004.
Hayley's eyes slowly opened when she felt Logan shaking her gently by the shoulders. She swatted his hands away- she hated being shaken awake. She sat up right from her chair and pulled it up straight. "We're here?" she yawned.
"Yep. Welcome to New Orleans," Logan said as they drove down the busy streets.
"Is it always this busy?" Hayley asked, in awe at the number of people on the streets who all seemed to be drunk and having a good time.
"I guess so." Logan pulled into an alleyway and shut the engine off.
The two got out of the car and out of the alley. Logan, with his keen sense of smell and hearing, found them a motel room. The lobbyist kept his eyes upon Hayley who glared at him. He didn't stop until Logan gave him the look of death. No one could withstand Logan's death stares and the cracking of his knuckles which were loud pops, thanks to the adamantium.
"Go take a shower, get changed. I'll call the professor and we'll find ourselves this Gambit kid," Logan said.
"You really should break the habit of calling people kid," Hayley said as she grabbed a few clothes from her bag.
"I told you. Anyone younger than me is kid."
"Well that's not fair because you're like 200 years old. And if you're gonna call everyone younger than you, kid, well, you better start calling the professor kid," Hayley pointed out.
"Just get changed?" Logan huffed.
Hayley rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom. She took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was hot, just the way she liked it and washed her hair with the shampoo the motel provided.
She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her hair, soaking out as much water as she could. She wrapped the damp towel around her body and applied some eyeliner and mascara. She put on her clothes and wrapped her hair in the towel.
"Your turn, puppy." Hayley laughed hysterically at Logan's expression when she called him 'puppy'. It was priceless but he pushed her hard onto the bed. Still, it was well worth it.
"What did the professor say?" Hayley asked loudly.
"He's at some bar down the street," Logan yelled.
A few minutes later, Logan came out of the bathroom, clean and dressed. "Ready to go?"
"Of course."
"Now remember, don't use your powers unless it's necessary."
"And you remember to hold your temper unless it's necessary."
Logan rolled his eyes.
They ventured out of their motel room and down the streets. Much to Logan's dismay, he had to keep his arm around Hayley, posing as a couple because of all the drunken men out on the streets that kept approaching Hayley. Yet even with Logan's dominating appearance, the men still came up to her. It wasn't until Logan actually punched one in the face when the guys got the hint to stay away from Hayley.
"Temper temper," Hayley remarked.
"Well do you really want those guys hitting on you?"
"I didn't say 'Temper, temper' like it was a bad thing," she argued.
Logan rolled his eyes. "Sure kid." He paused, stopping in their tracks."You know, I don't know how you're going to get into this bar."
Hayley's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me, Logan? I'm 21!"
"What? Since when did you turn 21?!" he cried incredulously.
"Since two months ago." Hayley stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes.
Logan rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, definitely didn't notice." He chuckled and gripped her shoulder affectionately. "C'mon kid. Maybe if things go well with us and Gambit, I'll buy you a belated birthday drink."
Hayley chuckled. "Thanks, pup."
"Okay, you gotta stop that nickname."
"Well if you can call me kid, then I want to call you pup."
They walked a few more blocks down, still arguing about nicknames until Logan stopped them. "Here we are."
Hayley looked up at the bar name. "One Eyed Jack's," she said out loud. "I've never been to a pub actually."
"What did you do for your birthday then?" Logan asked.
"Midnight shots. That's about it."
He shook his head. "Definitely buying you a drink tonight no matter what happens." He pushed the door open, letting her in first.
It was a pretty nice pub, sophisticated and fancy. There were burlesque dancers all around, moving their bodies to the beat of the music. Several called out to Logan, dancing sensually to entice him but he ignored them, his head moving around to find their man.
Hayley avoided eye contact with the drunkards, linking arms with Logan. "Do you actually know what the guy looks like?" she asked.
"No." Logan whipped out his phone and dialed Xavier's number.
Hayley stood there a bit bored as Logan spoke on the phone. He hung up and sighed. "Well, Doc says that Gambit ain't here yet but he will be."
