Later that day, Fin was going through some tedious paperwork when a pretty teenage girl wandered out of the elevator, black messenger bag slung over her shoulder. The girl had gray eyes, freckled skin, and long and auburn hair, but somehow she made him think of his earlier conversation with Munch. One of her slender hands rested on her bag, and in the other was a scrap of paper clutched between unpainted fingernails. On her face was somewhat of a lost expression, but also a resolute one. Fin was sure this girl was Munch's niece, but before he could say anything, Stabler noticed her.
"Hi, Can I help you?" he said.
"I'm looking for..."she paused and glanced at the paper in her hand, with the air of someone who knew exactly what it said but was checking anyway, for appearances- "Detective John Munch?"
"Sergeant Munch isn't here right now." Stabler stated, "but I'm sure I could help you. I'm Detective Stabler. Why don't we go somewhere a little quieter." He looked bewildered that this girl was insistent to see Munch. The girl grinned charmingly and said,
"I'm pretty sure you can't help me. Actually..." the girl was interrupted when Fin broke into the conversation.
"I think she's John's niece" he said.
"And there it is" the girl aborted her thought.
"Oh. " John said, overhearing and walking up to the group, "Hi, we spoke on the phone. So you're Audrey?"
"Yep, Audrey Holt. I'm your niece, it's been about a decade since we last met, and yet you good sir get the fortune of your own pet teenager" Audrey stated humorously after pivoting to face John.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Audrey." Stabler said. "I'm Elliot, and this is Fin."
"Hello, Elliot, Fin" Audrey pivoted back. She shook their hands, and both cops were surprised at her firm handshake. "Very nice to meet you." Upon Tutuola and Stabler wandering away to give them privacy, John turned to his niece and said,
"So. Well, I guess you can call me John. Here is a key for my apartment, and you have the address" he pulled a key out of his pocket, "your room is the first door on the left. I get off early today so we'll be able to…uh…catch up then.
"Okay, great. Thanks." Audrey said. "But I think you should be clear on a few things" she continued. John braced himself, waiting for a list of clubs and school events and practices he's have to fill in the parental role for, foods he'd have to buy and other teen-related things he was very much not ready to deal with. He didn't even know what to say to a teenage girl who hadn't been raped or otherwise violated, or else wasn't a perp themselves.
"Well," Audrey started, "I know you must expect to be doing some filling-in-for-parent stuff. But the truth is anything I need, I buy, anywhere I have to be, I get myself there. I'm really sorry I'm inconveniencing you by even just staying at your apartment and such, but I boarded at my school for a bit when my dad was getting sick and he thought it was making me turn into, as he said 'an adult too quickly'. So his trusty lawyer sidekick pushed this whole 'making me a day student there and actually living with a relative thing'" She shook her head and smiled "what I'm trying to say is that I'll try to be as little of a bother as possible." John was surprised but also very relieved.
"Um, alright. That's really good to hear, actually" he said. The two of them stood in a moderately uncomfortable silence until Audrey said
"Well, this has been...sufficiently awkward. I'm just gonna...make my exit then. I'll see you later" She gave an apologetic little shrug and smile and turned on her black booted heel. Munch stood there for a moment, just to process everything, and then returned to his desk.