007.

Gambit let out a low whistle when they pulled up into the garage. He took notice of all the luxurious cars and motorcycles, walking over to them. "Maybe this place ain't gon be so bad."

Logan was not amused when he laid a hand on his precious motorcycle. "Alright, let's go," he ordered, pushing Gambit into the elevator.

They went to the first floor where the kids were walking to their classes. Naturally all of them stopped to stare at Gambit. They were all curious as to who this Cajun man was, why he was here and of course, what kind of powers that he had. Gambit merely chuckled and gave a salute to a couple of them.

"Cute little rascals you got here," he commented.

Logan knocked on the door to the Professor to find Rogue and Kitty in the office. Hayley raised an eyebrow and Rogue merely gave her a pained look. She smiled to herself, realizing something must've gone down between her and Kitty and she was sad to have missed it.

Rogue greeted Logan with a nod and looked at Gambit who tipped his hat towards her. She seemed a bit speechless but managed to snap back to reality. When Gambit was looking around the office, Rogue looked over at Hayley and mouthed the word "HOT!" Hayley rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Ah, welcome back, Logan and Hayley. I trust everything went smoothly," Xavier said.

Logan glared at Gambit who shrugged. "Peachy."

"Rogue and Kitty, we'll continue our discussion later. You can go."

Rogue walked over to Hayley. "Details. Later." She gave her hand a small squeeze before leaving.

Kitty, however, lingered a bit, staring at Gambit who didn't really pay too much attention to her. Her lips curved upwards and Hayley didn't like that look on her face. She made a mental note to herself to let Gambit know about the people here, including Kitty Pryde.

When Kitty walked through the door, Professor told them to have a seat. Logan chose to stand. Hayley knew he thought Gambit would try to escape and he wanted to take precautions. Hayley sat down next to Gambit, relieved to be home.

"Welcome, Remy LeBeau-," Professor started to say.

"Gambit."

"My apologies. Welcome, Gambit to our school for mutants just like you. Here, we provide mutants of all ages a place to stay, food to eat and training to help you strengthen your powers."

Hayley looked at Gambit who seemed interested in the last bit of his sentence. "What I wanna know," Gambit said, "is why me?"

Professor smiled warmly. "Gambit, I see a lot of potential in you. More than you ever know," he replied. "I believe that you being here will benefit you. And I hope that you choose to stay."

Gambit leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "Well, I can think of a few reasons to stay," he said, glancing over at Hayley who blushed and looked down at her hands.

Professor ignored his flirtation and clasped his hands together. "Good. We have a room for you already. Logan, show Gambit to his room. It's on the third floor to the left. Hayley will let you know about the school and its rules."

Gambit nodded, giving him a cheeky salute. He stood up from his seat and grinned at Logan. "Alright, boss. Show me to my room," he said with a grin.

Logan didn't look amused but escorted him to the room. Hayley stood up to leave when Professor told her to stay seated. She remained seated and when the door closed, Professor spoke.

"What happened to your powers, Hayley?" he asked softly.

Hayley sighed. He was always a step ahead, thanks to his power. "I overloaded," she said. "We were in a room with these beefy guys with guns. I destroyed their weapons but I guess that was too much for me."

He looked sympathetic but there was a bit of pride in his eyes. "It seems as though your telekinesis is slowly but surely coming back, Hayley. Maybe a few more weeks in the Danger Room and you'll be back to yourself."

She grinned. "Thanks Professor."

She was dismissed and headed up to her room. As soon as she entered, Rogue pounced on her. "WOW, WHO IS THAT GUY?" she giggled.

"Are you aware that you still have a boyfriend?" she asked.

Rogue laughed. "Hey, a girl can still look," she said with a wink. "So spill it. Who is he? He's the guy that Professor wanted?"

Hayley nodded. She told the tale of their arrival to New Orleans, the dancing though she left out most details, their poker game and the fight that had broken out. Rogue laughed when she was told about Hayley's flirtation with him, just to get him knocked out by Logan and how arrogant yet how caring Gambit was.

"Oooh, girl! He seems pretty nice," Rogue said dreamily. She winked at Hayley. "I saw the way he was looking at ya. Do I suspect a little something going on between you two?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Okay you stop your thoughts right there. First of all, he's probably not exactly genuine with his words because one of his powers is a hypnotic charm. It's strong as hell."

"Any other reason?" she asked.

She looked away.

"Oh Hayley." Rogue's voice dropped to a soft tone. "You have to stop-,"

"Don't."

Rogue sighed. "John ain't coming back. I really don't think he is."

Hayley didn't say anything.

Rogue cleared her throat. "We should head down to dinner." She patted her shoulder. "And you'll need to keep your eye on that Kitty. I bet she'll try to make a play for him."

Hayley chuckled. "Why were you two in the office?"

"Kitty tried to make a move on Bobby again," Rogue said bitterly. "So I took off my gloves."

