Peter walked into the New York Sanctum, having been sent an "all clear" message from Wong. The two were good friends, and he often brought Wong new books to read.

He almost jumped at the sound of a voice he was partially familiar with.

"So...what exactly is a teenager doing in the middle of this sanctum?"

Peter sighed, slowly turned, and then looked utterly exasperated.

"Bloody hell...so this is why they told me to avoid the main temple for the time being," said Peter.

Strange had an odd look on his face. Peter looked past to the man next to him.

"Wong, why didn't you lot warn me Strange was the one you were training?" he asked.

"Ancient One thought we could chase him out. He was particularly stubborn," said Wong.

"Where is she anyway?"

"Dead," said Strange. "And that still doesn't answer my question of why an almost sixteen year old is here."

Peter looked to Wong. Wong gave him a Look back, with a slight smirk Strange didn't see.

"They really didn't tell you anything, did they?" said Peter with a smirk.

"Tell me what?" said Strange.

"In terms of influence around here, I outrank you. You've only been training for a few months now. I've been training for the past three years," said Peter smugly.

Strange stared at him. He looked to Wong.

"He came in here three years ago, and the Ancient One took him under her wing. Only reason he wasn't there for the fight with the zealots is because the Ancient One made it clear he's not to fight with us until he's old enough to vote," said Wong. "We like him more than you."

"Are you telling me that the only reason I'm the Sorcerer Supreme...is because the favorite was too young to take up the post?" said Strange.

"Yes," said Wong without any hesitation.

The look on his face was rather comical, but Peter couldn't help but twist the knife just a bit deeper. The man's ego warranted it, honestly.

"So how did you like the dulcet tones of Celtic Woman and the Russian symphony?" said Peter cheekily.

Strange's head whipped towards him, eyes irate.

"That was you?" he hissed.

"Do you have any idea how easy it was to convince the surgical nurses to throw in those songs, and spoil your perfect record?" said Peter laughing. "They damn near sang my praises when they realized they finally had a way to annoy you without risking anyone's life!"

Wong managed to hid his snickering...barely.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you out right now."

"Just because you work from the New York sanctum doesn't make you the master of it. Besides, this was my turf first," Peter snarked back.

Strange growled, and before Wong could stop him, he went to throw Peter out.

He found himself pinned against the wall, his magic disrupted not by Wong...but by Peter himself.

His eyes glowed emerald, and his dyed hair shifted in the wind.

"Stephen Strange...do not test my patience again," snarled Peter, his voice developing an odd English accent. "It's bad enough I keep having to deal with Stark's unique brand of arrogance. I refuse to put up with yours as well."

Strange stared at him in disbelief.

"What sort of possession is this?"

And why wasn't Wong showing any signs of concern.

"Not possession. Reincarnation," said Wong flatly.

"Reincarnation?" said Strange. He was still pinned, but the overwhelming pressure lessened, just a bit.

"You really think you're the only Sorcerer Supreme in the realms? You only have that title on this Earth."

Strange managed to look at Wong, mostly for clarification.

"He's the former Sorcerer Supreme from an alternate reality," said Wong, shrugging. "Ancient One was merely waiting for him to mature before she handed the title over, since he already had the qualifications for it."

The Ancient One had pegged Peter as a reincarnated soul within the first week. She had spent three days subtly testing him before she deemed him 'safe' to teach magic. He was an old soul who had woken up in a young body, and if things had gone differently she would have passed the title and the responsibility on him once he hit eighteen.

But then the zealots had ruined that plan, and they were stuck with Strange.

Wong and the senior mages were less than happy with this.

Strange would also hit the bottle a little hard to deal with the fact that a fifteen year old was more respected than him among the cult he had recently joined. Especially since Peter...or rather Spiderman as he was also known...had zero issues being public about his powers.

It was a little too blatant for his tastes.

~~*~*~*~*

If Strange was surprised by the appearance of Peter, it was nothing to the look on his face when May showed up.

May took one look at Strange, and groaned.

She ignored him completely and addressed Wong instead.

"Is the Ancient One not well today?"

"She's gone. Strange took over as the new head of the order," said Wong.

May looked upset, for good reason. The Ancient One was a good person to vent to, and was more than happy to listen to any embarrassing stories May had of Peter. The Ancient One seemed to appreciate listening to everyday annoyances from May, and had a well of wisdom that May could draw from.

