TheTypingAvocado: Yes, Warren would know that Peter is Spider-Man! I'm glad you enjoyed the building of the relationships, and I wanted to try really hard to emphasize some of the differences between Gwen and MJ. Gwen would have an easier time dealing with the danger of the life since she is a child with a single parent who happens to be a cop. I am glad that Peter and MJ's moment hit well (can you guys tell that I'm kinda biased). Anywho, I hope that this chapter helps move the plot forward in a satisfying way.

vfc15650: Yes, they do not have to hide their identities anymore! Isn't that a load off everyone's shoulders? Though, that doesn't mean everything will be sunshine and rainbows from now on. All the characters have to adjust to the new norm. Ben coming to grips with who he is is definitely a story I am excited to tell!

Spectacular Webhead 11: Ben does know the truth about himself, but how will he react? Also, is Harry Venom? Read and find out!

FictionWriter453: Mark probably did have some sour grape, but also, I don't think Mark would get that pissed off about it. Dude knew that he messed up and needed to accept the consequences. But who knows for certain? FYI, Mark won't really have a role to play in the rest of my season 4. He may return for a future story, but I have no plans for him as of right now.

Guest who left a review on Feb 26: I have no plans to turn Ben evil, I never really liked that idea from the comics. That would fit better for Kaine, but not Ben, in my opinion.

boybay44: Thank you for the kind words, but I'm sure there are other stories that are better than mine. Go check out TheTypingAvocado's story if you don't believe me.

Author's Note: Hey guys! So, yeah, the downtime between each chapter is definitely getting longer. But that's just the price I pay for good(ish) grades in college. I am still dedicated to finishing this season though. However, I wanted to let you guys know that this may be my final season, as I have ideas for stories post Season 4, but I don't think they are enough to carry a whole Season 5. They definitely could work as one-off stories that occur chronologically. I have an idea about introducing Miles Morales and some stories following Gwen and Peter in college, and some stories of Peter and MJ post-college.

Anyway, enough of my rambling! Here's the chapter with quite the uninspired name, but hey, I'm lazy, and it's 3 A.M. my time! Hope you enjoy!

Who Am I?

A snort escaped Ben's mouth before his brain could string together any clever response. After that, the young blond could do nothing to stop the avalanche of laughter from pouring out of his lips. At some point, the laughter reached his stomach, causing Ben to double over.

"Gotta say Doc," Ben gasped, wiping his eyes, "I didn't think you had jokes!"

Warren folded his arms, however, instead of his usual disapproving glare, Warren looked at the young hero with a scientific interest that made the dry scientist giddy. "Reaction and deflections just like Parker," he said to himself. Then, his face dropped slightly as he studied Ben's expressions. "Though, the clone clearly lacks the memories of the original."

That stopped Ben's laughter as all the thoughts he had over the past night came rushing back to him. "I'm not Peter!" he all but shouts, clenching his fists.

Warren disregarded Ben's reaction and reached for his phone and held it to his mouth like a microphone. "Clone appears to have negative feelings towards the host, despite having none of Peter Parker's memories."

"Listen, Heisenberg," Ben started, quickly reaching the end of his already short fuse, however, Warren continued on like Ben wasn't even there.

"Clone has performed as well as the original in a purely statistical perspective," Warren muttered as he flipped through his notes. "Though after the events of the Venom attack it appears that the Clone has surpassed the original. However, there is one question that needs to be answered. Despite initial impressions of only dominant genetic traits being passed on to the clone, it appears that due to the clone's current living situation and relationship status that some of Parker's memories dwell beneath surface—"

"You're insane!" Ben said, shaking his head. He stood abruptly and turned around to leave the lab. "I'm going to report you to the police; you set Venom loose. Cooperate with them, and maybe you'll be back in the lab after you serve your time."

"My dear scientific achievement, that 'think in the moment' approach will only get you and Parker so far in life," Warren said, still not looking up from his notes. "You have no proof besides word of mouth that the symbiote was ever in my possession. And that mouth belongs to the current number one suspect."

Ben whirled around. "Eddie is innocent!"

"Oh, I'm aware," Warren says dismissively. "But he was the last person in possession of the symbiote. They may come around here asking questions, but there is no evidence to make them believe I am involved."