"Professor can see the future?"
Logan chuckled. "No but Gambit's been coming here since Xavier's been tracking him. Apparently, he has a score to settle with one of the locals here in poker." He led her to the bar and ordered a couple shots.
"So how long do we have to wait?" Hayley asked, sitting on the stool.
"As long as it takes."
The bartender didn't even bother to check for Hayley's ID; he looked terrified to be in Logan's presence. They clinked their glasses together and Hayley downed her shot. She made a face as the alcohol burned through her body. "What is it in shots that make your body feel like it's on fire?"
"Lightweight," Logan muttered. "Don't worry, we'll fix that. What do you want for a drink?"
"Blue Moon beer please."
He raised an eyebrow. "Thought you didn't drink."
"Just cause I don't drink doesn't mean I don't know drinks," Hayley said matter-of-factly. "I know Blue Moon is supposedly the best tasting beer."
He looked amused. "You really surprise me everyday, kid. I thought you'd want some girly drink."
"You can buy a Sex on the Beach after the Blue Moon."
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you'll even be awake to drink it?"
Hayley rolled her eyes. "We'll see pup."
"Listen to me, that nickname is not gonna work-,"
"Hush and just buy me the beer."
Logan muttered profanities under his breath as Hayley giggled, amused that she got the last word in. As they sat there, drinking their beers, arguing and talking about everything under the sun, a few men came up to her, asking her to dance with them but Logan scared them off. She laughed, shaking her head.
"These guys must be super drunk to want to dance with a girl in a Batman shirt," she commented.
"Drunk and stupid," Logan added, laughing when Hayley glared at him.
"Do you want to dance?" Hayley asked, nodding over at the dancefloor. There weren't many people dancing however but the music was enough to make her want to dance. She knew his answer would be no but she was bored of just sitting there and talking. They could do that on their long drive back home. She tried to imagine Logan dancing, dancing alone, dancing with her and she had to laugh.
"Kid, does it look like I dance?"
"C'mon! What are you, scared?" she teased.
"No."
"Fine. Then I'll dance by myself." She grabbed her drink and hopped off the stool, walking over to the dancefloor. She knew that he would cave because of the guys that would most likely follow after her. Logan didn't like guys approaching her or Rogue or any of the girls back home, drunk or not.
It worked. Logan was there within minutes after seeing a guy eyeballing her from the side. He grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her off the floor. "Alright, you've had your fun."
"I barely danced!"
"Well too bad."
"C'mon, Logan, dance!" Hayley tugged his arm towards the dancefloor and twirled. She did every old school dance move that she could think of in front of him- she just wanted Logan to loosen up and have fun. He was always too serious.
"Enjoying yourselves?" A very beautiful woman came off her podium and walked over to them. She had an amused look on her face as she looked at the two. She leaned down towards Hayley. "Not a dancer, is he?"
Hayley shook her head and grinned. "I just want him to relax and have fun. Maybe you can help?"
The woman winked. "I think I can do a little something."
The only thing Hayley regretted about this whole situation was not having a camera on her. The image of such a beautiful woman dancing with Logan was priceless. No words could describe the moment right now. For the first time since she had known Logan, he actually looked downright terrified.
"Go, Logan!" Hayley cheered.
The woman laughed at his awkwardness but didn't seem phased. She turned around to face him and looked as though she was trying to teach him to relax and how to move to the beat of the music. Logan really did look like a miserable puppy but eventually, it looked as though he was starting to calm down a bit and let the music take over. It pleased Hayley to see a small smile on his face as he tried his best to keep up with the woman.
"Mon cherie, care for a dance as your friend over there keeps himself busy?"
Hayley jumped at the sudden voice in her ear. She turned around to find a man with a fedora over his head, covering his left eye. His hair, barely touching his shoulders, stuck out from underneath. His eyes were red which surprised Hayley. She had never seen such strong red eyes before on a person. He wore a brown trenchcoat and his hands were covered in black gloves. His lips were curved slightly upwards, a small but seductive smile.
