Back again. I am really having a lot of fun with this story. Even though I almost fucking bawled writing the last chapter. I hope you enjoy, my friends.

Chapter 4: The Road to Recovery

The overcast sky over the city of Gotham was an accurate representation of how miserable Ben felt these days. Outside of work, he rarely did anything for himself that wasn't helping Tea with her own demons. The scars of the Joker ran deep, and that was apparent every day Galatea lived with him. She would flinch when he would make a noise, or he would have an angry breakdown, no matter how much he assured her he wouldn't ever hit her. Even now that she had her super powers back, she was still skittish around Ben, like she was afraid her savior would turn into a new tormentor. Despite that, she often doted on him, though regardless of how much she helped, Ben was sort of numb. He felt so...dead inside. He didn't know why he even got out of bed these days. It had been almost two months since Patty had died in his arms. Her death haunted him, and had been his first great failure as the Arachnid. The pain was more visceral than the memories of what had happened to Gwen had ever been. His students had offered him condolences, and Derek had been so distraught. Ben had told him it wasn't his fault, and even though Derek had been busy helping out some Time Lord or whatever, Ben knew Derek blamed himself partly for Patty's death. The kid now felt he was responsible for the death's of his mom, and now Patty.

The funeral had been the most miserable day of Ben's short life. Her parent's had told him how happy he'd made Patty, which was just another icy knife through his heart. The way they told him how much she'd talked about him were just reminders of how much he'd failed her. It hurt, and Ben didn't know how to make it stop. Galatea had been his rock though. She had slowly become his best friend, just as much as Jason had. They'd been his foundational bedrock when his world had turned upside down. If they hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened. Speaking of Tea, the conversation between her and Kara had been awkward. Kara had initially worried about Galatea sharing her feelings for Jason, but that had been drowned out when she'd stated she much preferred smart men. Whatever the hell that meant. Ben shook his head. He was about to leave his apartment to go get some food for Galatea and himself when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He thought it was Galatea, but to his surprise The Monitor stood behind him, time seemingly frozen around them.

"Young Reilly, I require a moment of your time. I come with a gift to aid you against the challenges you will inevitably face. Madame Web felt it prudent to give you one more weapon in your arsenal." Ben looked at the Monitor blankly, before shrugging.

"Fine. What is it?" He asked in a rather disinterested fashion.

"A clone of a symbiote. It has not personality or inclination. It will take on your will, but will not possess the degree of sentience that you do. It will amplify your own powers, allowing you to better face off against the dark forces that work against you and young Derek. The symbiote is called Amalgam, and it was crafted specifically for you. It was cloned from the Symbiote known as Toxin, if you are worried it comes from Venom."

"A symbiote? You're serious?" Symbiotes were bad news typically, and Peter had been nearly killed by them more than once. "You better have a really good case for why I need this."

"As we said, it is empty. It will only serve you and your will passively. It holds no consciousness. It merely serves to help you be a stronger hero, which you will need to be. Trust our judgment, Young Reilly. You will need it." Ben wanted to argue, but all his counter arguments had been nipped in the bud by the Monitor.

"Fine. Do I need to know anything else?" Ben asked, annoyed with the conversation at this point.

"Madame Web mentioned this might boost your lifespan to the equivalent of a Kryptonian, but she wasn't sure. She said you could easily build a machine to monitor such occurrences." Ben felt irritation at that, but said nothing. "Well, I must go now. The multiverse won't monitor itself." And with that, the Monitor left, with Ben even more irritable than he usually was in the morning. He glanced at the writhing red and black mass that was creeping into his body through his skin. He shrugged but when he moved towards the door, he stubbed his toe. Before he could even swear aloud, Tea floated somewhat cheerfully out of her bedroom, her newly dyed black hair still in the familiar bob cut it had been in two months ago when Ben had rescued her from the Joker. She said she wanted to "embrace the evil twin" look. Which was...extra, but if it made her happy, then who was he to judge his friend. It did help distinguishing the two of them without resorting to...risque means.

When she had actually dyed her hair, Jason and Kara had come over to Ben and Tea's place. Before dying her hair, Tea was very much prone to taunting Kara over how much less developed the original was compared to her, much to Kara's ire. Jason, being the smooth son of a bitch he was, would just pick Kara up from behind in a bridal fashion tell her she was perfect just the way she was. This prompted swoons from Kara, and aches in Ben's heart that he was never able to experience those types of things for himself. Though he didn't notice it, Tea took on a very pensive look at the interaction, and her eyes flicked over to Ben. This was not missed by Kara, who made a note to talk to her clone/sister/nemesis.

