"It'll stick in Peter's head and hopefully prevent him from making a stupid decision when Aunt May has the chance to rejoin Uncle Ben," Xander explained.

"Aunt May's strong, she's got years left," Ben said firmly.

"Yes, and when her time comes we don't need Pete making a deal with a demon to extend that and possibly jeopardize her afterlife," Xander said.

Ben frowned but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Axel, remember to stop by, I'll leave word with security and the receptionist to give you a card or notify me if you need any help," Xander hold him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Axel said, "now if you'd excuse me I need a nap."

"Sleep well," Xander said, before waving for Ben to follow him as he left the alley.

"You're just going to leave him in the alley?" Ben asked.

"He's a powerful individual," Xander said, "if he wants to pretend to be a homeless bum and sleep in an alley, who am I to say he can't?"

"I thought he said jumping worlds kept him from getting a steady job?" Ben asked confused.

"It does, but it also provides a lot of opportunities to make money," Xander replied. "He could pick up some best-selling novels and sell them in each world as his own work if he wanted to. He has a reason for what he does and I'm not rude enough to poke into it. If he wants help, I'll provide it, if he doesn't, I'll trust he has matters well in hand."

"That's a good point," Ben agreed. "Where are we?"

"Metropolis," Xander said, "one of the greatest cities in the world and the home of Superman." Xander pulled out his cellphone while Ben stared about him in shock. "Send a car," Xander ordered and put his phone away.

"Superman from the comics?" Ben asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, but don't tell anyone," Xander said, "and don't let anyone know where you're from. We're going to have to make you a whole new ID and that includes your powers."

"Yeah, I can see where my knowing everyone's secrets would be a problem," Ben said, trying to wrap his head around being in a comic book world.

"You don't actually know everyone's secrets," Xander said with a grin, "not all the information is accurate, but enough is to cause some major disasters, so try to keep it to yourself. Did Xavier teach you any mental defenses?"

"He gave me a little training, or rather he gave Peter some training and I've kept it up, probably better than he did as I've had more free time," Ben said.

"Good, telepaths are still pretty rare just like back in your world, but it's still something to watch out for," Xander warned.

Ben nodded. "So… how much is true to what I know?"

Xander shrugged. "No idea, I've never read the comic books in your world, or seen the movies and cartoons, I just know they exist."

"You weren't even a little curious?" Ben asked in disbelief.

Xander grinned. "I read all the comics and watched all the movies and cartoons of your world."

"What?"

"This is what I call a reciprocal reality, each writes stories about the other," Xander explained.

"That's how you know so much about my life?" Ben asked.

"Partially," Xander agreed. "I also know you were about to be 'cancelled' so I decided to prevent it."

"This is… How accurate are the comics of my world?" Ben asked nervously.

"PG-13 for the most part with lots of the darker elements glossed over," Xander assured him. "If you want to read stories about you shacking up with someone, they write just as many here as your fans did back home."

"That's a relief," Ben said with a sigh.

A limo pulled up to the curb next to them and the driver got out and opened the door. "Your ride is here, sir."

"Come on, I'll explain more on the way to Lex Corp," Xander said.

Ben climbed in after Xander and the driver shut the door behind him. "Alexander… You're Lex Luthor!"

Xander nodded. "As I said, not everything is the same as you read in the comics, for instance I'm not nearly as big a dick and I don't have a vendetta with Kal-El, though I do tend to prank him."

"That seems like a huge departure from the comics," Ben said warily.

Xander nodded. "It is. Once I got a good look at everything… I realized I was wrong and had been wasting my life. Not being an idiot I immediately started making changes."

Ben frowned. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," Xander said. "I wish I could give you a better answer, but at least mine is honest."

"Huh," Ben said. "He'd expected some sort of rationalization, but Lex Luthor being open about the possibilities was like Dr. Doom complimenting Reed Richards on his scientific achievements, it boggled the mind.

