Olivia watched John put his files away, shut down his computer and grab his coat and fedora. He said his goodbyes perfunctorily and let his long thin legs propel him out of the stationhouse. She sighed and decided there was nothing she could do, but wait until he was ready to give her an answer; pestering him wasn't going to help. She felt like a drink, but not alone, yet the company of her partner or Fin just didn't appeal. As she picked up her coat, she pulled out her cell phone and hit a certain speed dial number.

"Casey? Hey, how about meeting me for a drink?" she asked. Casey suggested the usually watering hole and soon Olivia was off to commiserate with a fellow Lady Defender of Justice, at least that's how she thought of her.

John returned to Dr. Jacob Cohen's office to receive the news. The receptionist who had seen him there earlier recognized him. She had apparently been made aware that he was a personal friend of the doctor's, as she treated him with what John felt was an extra degree of deference. He was escorted past waiting patients to Jacob's office. John almost did a double take when he entered the office, as somehow his brain had conjured up an image of Jake as he had known him a quarter of a century ago, since then most of their contact had been over the phone or in notes tucked into holiday greeting cards, written, he suspected, by Jake's wife.

"That bad, huh?" Jake asked seeing the shock on John's face.

"No, not really, it's just I forgot to add about 25 years on to the last time I actually saw you," John answered.

"Well, other than the grey in your hair, the change in the way you're styling it and your choice in clothes, you haven't changed a bit. Haven't gained an ounce either, I see." Jake said as he reached out to give John a handshake and hold John's arm at the elbow with his other arm.

"Yeah, well I don't know whether to blame that on genetics or the fact that I never found a wife that was a good cook," John joked.

"Yeah, well not from the lack of trying, huh? What's it been, four marriages?"

"Yeah, in some areas I'm a real slow learner," John said with a grin. "So you got some answers for me?

"Yeah," Jake paused a moment, and then motioning for John to sit down continued, "Sit down and I'll give you the good news."

"It's good news?" John asked.

"Yeah and I can tell you now, I wasn't sure it would be," Jake answered truthfully.

"Oh," John said trying not to reveal that he'd had the same misgivings.

"Well, yeah, an old pothead like you, I wasn't so sure you hadn't done some major damage to your reproductive health, but everything looks fine. Your sperm count is good and motility and morphology are OK. So everything looks OK for you to father this child for your friend."

"Why do I sense a but?" John asked.

"Look I know I don't exactly qualify as a close friend of yours anymore, but I still care about what happens to you," Jake paused for a moment.

"And." John said trying to coax his friend to say more.

Jake sighed. "You want to go get a drink, so we can talk some things over?"

"Don't you still have patients to see?" John asked, thinking of the patients he'd seen in the waiting room.

"Nah, anybody who's still waiting at this time of day is here to see the nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. So what do you say? How's a drink sound to you?"

"Sounds good, and Jake, you never were a close friend, but you were a good one," Munch said with a smile.

Olivia sat at a table in the back of the bar, ordered a beer and kept her eye on the front door. When she saw Casey, she waved her over. Casey caught the attention of the waitress on her way to their table and placed her order.

"So, how was your day?" Olivia asked as Casey got settled in.

"About like it always is - long, hard and frustrating," Casey answered.

"Sounds like the last time I had sex," Olivia said.

Casey laughed. "Glad I hadn't got my drink yet or I'd be snorting it out my nose."

"Glad to have made you laugh," Olivia said as the waitress brought Casey's glass of wine. "So what made you're day so miserable?" Olivia asked, hoping Casey's miseries would take her mind off her own.

"Well, for one thing I had John over for a witness prep and he was uncharacteristically distracted. You have any idea what could be bothering him?" Casey asked.

Olivia thought about how to answer, she and Casey weren't nearly as close as she and Alex had been, but she needed someone to confide in. She was fairly sure that Casey cared about John; so maybe in a way she deserved to know.

"Do you ever feel like all the things you wanted when you were a young girl are never going to be yours?" Olivia asked.

Casey wondered if Olivia's question was going to lead to an answer to her question or if it was a way of side stepping it.

"Yeah, more and more lately, seems white knights just aren't all that fond of women who prosecute sex crimes for a living," she answered morosely.

"Or women who arrest the people who commit them," Olivia added and took a pull on her bottle of beer.

"I always wanted to have a child of my own and to be a good mother to that child, of course in my mind that meant finding the right guy and getting married, but it's just not working out for me and right now about all I can hear is my biological clock," Olivia explained.

Suddenly Casey understood and a part of her was angry, but she tried to push it to the side and only let her curiosity show. "Did you ask John to father a child for you?" she asked, with just a hint of incredulity in her voice.