"They have my word!" Ben said forcefully. "Your carelessness hurt a lot of people tonight! People I care about!"

Warren finally turned to face Ben, that look of scientific interest had gained intensity. "Tell me, Benjamin, why do you care for them?"

"What?"

"Why. Do. You. Care. For. Them," Warren repeated.

Ben felt his blood boil at both the question and Warren's tone. "They're family. My friends, why wouldn't I care for them?"

"Tell me, when you first arrived at Midtown High, were you drawn to anyone?" Warren asked. "Did you feel like there was something that pulled you in the direction of certain people, a feeling you had deep down that you couldn't quite explain?"

Ben squared his shoulders. Warren clearly had spent too much time with his mind inside a microscope. He didn't owe this crazy scientist an explanation, instead, he moved to leap out of the skylight he dropped in from.

"Concentrate Benjamin, and you will see what I mean!"

Those were the last words Ben heard as he put on his mask and thwipped off for Captain Stacy's office.

"Clone," Ben said with a scoff. "What kind of bad sci-fi show did the doc get that idea from? He really thought he could play a joke like that on me!? I'm Peter Parker, mind games don't wo—"

Ben slammed into the side of a building, cracking the stone. He took a couple deep breaths, before shaking his head and swinging off again. This time with a throbbing arm and mind. Did he really just call himself Peter? He's not, he's Ben Reilly, son of Jan Reilly…who hasn't called to check up on her son.

Ben shook his head again. "Now you're just being paranoid. Mom was never like that to begin with, and who's to say that she hasn't been checking in with May!"

But, what about day one of Senior year? a voice asked him. The second you laid eyes on Flash, you felt anger. You didn't even know him and you had a personal grudge against him.

"That's different," Ben argued, taking a sharp turn. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was going now, instead, relying on instinct to get him to the precinct. "Anyone can look at Flash and get pissed off by him."

What about Peter? How did you know Peter was Spider-Man?

"Oh come on?" Ben said angrily. "MJ knew Pete was Spidey!"

But how did you know? the voice implored.

"I—" Ben stammered. How did he know? The young hero landed on a seemingly random building that overlooked the city. He looked over New York, closed his eyes, and focused on his memories of the city. Visualizing them in his mind.

After a few minutes, Ben opened his eyes. He looked over the city, and slowly focused on a different section of the city. To his left, he could see where he stopped a runaway car from flattening a group of teens; just below him, he could see where he webbed a man and a woman to a light post to get them out of harm's way. Finally, at Times Square, he could see himself fighting the Sinister Six.

"Wait, what!?" he said, backing up against the wall. "That wasn't me. I didn't fight the Sinister Six!"

"I'll say," said a sultry voice that Ben had never heard before but at the same time, sounded so extremely familiar to him. "You're not the swinger I expected to find here."

"Felicia!?" Ben exclaimed, whipping his head up to stare at the platinum-haired thief hanging above him. After his initial reaction to stare at her chest, the first thought he registered was, Wait, how do I know her?

"So, the Spider talks about me, huh?" Felicia said, coyly. She lowered herself with her grappling hook and cocked her head to the side as she looked Ben up and down. "Let him know it hasn't been the same without him, I'm not getting the workout I used to since we last worked together."

Suddenly, Ben groaned as he felt everything shift around him except Felicia's face. Beneath him, instead of the cold metal of the Chrysler Building, he felt the silk sheets of a bed. He looked up at Felicia to find her looking at him with a deep burning desire that was overwhelming. She gave him a seductive grin and her hands moved down to the hem of her shirt. She started to pull up and—

SMACK!

"What'd you do that for Scarlet?" Felicia asked, clearly holding back a laugh. "Guess cats have the same effect on all Spiders."

"You're having an effect alright," Ben grumbled, rubbing his head and trying not to stare at Felicia again considering the image that was burned into his brain. Not that he didn't enjoy that image. What the hell is happening to me!?

Felicia's grin grew wider as her eyes centered on Ben's crotch. "Understating things aren't we?"

Ben's lenses grew wide and he snapped his legs shut. Felicia giggled, and Ben raised his hand and put up a finger. "I'm going to need two things from you," he said seriously. "One; I'm gonna need about five feet of negative space between us because I don't feel like getting my ass beat for the second time tonight, and two; you're gonna answer me why you're back in town!"