Xander laughed. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing the stunned look on people's faces when I fail to be a scene chewing villain."

Ben snickered, having to admit to himself that it would be amusing.

"Anyway, once I realized that Superman was every bit the altruistic hero he presented himself as, I cancelled all my anti-Kryptonian projects, gave myself Plastic Man's powers and… now I mostly just mess around doing whatever I think needs doing," Xander explained.

"Why Plastic Man?" Ben asked. "I'd think you'd want Superman's if anyone's."

"Plastic Man's powers are so much more versatile," Xander said, "it has uses far beyond punching evil gods in the face. Plastic Man is a seriously underrated hero and a lot more fun to hang with than you'd believe."

"It's similar to Reed's but more malleable, right?" Ben asked curiously.

"It's way beyond that," Xander said. "I'm immune to nearly everything and can look like whatever I want. I'm young and handsome forever and almost impossible to kill. Reed is just… stretchy."

Ben tilted his head as he tried to recall any comics he'd read about Plastic Man.

"If you want Superman's powers I could probably arrange it," Xander offered, "I know Kryptonian DNA like the back of my hand."

"I'm pretty happy with what I have," Ben said. "The basic Spider set is pretty versatile and I have enhanced healing over Peter, thanks to how I was created. It's not Wolverine quick or anything, but I can heal broken bones in a little over a week."

"That reminds me," Xander said, "did Spiderman take you to Doc Strange to talk to your totem spirit?"

"Was he supposed to?" Ben asked.

"It would have been nice, but since your blood isn't radioactive the way his is, I suppose there's no rush," Xander said.

"And why do I need to meet my totem spirit?" Ben asked.

"Being a clone your DNA isn't as stable as a normal humans, leading to a greater chance of cancer and other forms of tissue degradation as time goes by. Your healing factor was probably engineered to help counter those problems. Being accepted by your totem spirit is a magical panacea for all of that and will put you more in tune with your powers," Xander explained.

"You'd think Peter would have mentioned that," Ben said a little upset as he rubbed his arms, picturing all the ways he'd seen the cloning process go wrong in Warren's lab.

"I didn't get a chance to explain it to him," Xander said. "I was more concerned with his radioactive fluids building up in Mary Jane's system and causing medical problems. You've got decades before you have to be concerned for your health."

"Oh," Ben said relaxing a little. "When can we drop by Strange's or do you have something else planned?"

"The Justice League has a hero with a strong connection to Anansi," Xander said, "she can walk you through it."

The limo pulled to a stop and the driver opened the door on Xander's side. "We're here, Mr. Luthor."

Xander got out. "Thanks," he said before turning to Ben. "Now, let's get to the stuff I can personally help with."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Katie held up her hair tie. "Blue with pink butterflies," she ordered it, causing it to ripple and change color. She smiled brightly and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Jack called out from the living room.

"I'm coming, stop being such a butt!" the young girl yelled back as she snatched up her backpack.

"Katie Margaret Powers!"

"Sorry mom!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm still shocked everything went so smoothly," Xander said as they entered his office.

"Didn't you run into the Rhino?" Ben asked.

"That was barely a blip," Xander said, "I gave him a scary story and did a little shapeshifting and he fainted. No, I mean I managed to rescue you, not cause any major disasters, and completely avoided any stupid hero on hero fights."

Ben chuckled. "Yeah, those are far too common."

"So, where do you want to set up shop?" Xander asked. "If you're a fan of DC comics you should have an idea of what the different cities are like."

"I read a lot of comics as a kid, not sure if everything is the same," Ben said. "I know the comics focused on heroes rather than cities and for the most part they've got their own cities covered. I always felt Gotham could use a few more heroes, considering the number of villains they have."

"Batman could use the help," Xander agreed. "He gets a bit touchy about other heroes being in his territory, but you could make a difference there."

"Yah, I think Gotham would be best," Ben said. "Plus, I'm pretty sure the villains are about my speed."