He held up his hands in defense. "Didn't mean to scare you, beb." He stuck out his left hand further towards her. "So what you say?"
She smiled and nodded. Reality started to sink once the mystery man drew her close to him when she realized that much like Logan, she hadn't danced with anyone before. "Um, I might be bad at this," she admitted to the man.
The man laughed good-naturedly. "Nah, joli. Seen you for a bit with that man," he pointed over at Logan. "Dancing seems to be your forte."
"Joli?"
The man grinned. "Joli. Pretty, beautiful."
Hayley blushed.
"Don't blush. Just speaking the truth." He smiled. "You ain't from around here, are you? So what's the name of a beautiful face like you?"
"How could you tell that I'm not from around here?" she asked in mock shock. He laughed.
"And your name?"
Trying to remember all the movies and TV shows she watched where the girl was put in a situation similar to this, Hayley did her best to smile shyly. "I'll give you mine if you give me yours first."
The man grinned. Clearly it was working. Either that or this guy was an easy target. "Belle, let me introduce myself," he pulled away, still holding her hand. He took a bow. "The name is Remy LeBeau."
Gambit!
"And what should I call you?" he asked.
She grinned. "I'm Hayley."
"Well it's very nice to meet you, Miss Hayley."
She giggled softly when he kissed her hand and pulled her back to him, twirling her around so her back was against his body. She snuck a glance over at Logan who was busy dancing with the woman. She tried to grab his attention but his attention was clearly on the woman. She sighed. Alright, play this one cool she thought to herself.
"So you here alone?" he asked in her ear.
It was hard to keep focus with his sultry accent in her ear and his breath tickling her neck. It was especially hard knowing that one of his mutations was a hypnotic charm. Hayley cursed herself and forced herself to not fall into the trap. "Mm no, I'm here with someone." She turned around to face him.
Gambit's face hardened a bit. "Your beau?" he asked. She could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice.
She shook her head. "Definitely not. He's just a friend."
The answer seemed to soothe Gambit because the smile came back to his face. He looked over at Logan and chuckled. "He seems to be having fun. Well, if you're going to be around in New Orleans for a little longer, maybe Remy can show you around."
She smiled. "That sounds nice."
They danced for a bit, flirting with one another. Or rather Gambit flirting with her and her giggling like a school girl. Their bodies moved in sync with each other, swaying to the beat. His hands remained on her hips, not going any further down or up. A gentlemen she thought approvingly. She giggled like a school girl whenever he called her a pet name but cursed herself for being such a child. Focus, Hayley.
"Wanna get a drink, belle?" he asked, holding her hand.
"Sure."
Suddenly Hayley felt herself being pulled away from Gambit and she knew that Logan had finally snapped out of his trance with the woman. He pulled Hayley behind him, glaring at Gambit who merely chuckled at his protectiveness. "Relax, I was just talking to her and maybe play a round of poker. Nothin' was gon' happen." He winked at Hayley. She smiled, knowing that he wanted her to follow his story.
"You better take a couple steps back and you get your hands off of her, bub."
Hayley groaned, shaking her head. She broke out of Logan's grip and cut in between the two men. "Alright, relax. He's telling the truth, Logan. We were just dancing, talking about getting drinks and playing cards. You like poker, don't you? You can join us."
Logan didn't let down his intense glare. Gambit held up his hands in self-defense. "You're more than welcome to join us," he said with a cheeky grin.
Hayley turned to face Logan. "See? He's a nice guy." With a low whisper that she knew only Logan would hear, she spoke again. "Remy LeBeau is a native here.. he's offered to show us around town."
At the sound of his name, Logan let down his glare. Only slightly though. "Keep your guard up, kid." He looked up at Gambit. "You any good at Poker?" he asked.
Gambit grinned. "Why don't we sit and find out?"
He led the way through a door. In the room were a bunch of tables scattered all around with men playing some cards. There was a small bar with a rather bored-looking bartender.