"You're a lot jumpier than the Spider," Felicia noted, not really backing away from Ben.

"I'm also a lot rougher around the edges," Ben said warningly, however, Felicia only got closer. "Really flirting with your life here."

She shrugged. "I have nine of them." Her grappling hook detached from the building and she dropped in front of Ben and turned her back to him. "How is the Spider?" she asked with a slight quiver to her voice.

Ben groaned again as his vision clouded over and he saw Felicia's scared face staring pleadingly at him. He couldn't leave her like this, not when she was in fear for her father's life. Ben smacked himself again, bringing him back to earth.

Okay, this was really starting to get on Ben's nerves. What the hell was going on with him? How did he know who Black Cat is under the mask? He won't deny that he may have dreamed about getting with her once or twice, but his dreams were never like that! They never had that much…clarity! Not to mention that this was all starting to give him a serious migraine. "He has a redhead looking after him; how do you think he's doing!?"

Felicia flinched slightly at the volume and harshness of Ben's tone. "Well…good to know," she said mutely. Felicia stood and prepared to jump off the Chrysler Building when Ben gave a sigh.

"Felicia, wait…if you want to see him, I can arrange that," Ben offered. As Felicia turned around to give Ben a grateful smile, he quickly raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, this doesn't come free of charge!"

Felicia's eyes narrowed, and Ben could've sworn he saw her irises narrow like an actual cat's. "I thought Spiders didn't do this for money," she sneered, folding her arms. "Why is there a price!?"

Because I think I'm going crazy and I have no clue what could set me off, plus Venom kicked my pride just as much as my ass! Though, Ben didn't say any of that to Felicia. "You have some mistakes to make up for," Ben said. "I may not have been there, but I know you weren't supposed to spring your dad. You owe Pete some good deeds."

Felicia huffed but didn't leave. "How many good deeds?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ben hopped to his feet and swayed slightly before regaining his bearings completely. "That's up to him, but I can tell you right now; it's gonna be at least eight," he said cheerfully. Ben pulled out his phone and prepared to offer it to Felicia when he saw the time.

10:00 P.M.

His phone rang suddenly, and May Parker's name flashed on the screen. His head throbbed again.

"What's that?" Gwen asked as the pair walked down the steps of ESU.

Ben chuckled. "It's my Aunt May alarm, so I remember to call her if I'm going to be late."

Ben shook his head violently, earning him an odd glance from Felicia. "Hi May," he said, answering the phone.

"Ben!" came Aunt May's frantic voice. "What's going on!? Where are you?"

"At the Dunkin Donuts," Ben replied lightly. "Near-death experiences give me the munchies."

Aunt May said nothing, but Ben could hear hushed voices talking on the phone. However, before he could ask what was going on, Aunt May's voice came out deadly calm, saying, "I expect you back at Anna Watson's house within the next fifteen minutes. Do you understand mister?"

Though there was no threat spoken, Ben felt his Spider-Sense pulsate. "Yes ma'am," he responded immediately. Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Aunt May hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry," Felicia said, twisting her pinkie in her ear, "did you say May?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot you don't know who I am," Ben said, whipping his mask off with a flourish.

The moment Felicia's eyes landed on Ben, she blurted out, "Spider!?"

Immediately, Ben felt his mood sour. "My name is Ben Reilly," he said darkly, shoving his phone into her hands. "Don't forget it when I message you later."

"I just—I mean you look exactly like—" she spluttered, before typing a number into the phone and handing it back to Ben.

"Yeah, yeah, we look similar," Ben muttered. "Look, just don't dodge my calls alright."

Felicia nodded.

Ben exhaled darkly and pulled his mask back on over his head. Without even thinking, he leapt off the Chrysler Building and dove into the city, hoping that the rush of the wind and adrenaline could keep his mind clear of all these confusing visions. Though his biggest hope was that a nice long sleep would be the key to putting this mess behind him.

The Watson Residence

"Where. Is. Ben?"

Gwen sat at the kitchen table of the Watson Residence with her eyes bouncing between the stern and concerned gazes of May Parker and Anna Watson. They had arrived at the house about an hour after Ben left with panicked looks on their faces. While she hadn't heard the conversation, she could only imagine what kind of talking-to Peter and MJ received from Anna Watson judging by the red tint to their faces.