Sure, May wasn't a Mage...but she was Peter's guardian and she loved her nephew dearly.

Strange eyed the woman for a moment, as he partially recognized her. Then it hit him.

"Aren't you from the pediatrics ward?" he asked.

"May Parker, senior nurse," she replied. "Also Peter's aunt and legal guardian."

"You're not a reincarnator too, are you?"

May blinked at that, confused.

"Reincarnator?" she repeated, baffled.

"That would be a no, then," said Strange. "Why are you here?"

"She comes to have tea and lunch every other Wednesday," said Wong. "She also gives basic first aid classes to new students."

Which was why Strange hadn't met her yet...he was a former doctor and thus wouldn't need any of the lessons May gave to the group for free. Most of the group knew CPR now thanks to May.

When May returned home, she knew she would be having an overdue talk with Peter.

"So...reincarnation?" she asked carefully.

Peter winced.

"It never came up?" he said.

"Peter."

"Fine...in my last life I was a wizard, and I died at the ripe old age of fifty, because I was usually the one cleaning up after the mess made by other wizards. I had three kids and a wife," said Peter quietly. "I prefer this life a lot more...no one expects me to do all the work or has ridiculous expectations of me."

May hugged her nephew tightly. Suddenly a lot of things made perfect sense, like the little tells May had seen regarding her nephew. Things only those from a rough home life would have had.

"Tell me about this other life you had," she said. Peter looked a little uncomfortable, but settled into the couch and began to talk.

She had thought Peter simply had a rough childhood, one that he eventually escaped. Oh no, it was much, much worse than that.

Her nephew had been deliberately raised as a weapon, raised as little more than a slave while his cousin was treated like the golden child who could do no wrong, and then forced into a mold he didn't want.

All the little tells that Peter had as a child suddenly made perfect sense, learning that he had been hunted for no other reason than being born.

May was crying before the first hour and a half, and was hugging her nephew so tightly he might have had trouble breathing. However rather than try and pull away, Peter hugged her back.

He really did love his aunt...she was so much nicer than Petunia ever was, and while she was a bit overprotective, it wasn't cloying like Molly Weasley.

On the plus side, May was more than happy to wear any protective amulets Peter gave her. He was just as overprotective as his aunt as she was of him.

~*~*~*~

Peter did his best not to squint too much from the sun. To be fair, he didn't want to spend his summer doing nothing but work, going around as Spiderman, or training.

To that end, he went and got hired as a temporary life guard at a local pool. May was beyond thrilled, since he was CPR certified and it meant he would be out acting as a normal teenager.

He refused to wear a damn speedo, as it looked ridiculous in his opinion. And his spider sense was excellent at catching troublemakers before they got into any danger.

"Hey Pete, free swim for the life guards is open in fifteen!" Garret called out. Peter gave him a thumbs up with a grin, as it was a major perk to being a life guard.

Even if his job at the merc bar paid more, this was a lot more fun.

This was nice, and he rather enjoyed the time he had to swim properly, since he was stuck in the life guard tower for a few hours a day, usually during the hottest part of the day no less.

He sipped his gatorade, and just relaxed in the cool water for a bit. This was much nicer than going around New York with his webs. Sure it was a bit cooler temperature wise, but the Stark Suit didn't have any temperature charms and was far too clingy when it got hot.

There was a reason why any Spiderman sightings during the heat of summer were of his own custom made outfit. Well that and the mess with Coney island.

Stark had been a total prick, saying he was "too young and immature" for the fancy suit he had given him. As if Peter had wanted to join the Avengers with what a mess it had become.

Peter did his best to shake off his migraine. Tony Stark was a damn menace worse than Strange on a bad day. At least Strange had been doing good, and his arrogance was somewhat warranted due to him being a surgeon.

Tony was just a rich asshole who only got a clue when it affected him personally, and even then he still let his damn ego run rampant.

When he got home, Peter debated on whether to get his suit out. He decided against it, since he didn't want to ruin his good mood and it would only take a minute or two to put on anyway if the scanner came up with anything.

Checking the ingredients in the fridge, he sighed since it looked like he would need to do some shopping. May had been pleasantly surprised learning that Peter had kept most of his cooking skills, even if he wasn't enthusiastic about it.