"Here we go," Gambit said, leading them to an empty table. "Anything to drink?" His question was directed more towards Hayley than Logan.
Logan shook his head while Hayley nodded. "Margarita on the rocks."
Gambit winked. "Coming up, joli."
Hayley sighed as he walked away. Logan snorted. She looked at him. "Now what?"
"That hypnotic ability of his is pretty damn strong if he has you wrapped around his finger," he commented.
She rolled her eyes. "That woman must have that ability too, since you suddenly busted out some moves."
Red in the face, Logan growled at her. "Just keep on doing that flirty shit with Gambit and I'll corner him."
"And how are you going to do that?" she hissed.
Logan couldn't answer her question because Gambit came back with drinks. He set the drinks down at the table. "Now what brings you two to town?"
"Friends," Logan answered stiffly.
Gambit nodded. He pulled out a deck of cards from his jacket pocket. "Now what are we betting on?" he asked, shuffling the cards.
Hayley looked blankly at Logan. He looked serious, more serious than usual and she knew that he was thinking of a plan.
"Money? Ya'll got cash on you?" Gambit asked.
"I'm afraid we'll be needing the money for our trip back home," said Hayley.
Gambit laughed and leaned in close to Hayley. "But why not take a chance? Maybe you'll come up with more, maybe you'll come up with less."
"Not much of a risk-taker," she replied.
He sighed happily and brought his hand up to her face, gently caressing her cheek. "Well, where's the fun in life if you don't take risks?" he asked softly. His red eyes seemed to be penetrating the depths of her soul. "You only got one life to live, beautiful. Take some leaps of faith."
"Ahem."
Gambit and Hayley pulled away from each other when Logan cleared his throat. He gave her a Look but she rolled her eyes. Gambit merely chuckled. "So, think of something..." he trailed off, not knowing his name.
"The name's Logan."
"Logan," he finished his sentence happily. "Think of something to bet on. Or someone.." Gambit's eyes roamed over to Hayley and she blushed.
Logan was not amused by his flirtation. "How about we make this more than money?" he challenged.
Gambit raised an eyebrow. "More than money?" he echoed.
Logan nodded. "Let's say if I win, then you-,"
"Remy LeBeau."
Gambit's eyes widened in fear and anger. Hayley and Logan both turned around to see a rather large and hefty man surrounded by even bigger, well built men. The large man wore a sharp suit, something that you'd see in those mafia movies. His eyes roamed the table, his gaze on Hayley longer than it had been on Logan. Hayley rolled her eyes and turned to take a sip of her drink.
"Well," Gambit said, sounding pleased to see him though she could see the strained look on his face. "Mister Naples. About time you showed up. Come, take a seat." He nodded at the other men. "Your boys gon play?"
The man Mister Naples nodded at a couple of them and two of the smaller ones took a seat. Hayley was glad to be sitting in between Logan and Gambit for the two men looked rather intimidating. She finished her drink and stared at Logan blankly. She had no idea what to do now since all they had come here for was to bring Gambit back to the school but now, these men had complicated their plan. Things were about to get interesting.
Logan gave her a look that said to play along. She nodded slightly and acted interested. She really had no idea how to play poker but it couldn't be that hard, right? She decided to watch the men play first and then figure it out on her own.
"You know boys, I think I'll just sit out for this round and watch," Hayley announced, getting up from her seat.
Gambit looked a bit amused. "Don't know how to play, do you?"
"No," she admitted.
He laughed. "It's alright, belle. You can just watch."
"And who are they? Friends, Remy?" Mister Naples asked in a rude voice.
"Guess you can say that," Gambit replied.
Logan made a sound but no one paid any attention to him.
Gambit split the cards up and the game started rolling. She watched as the men laid their bets- money down on the table and watched in amusement when one by one, the men called it quits and laid down their cards. She grinned when it was just Logan and Gambit against each other. In the end, Logan lost but only a little bit of money.
"See, the thing is, Hayley, you gotta act like you have the best cards in the world," Gambit explained to her softly. "Even when you don't have the best. Even when you have the worst, you gotta keep a poker face."