"Gwendolyn Stacy," May said, stepping in front of the blonde and looking down on her, "you told me Ben was answering questions at the Bugle for Eddie, but Ben told me he was getting donuts. So I will ask you again, where is Ben?"

Gwen flashed her eyes nervously at Peter, hoping to find some sort of support or idea from him. After all, he was the master of coming up with excuses to disappear and be in the action. But he offered none.

Annoyance welled up inside her until she realized at that moment another reason why Peter kept his secret from others: to avoid situations like these. In Ben's eagerness to follow up on Venom, they didn't agree on an excuse, so Gwen was forced to think on the spot.

Everything was going fine until May called Ben and he said he had the munchies.

Before Gwen could answer, the front door opened, and in walked Ben with a glazed look on his face. He seemed to not even notice the rest of them at the table. That is, until his eyes landed on MJ and he grabbed his head.

"Benjamin!" May gasped, rushing to the young man and enveloping him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! But surely the Bugle had enough witnesses for a story; why Eddie wanted you there I'll never know. I should have words with that young man."

"Huh?" Ben grunted. The glaze over his eyes cleared away slightly, and he returned the hug hesitantly.

May pushed back suddenly. "What were you thinking young man!?" she almost shouted. "After what happened at the dance, you should've stayed home! There's food here or you could've called either of us to ask for something!"

"I—"

"I know you think you're invincible Ben, but you aren't," May said, looking back at the rest of the kids. "None of you are! When something like this happens, you turn around and run the other way!"

Gwen hitched her breath. Was May Parker telling a superhero to run from danger? How could she think—oh…May.

Gwen looked at Peter and saw him wearing an expression of pure sadness. She knew why, she remembered Ben Parker. She remembered how kind the man had been, and brave he was. She remembered how her father used to say that he wished there were more people on the force like Mr. Parker. Then, the man died, for no other reason than a car.

Of course, May Parker wouldn't want the two family members closest to her to go anywhere near danger. Oh, God, what does she think every time Peter or Ben don't come home? Every time they are near one of the attacks?

"O-of course, May," Ben mumbled. He looked up and scanned everyone's face again, and when he landed on MJ's face he again rubbed his forehead. What was even weirder was the fact that he refused to even look at either Peter or Gwen.

"Have you drank any water, dear?" Anna Watson asked, stepping toward Ben. "You look a little pale."

"No!" Ben shouted, making them all jump. He cringed and took a step back from everyone. "Sorry…I-I think I just need some air." Ben whirled around and sped out the door faster than anyone could react, but he didn't go far. They all watched his form through the windows as he sat down on the porch swing.

The moment he sat down, Gwen bolted for the door. Something was clearly bothering him, and she was going to help him through it.

"Ben?" she asked as she took a tentative step closer to him. The young hero didn't move, and Gwen couldn't see what he was looking at due to the fact that he'd pulled his hood over his bowed head. Gwen knelt down and placed her hands on Ben's knees. "What's wrong?"

Ben didn't move, his eyes just stared blankly past her.

"What happened?" Gwen asked again, shaking him slightly. "Please, Ben, talk to me. Don't disappear into yourself."

Ben's eyes came back into focus on her, however, instead of lighting up in his signature carefree style, worry lines took over his face. He groaned again and reached up to grab fistfuls of his hair. His eyes closed and his face transformed into more of a grimace.

Gwen scrambled to pull Ben's hands out of his hair before he yanked any out. She threaded her hands through his and felt them relax as Gwen pulled his hands toward her. Ben whimpered as he screwed up his face in pain.

What is happening to him? What do I do, what can I do? Gwen was about to speak when Ben shot to his feet, breathing heavily.

"I-I need to get some rest," Ben said quickly. He vaulted over the porch railing and shuffled off for the Parker residence, leaving Gwen alone.

"Where is he going?"

Gwen whirled around to find May Parker, Anna Watson, and Peter who was being covertly supported by MJ. "He said he's going to get some sleep," she said, unable to keep the annoyance she felt out of her voice.

Anna Watson placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a compassionate look. "I think young Ben has the right idea," she said. "Putting this night behind us would do us all some good."