Back to the present, Tea gave a little way his way as she floated over to the couch. He'd notice that she shared Kara's habit of floating around their residences when they were really happy. It was strangely endearing, in a "wow that's really odd, but also kind of sweet" sort of way. He shook his head, thinking about what he wanted for food.

"Tea, I'm going out to pick up food. What would you like?" Quick as the Flash, she was in face, hands clasped in front her excitedly, an almost giddy smile on her face.

"You mean I can pick?" Her smile fell a bit as she realized something. "Again? Are you sure you don't want to pick?" Ben didn't respond, he just gave an unenthusiastic shrug. He didn't feel like making an effort to pick, especially when it seemed to make his roommate happy. "Well...Um...Can we do burgers? I really like this planet's junkfood." He sighed, but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Big Belly Burger it is, then. I'll be back in like 30 minutes, okay Galatea?" She bobbed her head excitedly, but her smile dropped a big every time he used her full name over Tea. He tended to do it more when he was more depressed than usual. She decided then that she would do something for the man who'd saved her from a life of hellish abuse. But first, she had to arrange martial arts lessons with Jason. She'd promised Kara that she would take lessons with their resident bad boy, in case her powers got neutralized again. So with an annoyed sigh, she dialed Jason's cell phone number.

Xxxxxx

Ben left his apartment in a lethargic shuffle. Big Belly Burger wasn't too far from their place. He'd finished his doctoral research 3 months in advance, and was expected to be notified of his degree soon. Dr. Reilly was weird to think about, but he'd already been working from home on some projects for LexCorp and S.T.A.R. Labs, so it was something of a foregone conclusion at this point. He'd met both Lex Luthor and Harrison Wells at a symposium he'd had to present at as part of his doctoral degree plan, and his work had caught their attention. Since Lex was no longer involved in the supervillain scene, he'd taken to expanding his business in biochemistry research, and he had wanted Ben to head up the program. Harrison Wells had come with a similar offer, and while both men were honestly inspiration, he'd rejected full time employment, as he enjoyed teaching too much to quit. He had agreed to form a sort of partnership between the three for independent projects that they all agreed on were beneficial to society. Ben had drawn up some schematics of an arc reactor from memory, and they'd agreed that would be their first venture. That had been a month into his life in this universe, and they'd all remained relatively close since. When Ben refused to be paid an exorbitant amount of money for his contribution, Lex had bought Ben's apartment building and told him he no longer had to worry about rent. Harrison had simply listed him for a monthly wage at STAR Labs, and ensure a check for about twelve grand showed up at his door on the first of every month. Ben had tried to object, but when he saw how much Galatea ate for the first time, he decided he'd need the extra cash.

Shaking his head, he was about to cross the street when his spider sense started tingling, and he noticed a dark figure on the roof top.

"Huh. Batman. Was wondering when I'd get a visit from him. Well, better see what he wants." Ben sighed, and walked into an alley way, before casually walking up the side of the building. Once he deposited himself on the roof, he cast a glance at Batman, who stood glaring at him, but said nothing. Tension built up, but he waited for Bats to tell him what he wanted.

"Well? If you don't need anything, I'm gonna go. Hungry Kryptonian to feed and such." As he pretended to dust off his pants before he walked to the ledge, he was cut off when Batman began to speak.

"I want to know what your angle is. Metas don't usually stay in Gotham long. And they definitely don't usually become vigilantes with a lethal streak in my territory." Batman was definitely intimidating, but when the guy literally couldn't get the drop on you, it somehow made talking to the guy less scary.

"Would you believe me if I said I was sent here by a purple man to mentor another meta?"

"Yes." was the succinct reply.

"No need to get bent out of- Wait, did you say yes?" Ben was baffled and his train of thought derailed.

"The Monitor and I have an agreement. We came to it following the incident with Barbatos. He gave me a brief overview on why you're here, but why he sent you here and why you do what you do are two entirely separate things. So I ask you again. Why are you hanging around with my son?"

"Huh. So you're Jason's Dad?" Ben blinked a bit at that bit of information.

"Don't answer my question with one of your own."

"Fine, fine. I'm trying to redeem myself for something I did in a past life. I did some terrible things, and I thought I would take the chance offered to me to make something of myself beyond the sick monster I used to be. I want- no I need to be better. I know I went far when I killed the Joker. But Jason and I are slowly taking lethal force out of our operational skill-set." Batman remained impassive, before grunted at him.

"You're not a long term threat to the city or the planet. Two things. You don't kill anymore people, and you keep the clone under control. She's done a lot of awful things, and I don't need her causing anymore trouble now. Got it?"

