Disclaimer: You know the story, I don't own C.O.P.S., though now I'm starting to wish I did, and yada, yada, yada. (By the way, is this REQUIRED of me every time I start a new chapter? I don't know, since this is my first fanfic story - ever, and with chapters - and I'm just taking precautions to avoid any lawsuits.) Anywho, here's chapter four and don't forget to read and review. Not to pressure people, but I don't think I have enough.

Chapter 4

That evening, shortly before eight o'clock, Doug and I went to the C.O.P.S. headquarters. I spent the whole drive just staring at the cover of my book. I figured that if Randall and Benjamin handled things quite well this morning, the C.O.P.S. would be reading the book in between assignments and paperwork. Just as we were about to go inside, we saw Randall park his car in his usual spot.

As he was getting out, I ran up to him and asked, "So, big bro, how'd everything work out this morning? How did Bulletproof and company like Cousin Benjamin?"

"He won them over easily," Randall answered. "When I picked him up, I told him specifically that I would do all the talking. But he insisted that he wrote the book, so he would explain all the plot details, and told me just to introduce him. Sure enough, he gave an excellent presentation. I believe it was Mainframe who said…"

"Who cares who said what about Benjamin?" Doug interrupted. "Let's just get inside. I go on duty in only a few minutes and I have to clock in."

I was running ahead of my brothers. "Besides," I called, "I want to know what everyone thinks of the book. I'm dying of curiosity!"

Inside the headquarters, I did a quick scan around the desk area (as my mother likes to call it.) Hardtop and Longarm were at their desks, reading their copies of Benjamin's book, but the looks on their faces were rather indifferent. Mirage and Mace were reading, too, but they looked to be indulged in it. Barricade was typing up a police report while some teenage street thug was making a confession. And there was Mainframe, sitting at the crime computer as usual. She had her copy in front of her, but I could tell she wasn't concentrating very well. I'd caught her glancing up at the computer screen searching for any crimes detected. Funny, I didn't see anything on there. Oh, well.

I smiled confidently and greeted everyone. "Hello, officers!"

Everyone looked at me and smiled back. "Leslie!" Longarm noted. "It's so good to see you. So, how are things going with your movie?"

"Well, I'm sure I'll be by here more often for the next little while, while the filming is on hiatus," I answered.

"Really?" Hardtop wondered. "The director didn't quit, did he?"

"Nah, he just fled to the west coast to see his mother. Tragically sick, or so that's what Jill told me. She says the woman could go at any time now. If she does, which is probably likely, he could stay there for about another two weeks. Even when he does come back to Empire City, he'll probably be too grief-stricken to do any filming, which'll probably add another week. So, unless the movie company hires a fill-in…"

"I've never heard of a film company doing anything like that," Doug interrupted. "Maybe if your director got so grief-stricken, he couldn't finish the film, he could hire someone to take over."

"I don't think he'd do that," I replied. "The movie will be put on hold for three weeks, tops. Maybe even a little longer than that."

I looked around at the C.O.P.S. reading Benjamin's novel. "So, I see most of you have gotten into my cousin's book. I take it you guys have had a slow day today."

Barricade looked up from his computer. "Not that slow," he said. "We've had a couple of major drug busts down at the park, and we arrested an entire street gang attempting to rob an entire department store, and I've just brought in this little punkster whom I caught breaking and entering an apartment on 35th and Gleason."

"Still, we have managed to put aside time to do some 'assigned' reading," Mirage added.

"I was very impressed with your cousin's speech, Leslie," Mainframe called. "He was a very clear, eloquent speaker, and he gave some very interesting plot details. You should've seen how interested everyone was. I could've sworn Bulletproof wanted to peek in the book before handing them out to everyone."

I clasped my hands together. "Well, what does everyone think of it?"

"Oh, it's just awful," Hardtop complained. "It starts out boring and depressing, all this stuff about the wife dying, then it's so unbelievable. What kind of widowed man would fling himself into another relationship so soon after his wife dies?"

"Certainly not me," Longarm answered. "I would wait a year or two before getting back into dating."

"I take it most of you have skipped Chapter Two," I guessed. Everyone who was reading nodded. I looked over at Mirage and Mace. They were still reading as if they loved it, but after looking at them up close, it seemed as if they were forcing themselves to stay interested.

"Mirage, Mace, how about you?" I asked. "Your verdicts? Mace, could you see yourself in the hero, Johnny Willis?"

"Only physically," he answered. "First of all, these sexual descriptions of his body are totally uncalled for. And what is with these tank tops he wears with his blue jeans? I mean, come on! If I were a plainclothes officer, I'd choose a button-down shirt with a leather jacket. I wouldn't wear stuff that'd make me look like a sex object!"