May Parker nodded and motioned for Peter to follow her. MJ's widened and gave Peter a concerned look, but in a show of impressive acting, Peter hid whatever pain he was in to make the walk back to his house. Of course, not without sharing one last kiss with his girlfriend.

Of course, that didn't spark a little bit of annoyance in Gwen's chest at all.

"Come on girls," Ms. Watson said with a grin. "I think I still have a tub of ice cream in the freezer, and Mary Jane has a little story to share with the rest of the group."

MJ blushed and Gwen felt that bit of annoyance in her chest get washed away by curiosity.

Osborn Penthouse

Harry Osborn swung the door to his penthouse open so hard that he heard the wood crack. Yes, it was his penthouse. He wouldn't turn eighteen for a few months, but he had still managed to convince his mom to stay in the Cayman Islands while he returned to finish his schooling. In truth, it hadn't been hard to convince his mother–something that didn't surprise the young billionaire–to allow him back. Since the death of his father, she had become even more detached from his life.

It didn't bother him much. Harry was used to being on his own. Only, he wasn't alone anymore. He had someone who valued him for who he was, and what he could bring to the table. His father only recognized it moments before his death, but his new friend recognized his worth within seconds of their meeting.

"It didn't work!" Harry shouted to the empty penthouse.

Patience my love, a snakelike voice said, we will succeed in time.

"Peter has backup now! That new Scarlet Spider!"

There are ways to stack the odds in our favor, the voice hissed. Parker isn't the only one who can have teammates.

"NO!" Harry shouted whipping around to look in the mirror. He stared at the tall, slender, symbiotic Venom down without a trace of fear. "This is my vengeance, not any of those criminals!"

We can still have our vengeance, Venom argued. All we need is to assert our power, and they won't dare stand in our way!

"No, the last time I enlisted help he nearly destroyed my building and injured countless innocents!" Harry marched directly up to the mirror and jabbed his finger in Venom's monstrous face. "I won't hurt anyone who had nothing to do with this! We need a better plan!"

We stick to the first one, Venom said, eyeing Harry's pointed finger with the slightest hint of contempt. We may not have gotten Watson or Stacy, but Parker is wounded. He cannot defend both of them if he cannot defend himself, and that will make him easier to kill!

"I'm not a murderer!" Harry snapped. Yes, he wanted vengeance for his father, but the thought of being responsible for the death of someone he had known for over half of his life made him sick to his very core. He wouldn't kill anyone if he didn't have to, but no one had to die for Peter to feel what he felt. All he needed to do was show Peter what he had done to him, how he made him feel. Plus, Harry could finally prove himself to be better than Peter!

Pete killed his father, by accident–as Peter had claimed Spider-Man's actions to be before Harry departed–or on purpose, Norman Osborn's blood was on Peter Parker's hands. Harry was better than that!

"We take the hostages, but we need to be smart," Harry said, pacing in front of the mirror. Venom watched the young billionaire with narrowed, milky eyes like a tiger stalking its prey. "The Scarlet Spider, who is he?"

I am…unsure, Venom answered, feeling a slight hint of anger boiling up inside him.

"You said he tasted familiar," Harry said, holding back a shudder at the thought of someone tasting familiar.

He did taste like Parker. His powers, strength, emotions; they all felt familiar, but also different.

"Well, that helps!" Harry exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "How are supposed to fight him if we don't know him? For all we know, Pete could have him watching Gwen and MJ at all hours of the day!"

I think it's time for Harry Osborn to show more of himself at Midtown Tech, Venom proposed.

"How can I do that?" Harry shouted, his heart rate increasing as he became more and more worked up. "I came back and Venom showed up on the same exact night! If the cops can't put that together, Pete definitely could! This is the kind of stuff he's had to deal with for over a year!"

Do not sell yourself short, my love, Venom said assuringly. No one in their right mind would suspect you of anything, after all, there is a new monster every week in this city. Nothing is out of the norm for New York.

That seemed to calm down Harry. It was true that New York was ground zero for costumed, mutated, and downright weird nutcases. "You-you're right," Harry said. "I think a good night's sleep is in order, that fire hurt more than I thought it would."

I concur, Venom said. Soon, Harry Osborn, we will get what is owed us!