Blaine had admittedly been doing much better these days, partly because of the medication, but mostly because of Lee's support. The nightmares had subsided for the most part, and he only had the occasional bout with insomnia. Hell, he was even leaving the house again. And he hadn't seen his short-haired doppelganger since their first and only meeting, so maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe he'd never see the bastard again.

Today, he has something to take care of; he'd been paying rent on the apartment so Skye could use it, but she was living at the mansion now, and no one was using it. So, he'd made the trip to his old apartment to clean it out. No need in spending that much money if it wasn't going to do any good, right? The entire day he'd spent carrying out furniture to the curb; most of it they weren't going to need, anyway. What he decided to keep, could fit into a cab, and anything he didn't, he could sell and give what money he got from that to Skye as sort of a present.

Now, the apartment was almost empty, and all he'd had left was one suitcase full of stuff. The food had already been thrown out, and the furniture was sitting on the curb. He took one last look around the apartment, a smirk on his face and a feeling of accomplishment welling up in his stomach. This was looking to be a new, happier Blaine.

Until he heard the door close from across the room.

"Well aren't you a hard man to find?"

Blaine's blood ran cold. He spun to face the man that had haunted his nightmares and daydreams alike. In an instant, Blaine rushed him, his arms wrapping around Sinclaire's waist and using the momentum to turn and take him to the floor, already showering him with punches.

But the other guy managed to roll and match him punch for punch. Blaine knocked him off, and rolled to his feet, only to find himself suddenly pushed against the wall as Sinclaire met him with a knee to the gut. Though there was no pain to be felt, that kind of blow still knocks the wind out of a guy.

For hours, the fight went back and forth, with neither man keeping the upper hand for long. Brutish strikes clashed with military tactics, and both were evenly matched.

That is, until Sinclaire landed a tough blow to the side of the head and followed up with a stiff headbutt and a knee to the chest, then another shot to the head that dropped Blaine to the floor with an impact that rattled the building. The long haired man lay there motionless, and Sinclaire stood over him, smirking evilly.

"Nice try...now I guess I need to visit the rainbow-haired girl or the pregnant bitch..." Drawing a knife, Sinclaire leaned down to finish the job...

Blaine's eyes suddenly flew open, rocking Sinclaire with an uppercut that sent the knife to the floor, then, he grabbed the other man's head and placed his shin under the man's chin, pressing against his trachea as his eyes went red with fury. Sinclaire struggled against the locoplata at first, but the move was locked in, and there was no remorse.

Something in the mutant had snapped, but on the other hand he found that edge that Sinclaire claimed he needed in order to best him.

Soon...the other mutant's body quit struggling, but Blaine didn't release the hold, despite the fact that the SUPER soldier's life had left him. When he finally did let go, the short-haired version of himself dropped to the floor, unmoving, an eerie reflection of Blaine himself.

The next thing Blaine knew, he was in the bathroom, his stomach heaving as the sight of what was basically himself refused to leave his mind. He'd...killed someone. Quickly, Blaine left the apartment, leaving everything on the curb as he pulled out his phone. There were going to be grave consequences for this...consequences he couldn't face. Blaine knew what he had to do.

He had to disappear. At least for awhile.