"Anything else?" I asked.

"This Johnny Willis guy may be a good cop on the beat," Mace said, "but he's also vain, hormonal, and a pushover for any woman he runs into. This, I don't like."

"I'll have to agree with Mace," Barricade said. "Cops don't normally act like that, whether they're on or off-duty."

I glared at Barricade. How would he know that Johnny Willis wasn't acting toward standard police procedures, both professionally and personally? Had he even started reading the book?

I turned to Longarm. "Ok, Longarm, speaking as a father, what do you think about Johnny's treatment towards his sons, Shawn and Hunter?" I asked. "After all, Ben did set him up to be a credible, loving dad."

"I see that," he replied, "and I give both the character and novelist credit for this." I stood over him as he flipped back to the first chapter. He showed me a line that obviously touched him and read it aloud. "He didn't hesitate as he wrapped his arms around his boys, enveloping them in his muscle, allowing them to use his pectorals as comfort pillows." Longarm smiled at me. "That's so sweet. That's why I skimmed through the second chapter, to find any more references to Johnny Willis, the loving father. And I found quite a bit, especially during the funeral scenes. It makes me think of my own relationship with my son, Brian."

"Unfortunately, that's the only believable thing about this guy," Hardtop added.

I frowned. "Well, I'm sorry that most of you don't like it. I just hope that Benjamin can take it well." I started for Bulletproof's office. "I'll just go see what Bulletproof thinks of it."

"Wait!" Barricade called. I turned to see he had completed his police report. He handed it to me. "Since you're going to see Bulletproof, could you please take this to him?" I saw him take his hoodlum away to a cell. I took the report to Bulletproof's office.

I saw his door partially open, but I knocked anyway. "Bulletproof?" I called. "It's Leslie. May I come in?"

"Of course!" he called from inside.

I saw Bulletproof at his desk, reading Benjamin's book. I smiled as I gave him Barricade's report and said, "Ah, so you've gotten into the book, too." I walked up behind him to glance over his shoulder. I saw he was only on page sixty-two. He must have had a fairly good day dealing with the non-Big Boss-related crime, as Barricade had told me. Either that or he's a slow fiction reader. Oh, what am I thinking, maybe Bulletproof doesn't read fiction at all, kind of like my father was.

"How's that even coming?" I asked.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think I can get all the way through it," he said.

"You mean you don't like it, either?"

"Oh, it's just terrible," Bulletproof complained. "Judging by what I've read so far, it seems that Benjamin has focused too much on Johnny Willis' personal life, and not so much on his career life. This is not what I like to see in a police novel. Normally, I don't have a problem with reading about what cops do in their off-duty time, but there needs to be a balance between that and their police shifts. So far, I don't see a balance here."

"Well, I've read about a hundred pages so far, and I've seen some balance," I said. "Benjamin's just portraying 'the Junkyard Dog' as some kind of romantic. I mean, he's told me that, in addition to being a good cop, he's also an ideal husband, father and lover. I think that's an explanation for all the personal stuff."

"Ideal father and lover, maybe," Bulletproof argued, "but I don't know about 'husband.' That's another thing I don't get, Leslie. What kind of husband starts philandering like that so soon after he buries his wife? That's the most unrealistic thing I've ever seen."

"Well, Johnny's just so gorgeous, that women actually throw themselves at him." I sat down in the chair across from Bulletproof's desk. "I think he's so taken by their beauty and charm, he's kind of blind to their taking advantage of his vulnerability."

Even with all my explanations, I was sure to read a not-so-great review from Bulletproof Vess in Sunday edition of the Empire City Times. I gave him Barricade's report, and said that I'd talk to him later. "I'm off to do some serious reading of my own," I said, then left.

I went to the interviewing room and sat in an empty chair. I'd be fine here as long as nobody brought anyone in here to yell at them about a murder case, or something. It's so quiet in that room when you're all alone, I've noticed. There's no way I could concentrate very well with any phones ringing and officers socializing.

I must have been in there for over an hour. I read about sixty pages. I really had no idea what Bulletproof was talking about when he said that Benjamin was concentrating too much on Johnny's personal life. I did see some chase scenes, and Johnny confronting suspects in the standard police procedure that Barricade said he didn't act in. There was even a dramatic part where he rescued a twelve-year-old boy from joining a gang. Oh, I just had to tell Benjamin how much I loved this part! If Doug or Randall, or any of the other C.O.P.S. did this, I'm sure that Commissioner Highwater would give them a hero's parade.

