"You can't honestly believe that Lex isn't somehow involved, do you?" Clark chuckled at his partner's sardonic question, straightening out a crease in his pant leg as he looked into those inquisitive chocolate colored eyes and responded:
"I can be optimistic. We don't know if there were any other pods that landed on Earth, so maybe...she IS a Kryptonian." Lois sighed, eraser on the end of her pencil creating a pink blob on Clark's desk. 
"But why would this girl just suddenly make an appearance? I mean, if her pod crashed around the time yours did...well, no, she looks younger than you-" A teasing smirk crossed his features, prompting Lois to stop her verbalization to interject:
"Oh stop it, you know what I mean!" 
"I do. She looks barely twenty, if that. The pod probably crashed later, meaning that her pod was in orbit or transit for much longer than mine." 
"Mmm. Which means SOMEONE must've taken her in, but we've looked seemingly everywhere the past few weeks and there's no reliable record of a second pod crashing or even of a mysterious girl just 'showing up' on someone's doorstep. Someone as remarkable as her should've drawn SOME attention." 
"Well, there is that strange possibility that one or more of the people we talked to wasn't telling the truth."
"Your sarcasm is not appreciated." She flung the pencil in his direction, Clark catching the flying writing utensil at the speed of...well, light. 
"And I'm well aware that someone or someone's are covering his, her or their tracks. It's up to us to find out." 
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" 
"But why-" She surveyed the usually bustling news room, finding that workstations and offices were practically empty. 
"Oh fine. You're cooking tonight." 
"Aaaaaaas always." 
"And I'll make sure to kiss the chef. Aaaaaas always."  

______

Dinner had just been cleaned up when Clark turned on the television. 
"Police standoff in the suburbs."
"What?!" Lois watched the television report with a knowing silence, looking to her lover with a nod. 
"Go. I'll try to figure out why a seemingly peaceful neighborhood has armed gunmen running around taking hostages." 
"Don't get shot. Please."
"You give me too little credit." 

_____

As he arrived at the home, he spotted a gaping hole in the roof, floating through to discover that "Supergirl"(as the press labeled her) was in full costume and attempting to defuse one of the gunmen who had a young girl in his custody. The gunman dropped his weapon upon seeing the Kryptonian, allowing Clark to grab the would-be assaulter and slam him to the ground, knocking him out cold. Turning, he found "Supergirl" attempting to calm the child.
"I'll go look for her. Just stay with the girl." Speeding through the home, he flitted down a few hallways before entering the garage, finding who he assumed to be both father and mother, chests barely rising and falling. Within a matter of moments, he had delivered both parents to paramedics who had joined the police outside the home.
"The gunmen are all down. Should be easy arrests." 
"Thanks for the help...as always." With a nod, he flew back to where he had left the two girls, arms folding across his chest. 
"You and I need to have a talk. Drop the girl off with the police and meet me on the roof of the Star Labs tower downtown Don't skip out. Cause I CAN fly as fast as you." 

___

It had only been a few minutes, but Clark's level of anxiety had exponentially risen with each passing second. Here he was, about to confront someone with the same powers(for all he knew) he had, the same noble sentiments about helping mankind, the same anonymity he had maintained for so long(which MEANT she had a secret identity)...it was unsettling, nerve-wracking, monumental-

He could hear wind breaking above him.

She was here.