Lee was at work, on the Haven building, when she heard some of her co-workers growing rather shocked and excited about something.

”You've got to come see this!” she heard one of them saying. Whether they were talking to her or not, Lee wasn't really sure, but she never had been one for those viral videos everyone always seemed interested in.

”Apparently they've been going at it for hours now.”

Finally, Lee gave in and stood up. Maybe if she saw what they were talking about, she'd have an easier time ignoring them so she could get some actual work done.

But she froze as soon as she saw what was on the computer monitor, her eyes widening in shock and fear. She only stood there for a couple of seconds, then she was turning, pushing past the people trying to see the fight, as she ran back to her desk.

”Lee, are you ok?”

Lee wasn’t sure who it was that spoke; it really didn’t matter. ”That’s my boyfriend,” she said over her shoulder as she grabbed her coat and purse from her desk, not bothering to waste the time putting them on yet. There would be plenty of time for that while she waited impatiently in the elevator.

”Your boyfriend? Wait, which one?”

Lee didn’t even bother answering that question, she was already running toward the elevator. Though, if she had been on a lower floor, Lee would have just taken the stairs. But with what she saw, who she saw, Lee knew that while she needed to get to the gym as quickly as possible, she also needed to conserve her energy. Who knew what she was going to be walking into by the time she got there, after all.

Finally down at street level, Lee grabbed a cab, something that she didn’t normally do. But Lee knew that with conserving energy (and not making a spectacle of herself as well), the cab would be faster as long as traffic wasn’t too horrible. And if traffic did get bad, she could always get out and go the rest of the way on foot.

It took much longer than Lee would have liked, though the drive was faster than she would have normally walked there. Tossing money over the seat to the driver, Lee jumped out and ran into the gym.

Only to not find Blaine or the other man anywhere. Panic was starting to set in at this point, where was Blaine and what had that man done to him? It took a while, but finally Lee found someone who knew more than just that the fight was ‘epic’. Someone had taken him to the clinic.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the panic abating but the worry still there, Lee rushed out of the gym and down the street. At least the clinic wasn’t far from the gym. It took some arguing with the woman at the front counter, but after claiming to be Blaine’s wife, she was finally allowed into the back and directed to the bed he was in.

Pulling the curtain back, Lee stopped and just stood there for a moment looking at Blaine. She didn’t even realize that tears were forming in her eyes. ”Oh my god, Blaine,” Lee breathed, stepping forward to the side of his bed. ”Are you ok? What the hell did he want?”

Blaine's head had been reeling ever since he'd been escorted to the clinic. His pride had been thoroughly shattered, and his emotions had been completely wrecked. He could see the man's face; hear his words as plain as day echoing in his head.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he'd gone from a bed, to sitting in a chair. But he then opted back for the bed. He just needed to lie down after what he'd been through.

His breathing was normal, and he was still hooked up to the basic monitors, just in case. Is this what his opponents felt when they faced him? Is this what it's like?

If it was, then Blaine was starting to understand why the Omega Fighting Corporation didn't allow...people like him. But it wasn't the loss that got to Blaine. He'd lost before. He hated it, but this was...different. This guy knew him. Claimed to be him...

And whoever it really was claimed to be better than him. And from the looks of it....that was true. The guy had claimed he was trying to unlock his true potential. And that his holding back--his looking out for the other guy--was his weakness. And yet he still didn't know the short haired guy's angle.

When Lee came in, he didn't notice at first. His face was pretty beaten up, and the look on his face was pained, though it was a different pain that ached him.

"I'm as okay as I possibly could be right now. Nothing major, nothing broken..." he replied, but even his voice was different. It lacked the confidence, the boldness that it was usually laced with. "I...don't know what he wanted. Said something about me holding back before using an illegal chokehold. Something about wanting to 'unlock my potential...'"

He closed his eyes, not once looking at Lee. The man lying in the bed was not Lee's usual Blaine. This...was a defeated man.

