Unknown: Jonathan Groff

Jon

I'm in the middle of going over my lines for Mind Hunter when I get a call. I don't know the number but I answer it anyway. "Hello?" I ask.

"Hi. Is this Jonathan Groff?"

"This is he."

"I have 14 year old Avery Groff Manson here at the juvenile detention center. Your name is listed as her father on the birth certificate."

I think back to 14 years ago. "Is Sophie Manson her mother?"

"Yes."

"Shit. Okay. Um...what do you need from me?"

"A DNA sample."

"I'm on my way."

~*~

At juvie, I see a tall red headed girl. She turns. Oh my god. She looks like me. "Is that her?"

"Yeah."

They take me into a room and do a cheek swab. "We'll call you with the results shortly. We've put a rush on this. Would you like to meet her?"

"Please." I say.

The woman leaves for about 30 minutes and comes back with the red head I saw earlier. She has my face shape, my eyes. My smile. She's mine. This girl is my kid. I know she is.

"Hi. You must be Jonathan Groff. My potential father."

"I already know you're mine." I tell her. "What's your name honey?"

"Don't call me honey," she starts, "and the name's Avery." She comes off as badass. But I see right through that.

"Well, Avery. You can call me Jon. Just until we know for sure that I'm your dad. Then, hopefully, you'll call me Dad."

"Dude, I hate to break it to you but we just met. I won't be calling you Dad for a while."

"First off, I'm not your 'dude', second, if I'm your dad, you will be shown the love you clearly need."

"Yeah, sure. Are we done here?" She asks the officer.

"I scheduled you for an hour. It's only been 20 minutes."

The hour goes by quickly for me and then the results come.

Positive. I'm her father. "When can I take my daughter home?" I ask. "She should be at home. With me."

"Today. Right now. I'll go get her for you."

~*~

Once I've gotten Avery home, I show her to her room. "We can go room shopping tomorrow as it'll be Saturday." I say.

"When can I go home?"

"Your Mom's in prison for drug trafficking and child endangerment. I don't think it'll be safe. Besides, I'm your father. So this is home now too."

"My neighbors are watching my dog. Can we at least go get her?"

I nod softly. "Of course, Avery."

~*~

After driving two and a half hours, we make it to Avery's neighbor's. She willingly give us the Bernese mountain dog and we go into Avery's mothers to get everything we need for the dog.

Once we have everything, we head home.

~*~

Avery has been holed up in her room with that dog for two hours. So, I knock on the door. "Come in." Avery calls. I open the door to see her laying down, spooning with the dog who seems to be in heaven. I chuckle lightly.

"Did I wake you?"

"Yeah." She admits.

"I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm ordering takeout. What would you like?"

"Um...Chinese food?"

"Okay. I'll order that then. Do you have a preference of what kind?"

"Sushi?"

"You really are my kid. Okay." I say and call it in.

~*~

When I get back from picking up the sushi, I realize Avery has a lip ring in. "Since when do you have your lip pierced?"

"Since I was 12." She says. No wonder her mom was arrested for child endangerment. Ugh.

"I won't make you take it out but I do suggest that when you meet my parents, you do."

"And if I don't?"

"They bad mouth your mom for letting you do that. My folks are big on piercings other than on the ears."

"So like these?" She pulls her hair away from her ears to show multiple ear piercings, including industrial, daith, tragus, foreword and normal helix and three lobe piercings. She then reveals her other ear to have the same piercings.

"Um...they'd only approve of your lobe piercings." I admit to her softly. "But I like them."

"Thank you, I guess. Can we eat? I'm starving."

"Sure."

I pull out the food and give her a container of sushi. "I just got you a little bit of everything since I don't know what you like."

"I'm a 'little bit of everything' kinda girl." She says, laughing lightly.