The number of hours he would spend wandering though the library just to come across something interesting enough to catch his attention was quite tremendous. He would usually stumble randomly upon something noteworthy and was rarely disappointed. Reading was wonderful, a gateway to others' intelligence- it was definitely an oasis to all the hurt and pain he would encounter on a daily basis. He liked going through works of people who shared the same ideals as him, people whose words were inscribed on his mind. It made him feel less lonely. He loved it.

He was currently focused on a very studious search, running his fingertips along the edges of the so meticulously engraved words. A small sigh coming from across the room though was more than enough to distract him and make him turn his gaze towards the origin of that sound. The sight was quite hilarious and he struggled to hide his laughter. It was a young woman, most likely in her late twenties. A true beauty she was. Her big, white blonde curls and their exceptional length were probably the first thing he had noticed about her. They framed her round face quite nicely and made her stand out. She was petite looking with an hourglass form. At first, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

He was sure he must have seen her somewhere before. Then it struck him. She lived right next to him, apartment 2B. Of course. He would have recognized that beautiful face anywhere. He had seen her enter the building several times but most importantly he basically saw her every morning. Their balconies were right next to each other and he would see her sit there on a daily basis. Surprisingly, she would wake up really early when the sun was barely shining just like him and she would have her coffee outside, probably with a good book. But what really got his attention was how she would mutter sweet lullabies and water her plants with so much love and gentleness. She looked like a daydream.

She was struggling to reach up to the top shelf for a book. It was so cute how she would sigh and silently curse at every failed attempt but wouldn't give up. He was approaching her before even giving it a second thought, but he had to take this chance. "Need help with that?" he kindly offered and she jumped at his intrusion before nodding in agreement with a huge grin on her face.

He reached up an got it easily, handing it over to her gently. She took it gladly and the smile on her face grew even wider. "Thank you."

"No problem." he replied, grinning slightly and struggling to play it cool. He thought of retrieving back to his studies but something kept him there. He took a glance at the book's cover and was startled by her pick. Impressive. It was like he was no longer in control of his own actions and before he knew it he was talking again. "1984? Nice pick. You must have a good taste." his voice dropped and he was almost whispering. They were in a library after all.

"Well, not really. I just like pretend I read pretentious books by authors whose name I can barely pronounce. Makes me look smart." she joked and giggled, causing him to chuckle along. Beautiful, smart and humorous. WOW. he thought to himself before she continued "I just love books that really have deeper meanings and offer me something to think about. I hate it when a book is just so obvious and dull and all you can do is skip through the words."

He chuckled again, this time not because what she said was funny but because he was mentally struggling to take in all she said. It was amazing. She sounded so illogical but just like he did whenever he tried to explain it to others. So he knew exactly what she was talking about. But a young woman not only spending her free time in the library but reading this kind of books? It was so hard to comprehend.

"Like I said, good taste. Well, if you like this one, then I would definitely suggest a more classic one. 'The Republic' is a masterpiece." he pointed towards the end of the hallway where the ancient Greek philosophers' books were and smiled.

"Plato, huh?" she whispered and startled him even more with her extensive knowledge. She was just full of surprises. "Well, that will definitely be added to my reading list then." she giggled. The more she spoke, he was able to distinguish a somehow foreign accent. She sounded a bit Latina but with her low voice it was hard to tell so he just ignored that thought and nodded in agreement to prove he was truly listening. "So...thank you a lot for your help, Mr..." she urged him to introduce himself.

"Munch. John Munch." he rapidly answered with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Munch. I'm Rosanna." she motioned for a handshake but he took her by surprise and leaned down to place a tiny peck on her knuckles, causing her to giggle silently and smile. Che dolce. she thought.

"Well, Mr. Munch...I think I'm going to let you go back to your reading now. It was very nice meeting you. And you can be sure I will take your suggestions to heart." she took a step back and motioned to turn around and leave but she was stopped at her steps by his cracking voice.

"Wait...I..." he stuttered and caused her to turn back around to face him again, her smile not once fading from her lips. He finally managed to gather up his courage and focus on what to say. He cleared his throat and continued "There's a coffee shop just around the corner that's really warm and inviting. If you'd like I would love to have a coffee with you and discuss. You sound so interesting. Unless of course you have other plans, which of course I understand. You don't really have to..." he was cut off by her exciting reply.

"I'd also love that!" she said rather excitedly in a high voice which startled him. Did she actually just say yes? "Really?" he asked and looked confused."Sure, why not? If you could just give me a moment to return those and I'll be right back." she pointed to a bag full of books that was laying behind her on a chair. He nodded and smiled, thrilled at his accomplishment.

It was odd. He couldn't really tell what it was he was feeling. For some reason, he found himself to be very attracted to her. In a way that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He definitely wasn't one to be flirtatious, especially after all the disappointments of his past when it came to his personal life. He had slowly built a wall around his heart and did his best to protect it with his defensive humor and what one would consider as cynicism. It was his best weapon. Yet there was something about her that changed that. No, no. Look at her. She's so young and so pretty. And seems to be very smart. There's no way she would ever pay attention to an old man like me. I could be her father. Absolutely not. I'm just being silly. But yet... she did say yes...

che dolce=how sweet (Italian xD)

Oh my God I can't believe I actually did it! I have wanted to write a Munch fanfiction or so long because there are so few out there and honestly he's my favorite SVU character EVER! I was so sad when he retired and I just loved his humor and everything about him. Thank God Barba came around because I needed some sassiness back in my life. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this! I certainly loved writing about him. I'm thinking I will upload very regularly 'cause I'm already hooked up. I love you guys!