At this point I am literally making stuff up as I go along because this really ran away with me so I have no idea what's going to happen next. I'm along for this ride with you guys.

Benny wasn't sure how long he sat there, staring into space. An odd funk had settled over him.

There was a knock at the door, and he jumped, startled. Pushing himself to his feet, he crossed the room and checked the peephole. It was Emmet. Benny cracked the door open and stuck his head out. "'Sup, dude?"

Emmet's expression was a mix of surprise and relief. "You and Bad Cop never showed up for work," he said. "I got kinda worried."

Benny smacked his forehead. "Aw, shoot, that's right! I totally forgot, I'm so sorry."

Emmet tried to inconspicuously peer past Benny into the apartment. "Is something up?"

Benny scooted a little to block Emmet's view of the couch. "Nah, man. Just me and B chillin'."

"Oh," Emmet said, clearly baffled by this point. "I just… When you didn't answer your door I figured I'd come see if Bad Cop knew where you were. Didn't really expect to find you here." He glanced over Benny's shoulder. "Is he around?"

"He's sleeping," Benny said. "I think yesterday did a number on him." It wasn't technically a lie.

Emmet fidgeted a little. "So, uh… how's he doing?"

"He's…" Benny searched for an adequate way of putting it. "He's got some problems he's working through."

"Ah," Emmet said. He looked down at his hands. "Um. I was talking to Business earlier. He says he'd like to see Bad Cop."

Benny felt a flash of white-hot anger. "No," he said icily.

Emmet actually took a step back. "Whoa," he said, eyes wide. "Is there something I should know?"

Benny forced his voice to stay level. "I don't want anyone to even say that name in front of Bad Cop right now," he said. "And I don't want to hear it either. Bad Cop will see him when he's good and ready."

"Okay," Emmet said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I won't ask."

Benny swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. It wasn't fair to put Emmet in the crossfire. "Thanks, man," he said. "Sorry I kinda blew up."

"No, it's alright." Emmet sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's really hard, you know? Trying to fix everything. Not just the buildings. That's the easy part."

"Yeah," Benny replied. "I know."

Emmet gave him a tired smile. He really had been doing a lot. Being the Special had automatically pushed him into a position of authority. He was rising to the occasion rather spectacularly for someone who could be so dopey. And it wasn't just rebuilding the city and doing PR. There were the Duplos, too, constantly undermining all their efforts.

Sudden inspiration struck Benny like a lightning bolt, and he checked over his shoulder to see if Bad Cop was still sleeping on the couch. Making sure the door was unlocked, he stepped out into the hall with Emmet and closed the door behind him. "I have an idea," he said, "but I'm not sure how well it'll go over with anyone. Including Bad Cop."

Emmet raised his eyebrows.

"Bad Cop was good at what he did," Benny said. "Like, really good. And when we working yesterday, he looked really happy."

"He did?" Emmet asked. "He looked kinda angry to me."

Benny waved it off. "That's just his face. During all the time he was with… all the time he spent hunting us, I seriously doubt he took a single vacation. Dude practically lives to work. So what if… what if we gave him the police department back?"

Emmet's eyebrows went up even further. He couldn't find a response.

"Think about it," Benny persisted. "The police department as it is right now is a joke. It needs someone in charge who really knows what they're doing. The Duplos are a real problem, and they're just gonna get worse. Imagine Bad Cop putting all that skill and devotion he has to use against them. He nearly wiped us out. The Duplos wouldn't stand a chance."

Slowly, Emmet began to nod. "You've got a good point," he said. "But you're right that people might not be as accepting of it."

Benny shook his head. "Forget the people. We just need the Master Builders behind him. Everyone else will follow. It'll be a great opportunity for him to really prove he's on our side, and it'll give him something to do. I don't think he does well when he doesn't have anything to do. And if I know anything, it's that I know he loves being a cop."

"He did seem pretty enthusiastic the first time I met him," Emmet agreed. Then he snapped his fingers. "What about Good Cop?"

Benny dropped his gaze. "It's, uh… Bad's the one calling the shots right now." He forced himself to look up again. "I still need to get his opinion on this, but would you be open to it?"

"As long as he is," Emmet replied with that bright smile of his.

Benny nodded and reached for the doorknob behind him. "I'll talk to him, then," he said. "See you later."

"Yeah, see you," Emmet said, bumping fists with him.

Benny watched him walk off down the hall, then pulled the door open and stepped back inside. He closed the door and rested his forehead against it.

"Had a nice little chat?"

Benny stiffened and slowly, slowly turned around.

Bad Cop was standing in the middle of the living room, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. He didn't look happy, and not because that was just his face.

"Did you, uh…" Benny said, pointing tentatively at the door.

"Yes," Bad Cop said.

Benny winced internally. "How much?"

"All of it," Bad Cop said. He pulled a chair away from the table and straddled it, fixing Benny with his best interrogation stare. "I believe we need to talk."