Disclaimer is in chapter 1. This is the last chapter I have, if anyone has a copy of this story that has more chapters, please contact me, I would like to read them, and post them here.
Standing beside the Man of Steel was a heady experience, Xander realized once he had time to think about it. He wasn't geeking out at Clark Kent in his secret identity, he was actually standing should to… well, mid chest actually… damn, the guy was tall!
Still, side by side with the man of steel!
Every geeky urge that Wednesday had tortured out of him in the past surged back to life like the proverbial highlander.
Superman, on the other hand, was looking decidedly uncomfortable.
"You know I have to ask," He said, looking down at Xander.
Xander, who stood just a hair over six feet, wasn't really used to looking up quite so much, but he just nodded. "Go ahead."
"How do you know-?" Superman asked seriously.
"Just a sec," Xander interrupted him with a hand as the other produced a wand and started throwing up various wards and privacy charms. "We probably don't want anyone listening in on this conversation."
Clark had limited experience with magic, and almost none at all with the wanded form he was seeing, but recognized the tingle of energy for what it was and nodded.
"Fine."
When Xander was finished he nodded satisfactorily and waved to Superman to continue.
"How do you know who I am?"
"Normally I'd leave hints and clues and just play with you a bit," Xander admitted with a lopsided grin, breaking into a chuckle when Superman crackled his knuckles audibly, "and I certainly wouldn't worry about any threats from you, boy scout…"
Superman scowled, but signed, "I hope I hear a but coming…"
"But," Xander nodded, "Since I already told the Bat clan, I may as well tell you. I'm not that different from the Imp, in a way, just from a different direction through reality."
"Ok, I'm going to need a little more than that," Clark admitted, "but I'm assuming you mean you're a dimensional traveler?"
"Bingo bongo boy scout," Xander grinned, "Just from way down the power line compared to here."
"That doesn't explain how you know who I am," Clark muttered, "and what do you mean, down the power line? You seem to be tossing around enough power…"
"I'm… probably top 1% of 1% from my world," Xander admitted, "There are a few guys more powerful than me, but I'm in the top ranks for normal wizards, and there aren't many wizards to begin with."
"Same thing here," Clark shrugged, "So?"
"So, there should be more here, but they left," Xander said, "plus if my calculations are right, almost everyone here has some magic, even if it's entirely passive."
"Ok, I did not know that."
"No reason you should," Xander shrugged, "like I said, it's mostly passive. It probably plays into how so many people who have 'accidents' wind up with super powers, though."
Superman blinked, he'd honestly never wondered about that. Frankly, the new super villain of the week was just so routine these days that it didn't even faze him much anymore.
He frowned suddenly, "Are you changing the subject?"
Xander chuckled, "No, but we did get off on a tangent. I don't know if you're much into TV and stuff, but my name is Xander Harris. I went to Sunnydale High with Buffy Summers."
Superman frowned, "That sounds… familiar."
"How about this," Xander grinned, "Before that, I attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry with my friends, Wednesday Addams and Hermione Granger."
Clark's eyes widened like saucers, "That's impossible."
"Is it? Is it really?"
Honestly, no it probably wasn't, Clark realized in an instant. He just sort of wished it was. Neither he, nor his alter ego, was particularly known for intelligence, but that was a bit of a misdirection. In some senses, Clark knew he was the smartest being on the planet.
Oh, not across the board. In fact, not even in a majority of things. People like Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne were better businessmen than he would ever be, and there were more creative people, better inventors, and so forth… however, due to his Kryptonian physiology, no one on Earth could think as fast, or as precisely, as he could.
Connecting the dots laid out by the young man in front of him was child's play at that point, but Clark rather wished it weren't.
"We're a TV show in your dimension?" He asked, wincing at the very idea.
"Comics, movies, TV shows, you name it," Xander shrugged apologetically. "You're the top Hero, the only right answer when someone asks what superhero would you want to be."
Clark winced again as his companion laughed at him.
"I did not need to hear that," He sighed.
"Well, don't ask the question if you can't handle the response," Xander told him with a grin that could only be described as 'cheeky'.
Clark sighed, "Do I dare ask what you plan on doing?"
"Me?" Xander gave a fake surprised look, followed by an innocent look that wouldn't have fooled Kara the day she woke up. "What could I possibly plan on doing?"
Clark glowered, instinctively blocking his shoulders out a little wider and flexing as he did. The sound of his suit stretching actually became audible in response, and he punctuated that with a glower that could have stripped paint from steel.
Xander just laughed at him.
"Most people aren't so quick to annoy me," Clark said, annoyed.
"I know you, man. You're not going plaster me across the Daily Planet globe, mate," Xander laughed, "not unless I give you an excuse… and I'm not even that stupid."
Clark didn't have a response to that, he was somewhat chagrined to realize.
"You can relax anyway," Xander said with a wave of his hand, "I'm not looking to blackmail you, or threaten you, or whatever. I'm no super villain, just consider me a Justice League fanboy doing the tourism thing."
Clark winced, "That might be worse."
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad," Xander pouted.
"You started a battle in the Daily Planet's newsroom," Clark said flatly.
"Hey, I did not… start it…" Xander finished petulantly, "Mixy did, and damn well know it."
"I had a plan," Clark said firmly, "You should have left it to me."
Xander signed, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I just lost my temper. Seriously, transfiguring someone else is a real social no-no where I come from."
"I can't say I'm sad to hear that," Clark told him dryly, shaking his head. "Now, seriously, what are your plans?"
"Mostly, just tour around a bit while I look for a way to get home," Xander admitted. "Unfortunately it could have been a one way trip."
"I can ask Doctor Fate…"
"Thanks, but already chatted with him," Xander told him. "Nothing he can do. I've got my friends looking into it from the other side, so maybe I'll get lucky. In the meantime, seriously, I'm just a visitor, no plans on messing with your life, big blue."
"I just wish that meant something," Clark sighed, "In my experience, plans don't count for much."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Xander shrugged, "I'm the one stuck in an alternate dimension, remember?"
Clark considered that briefly, then finally had to concede the point.
"Point taken."
"So," Xander looked around, "We good?"
"No, but we're done I think," Superman sighed.
"Cool." Xander grinned and dropped the wards, "No slips now, we're in public don't you know."
Clark laughed, "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
"I'll have you know that I have many important secrets I don't want spilled," Xander said cheerfully.
The two casually lifted off the roof, flying out over Metropolis as they continued to chat back and forth.
"This is an amazing city," Xander said, "It's like it was designed for Superman."
Superman laughed, "Don't tell Lex that, but how do you mean?"
"Look at the amazing roadways and buildings, this place is meant to be seen from the air," Xander said, "Flying like this is seeing the city the way it was designed to be seen."
Superman nodded thoughtfully, "You might be right, though I expect that would be because Lex wanted it to look impressive when he was flying around in his personal aircraft more than anything else."
"Probably," Xander conceded as they dropped down below the tops of the buildings and began to navigate through the city proper. "It's still a flyers city."
"Home sweet home," Superman shrugged, then paused. "I have to go."
"A job for superman?" Xander asked, amused.
"Something like that," Superman said, rolling his eyes, as he peeled away, "Stay out of trouble!"
"That's not even possible!" Xander yelled at the retreating superhero, laughing out loud.
Finally he found himself alone in the big city.
"Now what, I wonder?"
The explosion that almost blew him out of the sky served notice that he probably shouldn't be asking rhetorical questions while he was in the DC Universe.