Blaine didn't notice her right away. Not very surprising, Lee thought. She hadn't seen much more of the fight than to simply see who was fighting, but Lee had sparred with Blaine before, she knew what that felt like and she could see the shape that he was currently in.

But even after she had spoken, and he had replied, Blaine still want looking at her. And his voice sounded different. Not as if it was someone other than her Blaine laying there on the bed. No, she recognized this lack of eye contact and tone of voice from a very different situation, namely after Tarin's merges. Lee had thought that she was done with this type of situation when she and Tarin had divorced. It certainly wasn't a normal situation for people to find themselves in afterall.

As she listened to what Blaine was saying, watched as he avoided looking at her, Lee sat carefully on the edge of the bed. Then reached out slowly to brush some stray hairs off of Blaine's face. ”The checked everything?” Lee asked softly but the concern evident in her voice.

After sitting for another minute in silence, Lee put her hand on Blaine's cheek and gently turned his head towards her. ”Look at me, Blaine,” Lee said to him, a firmness in her quiet voice. ”I promise we will get through this, but you can't shut me out.”

"Yeah...they checked everything..." he murmured, defeat still in his voice as he opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw the other man's face. That confident smirk plastered on his face as Blaine looked up at him, the ring still spinning around him. He still heard the words echoing in his head.

But those words melted away when Lee spoke again. He looked at her, as instructed, but he grimaced a little. "I'm not shutting anyone out. I just...I don't know what to do here. He pointed out what I thought was a unique quality, what I thought made me a good person, and told me it was a weakness..."

He sighed deeply, sitting up in bed as he continued to look at her. "He had the same mutation I do. But he was....ruthless. Like he didn't care about rules, or about me, or any of that. He just didn't seem to care. Like...he was empty inside. His eyes....they were soulless..."

He shook his head. "I can't believe I let a bastard like that beat me...."

Lee nodded when Blaine said that they had checked everything. That was good, very good. He had dealt with this much longer than she had obviously, so if he said that they’d checked everything, she would take his word for it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to check with the nurse to find out the extent of his injuries, but there was not reason to push getting Blaine checked over more.

At least he turned to look at her. That meant that Lee wasn’t going to force it, which was good, maybe things weren’t as bad as she feared.

Except, Lee realized as Blaine spoke, maybe things were that bad. Sure, he wasn’t shutting her out and withdrawing, but that wasn’t enough to mean Blaine was alright.

”You didn’t let him do anything,” Lee said, her voice louder and firmer than it had been since she had laid her eyes on Blaine in that bed. ”He may look like you, have the same mutation, but that doesn’t make him anything like you, he’s not the same as you.

“And believe me, caring is not a weakness,” Lee said, reaching her hand out to gently rest on Blaine’s less bruised cheek, her voice softening slightly again. ”It means you have a reason to fight, you have more to live for. And it makes you the man I fell in love with.”

He looked down at the floor, burying his head in his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. His body shook a little, but it was nothing like those two occasions where he could actually feel. This was something that started at his core, that he couldn't control, and that he didn't even realize he was doing. His hair just hung down by his face as he looked down--somewhere down the line he'd lost the band that was keeping his ponytail in place. Maybe it'd gotten broken during the fight or something, he really didn't know. Now that he cared about a freaking hair tie at a time like this.

"It sure felt like it..." he said quietly. "It seemed like everything I did, he either countered it, or absorbed it like it was nothing..." Biting his lip, he looked up at her.

"Is that what it's like to fight me? Feeling helpless? Like nothing you do is going to be good enough? I felt like I was fighting a machine or something..." His breath shook as he spoke, his steel-blue eyes showing something they hadn't before.

He leaned into her hand, closing his eyes again as tears stained his eyes. She was in love with him. He knew that, but for some reason hearing her say it...it was what he needed. And though he wouldn't say this...he was feeling like maybe the fight had been taken out of him.