Of course Benjamin included some parts of Johnny's professional life. He just didn't include all those clichés you see in TV cop shows – cars flipping over during a chase, buildings being blown up, excessive use of nightsticks.

Soon, I heard someone sharply call my name. I jumped and turned to see Doug. He looked very cross.

"Leslie, I was looking all over for you," he said. "You know you're not allowed in here, right? This is for authorized personnel."

"Sorry, Doug," I replied. "I just wanted a quiet place to read, away from all the distractions."

"Well, we'd like you to do us a favor, please? Walk down to Sweet Marie's Donuts and bring back a three dozen party pack of assorted kinds."

I stood up and gave my brother a shocking glare. "Walk down to Sweet Marie's? Dude, that's in another part of Empire City! You can't expect me to walk all the way there and back! Have you lost your mind?"

He gave me thirty dollars. "Three dozen assorted," he repeated. "And you can buy a little something for yourself while you're at it."

"All right," I said. I went to Doug, took the money, and we left the room together.

Just as I arrived at the desk area, I felt like I was missing something. Did I leave my book in the interviewing room? Ah, what did it matter? I had an important errand to run and from the looks of the C.O.P.S. (I'd noticed that Highway and Bowzer had just arrived) they were desperate for some donuts. I could get the book when I get back.

I stepped out into the streets of Empire City. Thank God it was yet another clear, sultry night. And with Big Boss in England, I wouldn't have to worry about Berserko or Nightshade, or any other of those creeps robbing me. And I knew where Sweet Marie's was, since it's the only donut shop in town that Bulletproof and the others will go to. (Their chocolate donuts are the best in the whole city.) Still, I couldn't believe the C.O.P.S. would have me walk all the way there. I could run into another gang and still get mugged. I could even be fighting off hookers. Why couldn't anyone have driven me?

It took me almost an hour to get there, minus the encounters with fans I happened to run into. Going in, I was thinking about how my feet were going to survive the walk back. By the time I'd get back on the street where the headquarters are, I'd be having corns, bunions and varicose veins. Those C.O.P.S. had better having a massaging tub ready for me when I get back! I thought. Sweet Marie's was full that night, but thankfully, there was only one open cash register.

I should've been glad that the cashier manning it recognized me. But she was so bloody loud. "Leslie Janes!" she cried. Another fan. She was calling to the other cashiers and the rest of the staff. "You guys, do you know who's here? Leslie Janes, the movie star! And he's ordering something for his cop friends!"

God, did she have to announce my presence to the whole shop? Soon, everyone was staring at me, some even wanting my autograph. But I wasn't in the mood to do any signing then. Most celebrities, myself included, don't like being the center of attention in ordinary public places like this. Stuff like this could bring on the paparazzi.

I was concentrating on the donuts for my own order. "Uh, I'll have a three dozen assorted party pack, and for myself, I'll have a double chocolate dip and a medium cola," I told her.

She was tapping prices into the register, totaling everything. "The final total is $24.74, but just for you, Leslie, the boss wants me to discount fifteen percent," she said. "Your total is $21.03." I gave her the money and put the change in my pocket. Then, she made me wait while she put together the party pack. I looked around. Now everyone was whispering and probably gossiping about me. I thought this was totally humiliating. For this kind of attention, I was glad for that damn discount. I really did want to keep the change, seriously. And thank God nobody was asking about my movie. I refused to discuss it with anyone.

I couldn't wait for that pack of donuts to be ready, so I could collect my whole order, pay the girl, and get out of there. When she did, she presented a big box with the logo on it, a paper bag, and a plastic cup with a Styrofoam lid. I took a straw and jammed it right into the cup. I picked up my stuff and left the shop quickly.

"After an episode like that," I said to myself, "I expect ol' Roughneck and the rest of them to kiss my feet."

Sweet Marie's and the C.O.P.S. headquarters were in neighboring boroughs. Separating these boroughs was the ever so wide King Empire River. The bridge overlooking the river was as long as the damn Golden Gate. I had no problem walking across it to get to the shop, but now I had to walk across it carrying ten pounds of donuts and a quarter-liter drink. It's a good thing I have a strong right hand, or else I'd be holding the box all slanted. And I really couldn't have that, since I was on the part of the bridge which people rode their bicycles. I kept thinking about my donut and drink sliding off the box, over the railing, and into the river. Not only that, but my feet were starting to ache. I kept looking over at the traffic on the bridge. Any time a cop car wanted to stop and pick me up, it would be just fine with me.