"So that's where the word came from," Hayley said thoughtfully.
He chuckled and pulled out her seat. "C'mon cherie. Play a round."
Hayley sat back in her seat. Gambit handed out the cards once again before Mister Naples stopped him.
"Actually, I'll deal this round," he said, extending his hand for the cards.
Gambit smirked and handed it to him. "If you insist."
"So!" Mister Naples said loudly. "What's the bet here? What are you all willing to put down?"
"What, the money not good enough for you?" Gambit said amused.
"Here's how this round will play out," Mister Naples said, passing out the cards. "If you win, debt's off. You're a free man."
Hayley looked at Gambit who looked ready to kill someone. He gripped his glass cup hard. "And if you win?" he asked in a low voice.
"Well," Mister Naples said with a grin, "Things will get interesting."
"Alright, let's play the damn game," Logan said, cutting off the angry tension.
Mister Naples turned to look at him. "And you are?"
"C'mon Mister Naples," Gambit interrupted. But the man wasn't listening.
"Do you want to make a wager of your own?" Naples challenged.
Hayley groaned. Men and their fucking egoes. She prodded at Logan. "C'mon Logan, don't," she coaxed.
"Tell you what. If you win, then you take the money. If I win," Naples's eyes hovered over Logan's watch. "I'll take that fine piece of jewelery."
Hayley took in a sharp breath. The watch had sentimental value to Logan. She knew that it was something that had come from his past and even though he couldn't remember, somehow, he knew it was important.
But Logan was not one to back down from a challenge. "Let's deal."
Hayley groaned and took a look at her cards. She knew nothing about the value of each one but decided to do what Gambit said. Poker face. She put down a couple dollar bills in the middle of the table.
But eventually she bailed out. The other men bailed out as well, leaving only Logan, Naples and Gambit at the table. Challenging stares and words flew out of their mouths as time went on. Quite frankly Hayley was tired of watching. This wasn't supposed to be part of the plan.
She got up from her seat to go use the restroom but she felt a rough hand wrap around her wrist. She turned around to find one of Naples's men glaring at her. She glared back and tried to pull out of his grip. "What the hell, let go of me!" she hissed.
Logan and Gambit both stood up from their seats, angry and ready to rescue her but Naples still remained in his chair, casually glancing over at his cards.
"No one leaves the room during a game, little lady," he said dryly.
Hayley rolled her eyes. "That's bullshit, I have to pee!"
"And that's not exactly lady mannerisms."
"Let go of her, bub," Logan said warningly, fists clenched. He stood up from his seat.
Suddenly all of Naples's men withdrew guns hidden in their jacket pockets. They pointed the guns at them, ready to pull the trigger when the order was given. Gambit glared at Naples.
"Leave those two out of this. They ain't got nothing to do with us," he growled.
Naples stood up from his seat, taking the money from off the table. He snorted with laughter.
"You brought them here, Remy." Naples grinned. He nodded towards his men.
But Hayley shut her eyes and concentrated on making the guns disentregrate. She had the image of the guns exploding into a million pieces, turning into ashes on the floor and she focused on turning that image into reality. She knew it was a bit of a stretch to destroy at least fifteen guns at once but she had to try. Logan would be fine dealing with guns but she and Gambit wouldn't be.
"What the hell!"
There were loud explosions as each gun popped into ashes and fell to the floor. The man let go of Hayley, in awe and shock at what had just happened. She ran towards Logan who embraced her and then pushed her back behind him. She turned around to face Gambit whose jaw dropped.
"You did that?" he whispered quickly.
But there was no time for explanations. Naples was in shock and furious at what happened.
"Finish them off! I don't want them out of here alive!" he barked.
The men circled them, ready to attack. They flexed their muscles and punched their fists into their palms. But Hayley and Logan smiled at each other. Without their weapons, they were hopeless.
"Ready to rumble, kid?" Logan asked, his knives coming out of skin.
"Born ready."