Xander started typing away on his computer. "There is an old Star Labs complex up for sale. They moved to a larger facility three years ago, so everything is close to up to date. The security system was advanced enough that you don't have to worry about squatters having moved in."

Ben looked over his shoulder as Xander brought up the blueprints. "That's a bit bigger than I need," he said. "I mean, I could probably do most of my work out of a basement, that's a five-story complex."

"With another three stories below ground," Xander noted. "However, the price is right, and you'll have room to expand."

"Fifty million dollars is a good price?" Ben asked in disbelief.

"Normally it'd go for three times as much," Xander pointed out, "but since Star Labs is known for getting attacked by villains, they had to low ball it and it's still been on the market for three years. You can live on site so there's no commute."

"It's still a lot of money," Ben said, feeling out of his depth.

"Money is the one thing I don't have to worry about," Xander assured him. "Don't think about costs, think about utility."

"Is there anything smaller?" Ben asked.

"Of course, but they'd cost roughly the same, especially after you take into account the retrofitting needed and you would have to deal with whatever supervillain had made it their lair in the meantime."

"Seriously?"

"It's Gotham," Xander said with a snicker. "The number of costumed looneys they have makes the other cities look like they aren't even trying."

"Target rich environment," Ben said shaking his head.

"That's one way to put it," Xander agreed. "Personally, I think the place is cursed. Any ideas on what you want your new hero persona to be?"

Ben considered it. "I have to avoid connections with my old identity, but I want to keep my web shooters. Maybe something more Gothic detective than colorful hero? I'd blend in a lot better that way."

"I think I recall a detective back in the forties that called himself The Spider," Xander said thoughtfully. "He wasn't in this universe and it does fit the theme. Dress all in black, add a trench coat and fedora, possibly an energy blaster that looks like a forty-five…"

"An energy blaster?" Ben asked doubtfully.

"It'll help if you run into major threats like Solomon Grundy," Xander said, "but it's main use will be as a distraction. You can use it as a stun gun or to shoot masses of webbing, people will concentrate on it thinking it's the real threat and that if they disarm you, you'll be easier to deal with."

"I can work with that," Ben said thoughtfully.

"You'll have to change up your banter to fit the character, possibly toss in ridiculous over the top comments instead like; 'It's like swallowing a spoonful of Drano, sure it'll clean you out, but it'll leave you hollow inside."

"You stole that from Frank Drebin," Ben said with a grin.

"They don't have the Naked Gun movies here," Xander said, "it'll be perfect."

Ben shook his head. "All right, I'll give it a shot."

"Excellent, let's go to the lab and see what we can throw together," Xander said eagerly.

"You are just a big kid, aren't you?" Ben asked.

"Come on, like playing in the lab isn't something you enjoy too," Xander said as he led him out into the hall.

"Well…" Ben said with a grin, "I admit I do enjoy inventing things when I can afford it."

"Exactly," Xander said, "and we have just about an unlimited budget here."

"You remind me so much of Stark right now," Ben said as they entered the elevator.

"Just without the drinking problem and gorgeous redhead that he ignores to hit on anything in a dress," Xander agreed.

"What about Mercy?" Ben asked.

"I'd never ignore her, either one of them," Xander said.

"There are two Mercys?" Ben asked surprised.

"There are an infinite number," Xander said as the elevator descended.

"You've taken to cloning them?" Ben guessed.

"What? No! Why do people always guess that?"

Typing by: fyrewolf5

TN1: Was wondering if Xander remembered to take the "mask/tiara/ect" back from Katie after having ice cream, would seem not. I'm sure absolutely nothing unexpected could happen from that, and it will stick to just being a perfect accessory for Katie.

TN2: No Naked Gun?! What kind of horrible world is that? Please tell me there's at least the Mel Brooks, and Monty Python movies.

AN: Leslie Neilson was busy doing Spoofs of Twilight, so The Naked Gun series didn't get made.