Even with what she said, her hand on his cheek, Blaine was looking lost, hopeless, defeated. And he was shaking. Scooting closer to him, Lee wrapped her arms around him, just holding him for a few moments before she spoke.

”I know I didn't feel that way,” Lee told him, her voice soft again as she sat there with her arms still around Blaine. ”But if that was you're first real fight, and sparring or fights with officials standing by don't count…”

Lee paused as she closed her eyes as well, taking a breath before continuing. ”Those can be terrifying, even if you don’t feel it at the time. And it’s even worse if you’re against another mutant.”

Taking another deep breath, Lee leaned back from Blaine so she could look at him. ”Like I said, we’ll get through this and figure out what’s going on,” she told him, brushing his hair back away from his face.

Lee didn't feel that way? Yeah, but she was different. It was a good different, but she was sort of biased, when one thought about it. He nodded, his face still defeated. "Yeah, but most people wouldn't fight me outside of those conditions. You've seen about ninety percent of the drunks at work back off easily," he argued, though not really arguing; more or less just stating a point. But they were going to get through it, they always did.

He wrapped his arms around Lee in return, holding her close. He did love that she was there for him; even though he hated the fact that he needed someone there at all...he was glad she was there, however. He may have been stubborn, and he may have hated it, but he wasn't so stubborn that he didn't recognize when he needed help.

At that moment, a short, older lady with streaks of grey in her curly red hair. She smiled at the two of them. "You're all set to go, Blaine, she said, her voice soft, but rather informal, when one thought about it. "Make sure you get plenty of rest, and there's a prescription called into the pharmacy nearby. Not that you ever get it, but it's better to be safe, right?"

She looked over at Lee. "Oh, you must be the 'wife' I heard so much about, she said even more quietly, adding a wink at the end. "You take good care of my favorite patient, you hear?" she added before turning to walk away.

"Thanks, Marge," Blaine said with a soft smile before standing up and taking the IV out of his arm. For some reason, he always preferred to do that. "Ready to get outta here?" he asked. His voice was somewhat shaky. Honestly....he really didn't want to go outside...

As Blaine spoke, Lee realized that he really didn’t understand what type of situation she was talking about. He thought that dealing with the drunks at the bar was a real ‘fight’. She took a breath as she just looked at him. She may have to actually explain it, tell him some of the stuff she had hinted at months earlier when she’d alluded to how f***ed up her life had been, but this was not the right time or place. Blaine was still too thrown off and lost looking after what had happened, plus though it felt private with the curtain drawn around the bed, the clinic was far too public for Lee to be going into any details.

At least he was hugging her back. As bad as Blaine was feeling, as bad as the situation was, Lee couldn’t help but think that at least this was going to make it a bit easier; she wasn’t going to have to break down a mental and emotional wall before he’d talk to her, let her in.

Right about then, Lee sensed someone approaching, and she loosened her arms from around Blaine, turning to see an older woman stepping through the curtain. He was good to go. Lee nodded at that, a bit relieved; if he was being allowed to leave like this, with simply having a prescription to be filled, there obviously wasn’t anything seriously wrong with him.

”He’ll get it this time,” Lee said, referring to the prescription that had been called to the pharmacy. And even though she was sure Blaine would argue even that, never mind actually taking any of the pills, Lee was going to make sure it was at least available.

Then the woman actually looked at her, and Lee realized from the wink that she obviously didn’t believe she was Blaine’s wife as she had claimed to get in. And that she didn’t really care. ”Don’t worry, he’s in good hands,” Lee replied, giving the woman as much of a smile as she was able to given the circumstances. ”Thank you for checking him, making sure he’s alright.”