Hayley looked shocked. "No! And?"

"Well, Storm found us brawling and had us stop. Kinda childish that we were sent to his office but whatever." Rogue sighed as they headed out of the room and down the stairs. "I worry though."

"About?"

"About whether Bobby would go after her."

"Why on Earth would you think of something morbid like that?" Hayley asked.

"Because," she sighed. "Because Bobby can touch her, hold her, kiss her. He can't do any of that with me."

Hayley knew that Rogue was bitter with her powers since they first manifested. She was unable to touch anyone or else she would steal their energy or if they were mutants, their energy and powers. Hayley often felt sorry for her; she knew that she desperately wanted to be able to touch Bobby, to give him a kiss and be in a normal relationship with him.

"Don't even worry about that. Kitty's nothing but a whore. Bobby wouldn't do that to you. You know that."

They walked into the kitchen and helped set the plates for the kids. Once the kids were settled, Hayley and Rogue grabbed their own plates and headed off to their table. Hayley looked around the place to see if Gambit was here but he was nowhere to be seen. She frowned and sat down with her dinner and ate.

Piotr and Bobby walked over to join them at their table. Rogue seemed stiff when Bobby came to sit next to her and there was a bit of an awkward tension between them but Piotr and Hayley both did their best to break the tension.

"Hey, there's Gambit," Rogue said, nudging Hayley.

She looked up to see Logan pushing Gambit towards the counter to grab a plate. She had to chuckle. Gambit must've smartmouthed Logan coming down here because Logan looked like he was going to snap. Gambit grabbed a plate, winking at all the girls who were staring at him. His red eyes glowed brightly.

She saw someone come up to Gambit, her long brown hair flowing down her back. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Kitty Pryde approaching him, a smile playing at her lips. It frustrated her when Gambit smiled in return and followed her to her table.

She shook her head. She shouldn't be annoyed. She had no claim over Gambit nor did she want to.

After dinner, Hayley went out to the backyard, towards the bench that she and John once shared. They would always come out to the bench after dinner and as pathetic as it seemed, it made her feel like everything was going to be okay. She knew that Logan wouldn't like her coming out here but she felt like she had to.

It was a bit chilly but she didn't feel like going all the way upstairs to grab a jacket. She crossed her arms and sat down on the bench. She sighed as she pulled out the lighter. She flicked the top back and forth, just like how John would do to annoy people. It had annoyed her at first but now, not hearing the clink-clink sound made her feel antsy.

She wondered where he was now, what he was doing. She wondered if he thought of her, if he would ever at least call her to let her know that he was okay. She wondered if he had met anyone, met any girls. The thought of him with another girl infuriated her, especially since things between them hadn't been settled.

"Ain't you cold, beautiful?"

Hayley turned around to find Gambit approaching her. He had an amused look on his face. "Kinda chilly out here, duncha think?" he said.

"I'm fine."

Gambit chuckled. "May I sit?" Before she could even answer, he plopped down next to her and took notice of the Zippo in her hands. "Smoking's bad for ya."

"I don't smoke."

"So why you carrying that around for, belle?"

"Just like it."

"Ah, your little boyfriend's accessory." He snorted. "I wouldn't really need to carry anything around if I had you by my side."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "If this is your attempt at making me flirt with you, you're doing a bad job at it."

"Am I?" he asked in mock shock. He leaned in closer to her. "Well," he said, his voice suddenly low. "Maybe I should just come up behind you and ask you for a dance instead. That seemed to work."

She couldn't help but smile. "Whatever, Gambit."

He laughed. "Remy's right again." He patted her shoulder, leaving his hand there. "You should really get back inside, belle. It's getting cold out here and a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out here being sad and by herself."

"I can take care of myself," she said stiffly.

"Don't look like you're doing a very good job at it."

It wasn't his fault but Hayley felt herself snap at the comment about her. Just hearing it from Logan and Rogue was bad enough- she didn't have to hear it from someone who barely knew her. She couldn't take it in at the moment. She towered over him, her eyes seeing red. "Damnit, Gambit! Just leave me alone- why do you care so much?! You don't know me at all so enough with your stupid one-liners about my relationship!"

Gambit didn't seem affected by her sudden rage. There was a look of concern and care on his face. It caught her off guard. He merely stood up and bent over to pick up the lighter that had fallen out of her hands when she had gotten off the bench. He held it out to her.

"Belle, you should get inside. Hear it's gon rain." With that said, he walked back into the house.

Hayley let out a frustrated groan and sat back down on the bench. Tears stung her eyes and she did her best to hold them back. She gulped, trying to control the shakiness of her hands. Her whole body was trembling from anger and frustration.

She missed John so much. Only he would've been able to control her temper.

She just wished that he'd come back home. Come back to her.

Something hit her on the top of her head. Hayley held out her hand and felt drops hitting the palm of her hand. She scowled.

It was raining.

She hastily got up from her seat and ran back to the house.