Chapter the fourth:
Declaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Nor do I own Smallville (or Superman)
Somewhere in Los Angeles...
"Well, Willow? What's the big bad?" Buffy asked, sitting down carefully on Spike's lap.
"The key to the Ultimate Alternate Universe System has appeared and...people...are looking for it," Willow answered seriously.
There was a silence. "And...?" Xander asked. He made 'go on' motions with his hands.
"This is big stuff, people. The Ultimate Alternate Universe System is, like, ultimate and if the barriers fall down it will be, like, the end of the world as we know it." This gem came from Willow's apprentice, Stella. She was young, and pretty, and a brunette.
Buffy looked up at Giles. "Again?"
"I'm afraid so, Buffy."
Buffy looked close to tears. "Couldn't they have waited until after I'd given birth? Or even have started early, like, before I even got pregnant? This so unfair."
Spike comforted her. This involved numerous pats on the back, soft kisses on the forehead and a lot of hair brushing with his fingers. After awhile she calmed down.
She looked at Willow. "So what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to find this key?"
Dawn interrupted her. "Is this like the time I was the Key? Is it going to be like that? Is Buffy going to sacrifice herself again? And is this key in human form?"
Willow answered, "No, it is not, Dawn. Because Buffy is not connected to this key, which is probably in human form. I have a spell which will help locate this key and which might take us to it," she continued looking at Buffy.
"Okay," Buffy said, rubbing her hands together. "Let's get magicky."
The spell was very simple. Willow spoke in some strange archaic language, that only she and Giles (and possible Stella) could understand, and a light appeared. It stayed floating in the air for a moment then opened up to reveal a scene: three very beautiful women and one not-too-bad-looking bloke were in what looked like a living room with three young boys. The image focused on a young dark-skinned boy talking to the adults of the scene.
"That's the key? A boy?" Spike was incredulous.
"The powers that be work in mysterious ways, Spike," Giles answered.
They continued to watch the scene and then Xander asked, "So...what do we do next?"
Willow was about to answer when the image expanded and swallowed them whole.
Somewhere in Metropolis...
"Lois? Lois? Lois!" Clark shouted at her prone body in his arms. Because she was unconscious, due to having an entire roof fall on top of her, she said nothing.
A feeling was seeping into Clark. He was worried about Lois. If Lois died...he didn't know what he'd do. Probably go on with life but...there'd be this hole. Not in his heart of course but somewhere...else. He felt wetness on his cheeks and was surprised to find that he was crying.
"Clark? Did you find Lois?" He looked up at Chloe, still in her wedding dress which was now a little worse for wear since the roof that was the cause of Lois's unconsciousness had also ruined a perfectly good dress.
"She's here. But she's unconscious. We better get her to a hospital," Clark said, standing up with Lois in his arms. She looked like a beautiful maiden saved by a hero, her brown hair flowing over his arms...in short nothing at all like the real Lois.
At that moment Lois woke up. Clark nearly dropped her in shock. "You're awake," he said.
"Yes, Smallville, I am. Great eyes you've got there," she said, her voice croaky, and rubbed her head, in the process nearly falling out of Clark's arms again.
Before Lois could realise where she was Clark put her gently on the ground. She was a little shaky but seemed fine. Chloe, supported by Bart and Clark (although with less enthusiasm in the latter since he knew how Lois could be), wanted her to go to the hospital but she was adamant that she was absolutely fine.
"What exactly happened?" she asked, doing a few exercises to stretch her legs.
"We don't know. The roof just caved in," Clark answered.
Lois raised her eyebrow. "No shit, Sherlock, How'd you figure that one out? I mean, why did it cave in? Roofs just don't cave in by themselves, you know, at least not without help."
"Well, apparently it did," Chloe said, resting on Bart's shoulder.
The wind, which till now had been as quiet as a zephyr, blew into a whirlwind. Lois thought, well, there goes my hair.
A portal opened in front of them, tinged with yellow. Through the portal Lois could see three beautiful women and a rather good-looking male surrounded by three boys, two white and one black. Before she could truly comprehend what was going on the wind sucked them towards it and the portal swallowed them whole.