she was right next to Lorna, prompting the green headed girl to raise an eyebrow, "Really? Here? Now?"