"Yes, Bruce." That made Batman freeze mid-step. "How-?"

"Oh you actually confirmed it, but I mostly went to Jason's phone contact labeled "Dad" and saw it was the number of Bruce Wayne. Before you freak out, I don't really care. And I have even less interest in exposing you. You're territorial, but this is the first I've heard from you since I set up shop here. That showed trust. So thank you." Ben extended a hand out towards the Dark Knight. Bruce eyed him a moment, before extending his own hand and grasping Ben's in a firm handshake. Once they let go, Bruce took a step back a moment, before looking out over the city under his watch.

"Between us, how ready is Derek for hero work?" The question caught Ben off guard, but it made sense that he'd want to know.

"He's...green. Really green. But his heart is in the right place, and I've trained him about as much as I can. Now I have to get him practical experience." Bruce nodded to this, but he frowned again.

"His girlfriend. Has she exhibited any powers?" Ben raised an eyebrow, curious about the question.

"No, why?"

"She was in Central City during the Speed Force Storm incident. I was worried that she might have been effected."

"As far as I know, she hasn't shown any powers, but you gotta understand. Even if Ernie was, the last thing she wants to do is be a hero. I can barely get the girl to do homework for my class, so it'd be unlikely she'd do something as bothersome as hero work." Batman looked at him like he was crazy, but Ben just shrugged. Ben waved and walked over to the ledge, before pretending to fall off. He heard Batman rush to the ledge to see him standing on the side of the building with a shiteating grin on his face. "Gotcha. Later Bats."

He then proceeded to casually stroll down the side of the building towards Big Belly Burger. He had to feed himself and a Kryptonian after all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Outside a movie theater, Derek James was blushing beet red. Ernie was holding his hand, oblivious to her boyfriends nervousness. They'd been dating for almost 4 months by this point, but Derek still got nervous whenever they were truly alone. He'd always noted how pretty Ernie was, but now that they were dating, it made him nervous. He didn't want to disappoint her, given how broody he could be. She'd been his rock after his mom had died, and she never forced him to do things he didn't want to do. They were now actually about to go see the new Gundam Movie, since Ernie loved mecha anime. Derek himself was ambivalent on the genre, but it made Ernie happy so that was good enough for him.

"Hey Derek?" Ernie's lazy voice caught him out of his thoughts. He glanced at her, with only a slight blush dusting his cheeks. She looked really really cute in her outfit. She was wearing a blue hoody with a fur lined hood, a tank top, and some tight shorts. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was dressing like her favorite character from the game Persona 5.

"Yes, baby?" He managed to reply without stuttering. Great success!

"You're happy with me right? I know you 're not into anime as much as I am..." Insecurity was present in her voice, which made Derek's heart ache a bit, so he decided to be a bit impulsive. He pulled her into a hug, which made her go 'MEEP'.

"Yes, Ernie. I am. I'm dating my best friend, who for some reason tolerates me brooding despite her hating that type of character in her shows." Ernie's brow twitched a bit at this.

"Look, you aren't nearly as broody as Sasuke, and not annoying like Bakugo. You're my Derek." Her annoyed tone made Derek laugh. "Hey, Derek?"

"Yes, Ernie?"

"Do you think Mr. Reilly is gonna be okay?" That sobered Derek up quickly. The death of their teacher's girlfriend had been so sudden. And given who had killed her, it was a safe bet that it hadn't been a painless death either. Ben had been more despondent lately, and he rarely smiled like he used to. He'd taken to wearing stubble on his face to class, which made him look a lot older and tired.

"I don't know, baby. I think he needs time to grieve. Maybe he'll get better then." She slowly nodded her head, before she wrapped herself around his left arm, and pulled him into the theater.

Her question was random, but Derek knew he'd be the same as Ben if something happened to Ernie.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Galatea was annoyed. Ben hadn't returned with the delicious fries yet. And she was also being subjected to a lecture by her 'sister'.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I think you and Ben would benefit from seeing a therapist. The one I have in mind owes Jason a favor, and she's stated she would be more than happy to help you two work through your demons." At noticing Galatea's annoyed expression, Kara held her hands up "Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, Tea. I know you've got some sort of crush on Ben. But if you want that to go anywhere, you're going to have to work through your own stuff, and help him work through his. He literally held her in his arms as she died. He's barely reactive to anything these days. He literally nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize along with Lex Luthor and Harrison Wells for their Arc Reactor technology. They literally solved the worlds energy crisis. And Ben didn't care at all. Please, Tea. He needs help. I know you want him to be happy again. You want to see what he's like when he's not...miserable, all the time."