I had just crossed the bridge and two more streets when a familiar vehicle drove up. One of those standard police cars, and the driver had lifted the top up. It was Hardtop, with a big cup holder carrying ten coffees in the passenger's seat. "Going my way, Leslie?" he asked. "Hop in!"

I was so bloody relieved. I put the donuts in the backseat and took my drink. Hardtop had put the coffees on the mat in passenger's seat. I got in and buckled up, the coffees at my feet. I examined the logo on the coffee cups. Java Joe's, which wasn't very far from where Hardtop picked me up. Thank God it wasn't in the same area as their Sweet Marie's. I could not have handled carrying thirty-seven donuts, ten hot coffees, and a soda all the way back to headquarters. I don't even want to get into what would happen; picture that for yourself. It wouldn't be pretty, let me tell you. Let's just say I'd be begging a customer to let me borrow a cell phone, so I could call headquarters and beg to be picked up.

"When we get back to headquarters, Hardtop," I said, "remind me to kick the crap out of Roughneck. Then, persuade the judge that it was self-defense, because he made me do something really outrageous."

But when we returned to headquarters, we were greeted by the sounds of Barricade crying, "Oh my God" over and over again. He came out into the desk area with my book. Hardtop and I put the donuts and coffees on his desk. Just then, Barricade announced, "Everyone, I'd like you to turn to page 160 in your books." All the other C.O.P.S. were flipping to that page, and Barricade sounded like a distressed English teacher as he read aloud a passage he had found.

Johnny stripped off his underwear and stepped into the shower to join Eliza, amazed by the perkiness of her double-D breasts. Those breasts and his pectorals were pressed together as they were body to body, and it wasn't long before they were kissing each other all over, pawing at one another. Johnny made the water hotter, and they were soon in a kneeling-to-lying position, as he was sucking on her chest, and biting every other inch of her like only a junkyard dog can.

She was grabbing onto his biceps and shoulders, feeling all the strength and muscle she could. He had stuck himself into her, and was growling and barking in her ear.

"Oh, Johnny!" she screamed. "Oh, Johnny, you animal! I love it when you bark and growl at me like that. Oh, you're so goddamn sexy!" It was clear to her why everyone called Johnny Willis "the Junkyard Dog," and why every other beautiful woman in the city lusted after him.

The water turned cold now, and Johnny and Eliza were still lying on the shower floor, engaged in their delightful sexual passion, as the water continued to soak them. But after a while, she started to feel frigid, and she begged him to let her out. "Please, Johnny!" she cried. "I'm freezing!" Considerate as he was, he took himself out of her, and she left the shower to dry off and get into bed. But he stayed. The cold water only increased his sexual arousal.

Fifteen minutes later, he stepped out of the shower, not bothering to dry off, or put his underwear back on. Johnny stared down at his naked, soaked body, determined to go to bed like that tonight. He opened the bathroom door and stood at the doorway, eyeing Eliza, ready to give her more. There she was, lying soundly in his bed.

He called her name and she sat up, aroused by his nakedness. With a feasting look, he made gigantic steps towards the bed, crawled onto her side, and proceeded to take her nightie off. He was growling at her again, and said, "C'mon, you sexy little bitch. The big pooch wants to play some more."

Hardtop went over to Barricade, took my book, and read that passage for himself. I could tell how shocked he was when he finished. I looked at the other C.O.P.S. Mirage and Mainframe looked disgusted and ashamed, maybe because they couldn't believe how submissive that girl was. Longarm looked as frozen as a cop-sicle. Neither Bowzer nor Highway said anything; they just opened the donut box and ate one each to console themselves. Doug just took his copy and went to show Bulletproof. (It wasn't rocket surgery; I could tell Bulletproof wasn't going to be pleased.) In fact, it was totally silent except for an angry Mace pounding his fist on his desk.

"Of all the loathsome, despicable, thoughtless things this boy could do…" he started, but I stopped him.

"Chill out, Mace!" I ordered. "I'm sure that Benjamin didn't do that to dishonor this department, or the rest of you!"

At least, I hoped he didn't. I'd read that scene in the interviewing room, (I guess Barricade was there, preparing to question more gang members) before Doug found me. Honestly, I thought it was the most explicit thing I've ever read. Too explicit for a police novel, in fact.

I took my book from Hardtop, sat at Randall's desk and kept reading. I didn't think I'd be hearing anything from anyone until Doug took me home.

Okay, sorry for the cliffhanger, but again, I had another long chapter. But watch for the explosive (and I mean it)climax next chapter. You can tell howBulletproof andthe C.O.P.S. are going to confront Benjamin at the book signing. Believe me, I can too! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. I could use more... lol!