As the woman walked away, Lee turned back to Blaine just in time to see him yanking his IV out of his arm. ”Oh Blaine…” Lee breathed, slipping off the bed and moving to a nearby table that held some medical supplies. Grabbing gauze, Lee opened the package as she turned back to Blaine, using the gauze to wipe the small amount of blood from his arm. ”I am ready,” she said, looking up at Blaine. Then dropped her eyes back to his arm to see if the bleeding had stopped. ”But try to be a bit more careful? You know I don’t like seeing you bleed…”

Blaine was glad that Lee was there, honestly. He didn't know what he'd do without her. He didn't want to go outside, but he wanted to go home; it was an odd feeling, but as long as she was there, he figured it would be okay. He didn't think that the other guy was going to hunt him down, but...the man's face, his voice still haunted him.

Marge gave a nod, smiling softly. Something about Blaine's 'wife' told the older woman that even though Blaine was in an emotional shape that she had never seen before, her favorite patient was indeed in good hands. "It's what I do, Hun," she said softly with a smile; the woman loved caring for mutants; they were a special bunch. Mostly misunderstood, just needed a little tender loving care, was all. She walked out of the area, going to check on her other patients. She knew Blaine was going to be okay, though the pain meds she described weren't for his pain. She knew he wouldn't need that. His prescription was to ease his mind. His emotions, but at the same time, they would ease any pain or swelling.

Blaine looked over at Lee, confused as Lee breathed "Oh, Blaine..." then doctored up his arm.

"What? I always....nevermind," he said with a soft smile, taking her hand. "I will," he promised, as he walked out of the room, leading her out of the building; it was obvious he was a regular here; he knew his way around the building about as well as he knew his way around his apartment. He walked in silence for the most part; unsure of what to say, what to do. Really, he just wanted to get home and relax. Maybe open a few beers.

Though Marge claimed that it was just what she did, maybe not quite the same as doing her job, Lee was glad. Not just glad that she had been here today to help Blaine, to check him over for injuries, bit every time that he had come in on the past. Because patching up the obvious injuries was one thing, but making sure that he wasn't hurt anywhere else that he wasn't aware of was really beyond the call.

But Blaine was ready to go, so as soon as she was satisfied with his arm from where he had gotten his IV out, Lee grabbed Blaine's bag from where she saw it on a nearby chair and handed his coat over before taking his hand and letting him lead her outside.

Lee definitely didn’t miss Blaine’s hesitation before they stepped outside. But she wasn’t going to mention it, not right now. They had enough to deal with, and the fact was that Blaine did walk outside.

It really didn’t take long to get to the pharmacy, at least Blaine knew where it was even if he apparently hadn’t filled any of his prescriptions before today. As they walked in, Lee saw a clock behind the counter and realized that with getting Blaine home, she wasn’t going to be able to make it in time to grab Kevin. Pulling her phone out so she could send Tarin a quick text to see if he could grab their son, Lee was surprised to see the number of messages she had from Skye.

”Skye saw it, too…” Lee said softly as she typed out a quick reply, telling the girl that her uncle was ok. ”She’s worried.”

At least they didn’t have to wait for the prescription, and after tucking her phone away once more, Lee paid and then led Blaine back out to the street. ”What do you think about heading to my place after you get cleaned up?” Lee asked quietly after they had been walking in silence for a few minutes.

Blaine smiled as Marge left, and he saw Lee grab his things and hand him his jacket. Yeah, that didn't look out of place at all; a guy with a red nose and a bruised face wearing a leather jacket and gym shorts. He took Lee's hand and they left the room, however when they got to the exit, he froze for a moment. In his mind the room started to spin and the door was warping and twisting, threatening to open and throw him straight into Hell, to be tormented by a bunch of guys that looked just like him. Waiting around every corner.

Taking a breath, the next thing he knew they were outside, but he was tense. Looking over his shoulder, stopping every time the sidewalk branched off onto another street or alley, and looking around the corner. Aside from his sudden paranoia, the walk to the pharmacy went well, though his mind was still swirling and tormenting him with every step. If this guy's angle was to get into Blaine's head...it had worked, superbly. Lee picked up the prescription, and he looked at the bottle. The former fighter still wasn't sure he was going to take them, but as much as they cost...he probably should at least get their money's worth...