Galatea hated these weakness. It made her feel vulnerable, but her sister was right. "I do. He's so...kind in taking care of me, and not once did he ask me for anything in return. Many men would leer at me for my body, but he always averts his gaze. He asks nothing, and despite being barely able to take care of himself, he makes sure I always have what I need."

"So take him to see, Dr. Quinzel." At hearing the name, Galatea's memories of Harley Quinn rose up.

"She got her license back?"

"She helps anyone who needs it, regardless of morality. Though, she does have a habit of making rapists who show up...disappear." Kara admitted sheepishly. Galatea hesitated to respond, at first.

"...Are you sure she's the best one to help Ben and I?" Tea's voice had a degree of vulnerability to it there hadn't been before.

"She's the only one who could, I'd wager."

"Fine. I'll convince him. I might need Jason to talk to him though."

"Oh trust me. Tall, pale and broody-" There was an indignant yell heard on Kara's end "-will drug him if necessary."

"Alright. Let me know when it's happening."

"I'll set it up ASAP."

After hanging up, Galatea brushed one of her dark bangs behind her head, idly wondering what Ben would be like after therapy...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cashier looked at Ben like he was crazy. The disbelief was shared by the other patrons in the Big Belly Burger.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you needed 20 Big Belly Combos?" The cashier had to clarify what surely had to be a mistaken slip of the tongue.

"Listen Johnny Judgment. You going to take my money, or not?" Ben was annoyed. He just wanted to get the food and go back home to watch dumb shit on Netflix. The cashier was interfering with that plan.

"You...do know that's probably enough trans fat to kill an elephant, right?" One other customer chimed in snootily. Ben just cast her a sidelong glance.

"Then why the fuck are you eating here, then?" A cry of indignation that Ben just tuned out before he continued talking to the cashier. "You realize we go through this song and dance literally everytime I come here right? It's getting old. So either take my damn order, or refuse to serve me, so I can go somewhere else. Either way, stop wasting my damn time." At his irritation, the manager came over and apologized profusely, before ensuring that his order was fine. About 20 minutes later, Ben walked out with several carry out bags worth of fast food, and significantly less irritated than he had been previously. The walk back to his apartment had been quick, and when he knocked to let Galatea know he was home, she excitedly threw open the door.

"FOOD!" He chuckled a bit, before he handed her a burger which he was sure would be gone by the time he set the rest of the food down. As brilliant and perfect as Galatea seemed to be, she was childlike in her love of junkfood and laziness. He'd actually managed to convince Lex to give her a job at LexCorp's Gotham branch as an executive staff position, if only because Ben felt she'd enjoy putting her mind to use. She hadn't given him a definitive answer yet, which Ben respected. It's not like they needed the money, so he didn't press the issue.

After setting out the veritable feast of junkfood, they began to eat in silence. Galatea ate in silence, but she observed her roommate/crush. Ben, for his part, was watching Netflix on his phone, probably Disenchanted, since he had a fondness for Matt Groening's work. He chuckled every now and then, but you could tell he wasn't truly happy. She continued nibbling on her fourth box of fries, trying to work up the nerve to suggest the therapy.

"Ben?" She began with an audible gulp, nervous now for some reason.

"Yea, Tea?" He pulled one earbud out, and paused his show. "What's wrong?"

She began to fidget. "Ben, I know we've tried to move past what happened with the Joker on our own...but I honestly think we need to see someone. I still have nightmares, and I know you do too." Ben's face was ashen, but he didn't deny it. She continued, "I spoke to Kara about it. She and Jason care about you, and they arranged for someone to talk to us, separately of course. But the psychiatrist is a pro, and she specializes with people like us. The powered type." Ben just sighed, but nodded. He knew when he was out of his element, and he'd honestly tried to work past it on his own, but he knew he needed help. He hated waking up to feel miserable, and he hated that he hadn't looked into therapy sooner, if only for his roommate's sake.

"Okay, Tea. We can. Just tell me a time and place, and I will make sure we get there." He stood up from the table, and moved over to his desk. "I need to work on grading some tests. If you need anything, just let me know." At seeing her slowly nod her head, he went to work.

Ben, though apprehensive, actually felt this new development might at least help the nightmares go away.

Xxxxxxxx

To be continued...

So I'm on a roll right now, and I've got momentum. I've currently been streaming a lot of twitch, so I do that in my free time when I'm not writing. I want to get things rolling, and I'm working towards that as quickly as I can while ensuring quality work. Hope you guys enjoy it. :)

Raizen out.