A/N: SVU isn't mine. However, I believe that Joann and the rest of the OCs are mine, because they by definition are original which means they ain't on the show. My latest project, I've got the next two chapters finished so those should be up soon. In the meantime, enjoy.
A call in the middle of the night. A frantic voice on the other end, half sobbing as she tried to convey exactly what was wrong to the aging detective with sleep mussed hair. When a semblance of a story was coaxed from her, he soothed her by saying he was on his way and not to worry, he'd find her sons.
The car was cold, and his breath came in clouds as he passed her story along to the captain as he drove. Two squad cars were awaiting him and the senior officer of one gruffly told him that CSU and more back up was on the way. When he reached her apartment, he found her door open and various things strewn around the room. "Joann, it's Detective Munch." He slowly walked in, his hand on his gun and was only slightly relieved to find her clutching a toy car in one hand and holding onto the wall with the other. "Joann, we're going to find them. I need you to tell me exactly what happened. Come on." His voice was low and soft, perhaps because although the situation made his adrenaline run, there was still a part of him that was asleep and wanted to return to that warm bed.
His partner was the first to arrive, then Olivia and then the captain himself, coming in to see what information his oldest detective had garnered from the mother who was by that time wringing her hands, sitting on the couch with a steaming cup of untouched tea before her. There wasn't much information, as they all expected and CSU combed through the apartment, looking for anything that might be of use to the huddled detectives. They were going over the possibilities, conferring about the options and generally comparing theories. They switched every so often, one of them sitting with Joann in futile attempts to soothe her, while the others went about other business. Most of the time, Munch sat with the woman, holding her hand in the absence of a husband and saying softly that her sons would be found.
Joann was a woman they had met during a previous investigation not too long ago and John Munch had caught her case. Her two boys were vaguely aware that their mother had been hurt by somebody, but were much too young to understand the situation completely, a small fact which made the grey haired detective grateful yet sorrowful. Rape was always a crime which was emotionally taxing on the victim, and her family, but this particular case had been especially so. Joann was a single mother, the sole provider for her young boys, and like all mothers under stress to protect and adequately provide for her children. Having been raped by her boss (and Munch always thanked God that it had been a relatively easy case to solve), returning to her job was out of the question. For weeks she remained unemployed, despite the attempts of the boys' grandmother and Munch himself to find her a job.
A job had eventually been found for Joann, and Munch made sure to call in every now and then to make sure everything was all right. It wasn't every case that he invested himself so deeply, but every now and then one rolled around that, in his opinion, warranted greater concern than that which he normally gave. In addition to calling Joann, at the end of every phone call he asked if she had his cell phone number. The extent to which he helped her caused his partner to question him once. Munch had assured Fin that such a question was delving into his personal life (which had earned him a raised eyebrow at his choice of words) and would not be answered. But Fin's question had been answered, something Munch had yet to realize.
She was leaning against his shoulder and light was creeping into the room from the windows. His hand was resting on her back and activity continued around them. "What am I going to do?" Her voice was raspy and weary, causing him to move his hand in what he hoped was a sooting motion over her back.
"You're going to be strong and we're going to find them. I promise."
She didn't respond, and he hadn't expected her to. She could do almost anything now and he would forgive her for it. She could take his gun and point it at him, even shoot him, and he would hold her afterwards. Whether anyone else in the room would treat her that way if that were to happen...
He closed his eyes a moment and forced the thoughts from his mind. The case was going to be hard enough with her involved, and he already knew that Fin and the captain would be all over him, and he didn't need to be thinking of Joann in ways that he never should. This was just about finding her boys... and making sure she didn't completely break in the process.