The walk was quiet, for the most part, and while that was usually good, he wasn't so sure about it this time. Finally, Lee spoke. "Skye saw it? I don't remember seeing her there...I thought she was at work," he said, confused, looking over at Lee with a quirked brow. Hell, he didn't even know if Skye knew where his gym was.

Blaine was no better after they left the pharmacy as he was right after leaving the gym. He was still very tense, and Lee didn’t miss the fact that he was looking over his shoulder. Hopefully it would get better after he was home for a bit, had a chance to calm down.

But he seemed confused when she said that Skye was worried because she had seen the fight. Lee looked up with a slightly confused expression of her own. ”I was at work too,” Lee pointed out gently. ”So she probably saw it online, just like I did.”

At least it didn’t take long at that point to get back to Blaine’s apartment. Upstairs they went, and Lee unlocked and opened the door quickly. Lee was pretty sure that Blaine would be more comfortable once the door was closed behind them. ”Why don’t you go get cleaned up?” Lee suggested as she closed and locked the door behind them, not even worrying about taking her jacket off yet.

He sighed deeply. "Great....everyone in the world saw me get my ass handed to me, then," he grumbled as they walked. "As long as she knows I'm okay. Well...physically okay...I'm not gonna lie, I think I'm pretty ****ed up right now," he admitted. Worth noting was that Lee was leading him; he was walking a little behind her, constantly looking over his shoulder as they walked, even making their way into his apartment: home. But once the door closed, he was beginning to relax a little, shedding his jacket and his blood-stained shirt. Technically the blood wasn't all his, but DNA wise, it would likely be a match, right? Who cared.

"Yeah, I should go do that..."

He walked into the bathroom, turning on the water in the sink and leaning down to wash his face, splashing water on it. He couldn't feel, but just the action was relaxing. He grabbed the towel, drying his face, and then he looked up and jumped back a little. He was there. The guy. Right in front of him. In his house. Without so much as a hesitation, Blaine put all of his weight on his right foot, then threw a straight punch with his left, aiming a punch right at his adversary's nose.

The sound of glass shattering was the only sound that reverberated through the apartment. Blaine's fist was now bleeding profusely, and he merely wrapped a hand towel around it, and was sitting on the side of the tub, nursing his now profusely bleeding hand. His entire body was shaking, his face pale. He was scared, he was embarrassed, and he was so far out of his element.

A few tears ran down his face as he sat on the edge of the tub.

Blaine was even more upset about the fact that more people had been able to see the fight than had been in the gym. Even if that was how she had known what was going on, and that was how and why she had come to find him. Would Blaine still be sitting in the clinic, too worried to go outside?

Unfortunately, Lee was pretty sure that he would still be there. And she was pretty sure that he would be sitting there for quite a long time. ”I didn’t see much,” Lee said softly, glancing over at Blaine as they walked. And noticing that he was walking slightly behind her at this point rather than actually beside her. ”But I know you, so I know that you put up a damn good fight. You didn’t just get your ass handed to you.”

And then Blaine admitted that he was messed up mentally. Lee just stood there and watched Blaine as he took his jacket and bloody shirt off before he made his way into the bathroom. Once he was in there with the door closed, Lee started moving again, picking up Blaine’s bloody shirt to toss in the garbage - she wasn’t even going to attempt to get those stains out - when she heard the sound of breaking glass.

Shirt dropping back to the floor, Lee rushed over to the bathroom, pushing the door open to see Blaine sitting on the side of the tub, his hand bleeding. A quick glance around the bathroom as she walked in and crouched down in front of him, Lee realized that he had punched the mirror. ”Oh Blaine…” Lee whispered, reaching her arms out to hug the man sitting in front of her, one hand lightly holding his head to her shoulder. His whole body was shaking, she realized. ”It’s going to be ok, we’re going to figure this all out…”