"Yes, which is probably why he seemed off his game. I'm sure he's thinking it over and trying to figure out how to politely tell me no," Olivia said the sadness evident in her voice.

"Well wait, what makes you think he'd say no? And why did you ask John in the first place? Why not just go with an anonymous sperm donor?" Casey asked the first couple of questions in her mind, she had more but she'd settle for answers to those.

"I don't know why I think he'd say no, maybe the fact he didn't say yes right away, but said he'd have to think about it. The reasons I don't want an anonymous sperm donor are many and complicated, but first of all I think it would be a good idea if some of my baby's genetic background were known," Casey winced internally at Olivia's comment, she should have thought of that reason herself.

"As far as asking John goes, when I realized I wanted a donor I knew, that brought the circle of possible donors down to ex-boyfriends, no way," she said emphatically, "and a few male friends, most of whom I work with. I wouldn't ask Elliot, for one thing he's already got four kids, and for another as partners our relationship is complex enough without adding a child. Fin already has a grown son, and I'm not sure that I'd need to add raising a biracial child to the difficulties of single motherhood. Although Captain Cragen's never had any children, he's too much like a father to me for it not to seem weird," Olivia listed her reason's for eliminating members of the squad.

"So that left John?" Casey prompted.

"Yes, and when I thought about it, he was the perfect choice. He's intelligent and I think his looks are compatible with mine, and while I want this child to be mine, I wouldn't mind the biological father having some contact with the child. I think with John it would be possible to work out a relationship where he could have contact with the child without our developing a romantic relationship, and without his being overly interfering in how I'm raising my child, at least I think it will be," Olivia said.

"Which part do you have doubts about?" Casey asked and she couldn't keep a hint of jealousy out of her voice.

"I won't lie to you Casey, I think there's a good reason that man's been married four times, women find it pretty easy to fall in love with him," Olivia confessed.

"But apparently not that easy to stay in love," Casey observed.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed.

"But then again, none of his wives gave him a child," Casey observed.

Look Casey, I just want to have a baby. I'm not trying to find a way to rope John into a relationship."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to seem like I'm accusing you of that, it's just," Casey faltered.

"It's just your one of those women who has fallen for John Munch, aren't you?" Olivia asked with a smile.

Casey let out a big sigh. "Yeah, afraid so, do you think there's a cure?"

"Sure, get him alone in your office late some evening, lock the door and put your best moves on him. I suspect he'll cooperate, and then you'll either get him out of your system or have him totally under your spell, one or the other," Olivia proposed. Both women laughed.

"Either that or I'll have one hell of a sexual harassment suit on my hands," Casey noted.

Olivia tilted her head in a maybe gesture.

Jacob had insisted on taking John to his club and now john felt a little self-conscious.

"Don't worry John, you fit right in, nobody knows you're a gumshoe but you," his friend reassured him.

They ordered drinks and reminisced for a while.

"Whatever happened to that guy who you used to sell drugs with, Tony something or other?" Jake asked.

"I thought you knew, he died of an overdose," Munch answered.

"Whoa, no I didn't know that, is that what made you straighten up and fly right?"

"That and a few other things, I don't know, I suddenly realized I wasn't really in a position to make a difference in the world, but as a cop I would be. Though to be honest, I don't think I really made that much difference before, but now working in Special Victims, occasionally I do," John answered.

"Special Victims, isn't that what they also call Sex Crimes?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, though it's more than that, we also handle all assaults against children and the elderly."

"I can see how you could feel like you were doing some good there, but you must also be inundated but some of the worst cases this city has to offer," Jacob observed.

"Yeah, well everyone in my squad has done their share of sleepless nights and there is a reason they keep a shrink on the department's roll full-time."

Jacob looked at his old friend as though seeing him in a new light.

"What's the matter?" John asked.

"Nothing, I'm just trying to think which tragic Greek hero you remind me of the most."

John studied his wine glass and then took a drink from it, finding he had no witty come back to such an unexpected comment. Finally he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Look you ever going to tell me what the but was about after you said I could father my friend child?"

"I'm just wondering if either of you have thought of all the consequences and the legal ramifications. Is she going to ask you to just make a sperm donation and walk away or will you be allowed to visit your child, acknowledge the child as yours? Does this woman work with you, if so and the paternity of the child becomes known could it cause trouble for you? What if, say a few years from now, something happens to the mother, who will take care of the baby? Will the child be your responsibility in that case? Or will the child be placed in the custody of someone who might not recognize your parental rights without a legal battle?" Jacob deluged John with questions.

"I'd thought of some of these questions to ask Olivia, but not all of them," John said obviously a little shaken by his friend's barrage of questions.

"I guess before I make this decision I need to talk to Olivia and get some more answers," John said decisively.