It was 4:45 now, and still there had been no sign of any of Steve’s brothers, but the common room was starting to fill up. “What is going on?” Patrick whispered in dismay as he and Andy brought their chairs closer to their four friends. “Why aren’t they all at dinner?”

“Human nature,” Jesse growled. “Where else would they be after Mcarthy told them all?”

“So much for Steve’s brilliant plan,” Kurt remarked quietly, exchanging glances with Mike.

“What plan?” Pat questioned bitterly.

“Well, Steve chose five o’clock because he assumed everyone would be at dinner,” Mike too was becoming agitated as the room continued to fill. People were looking and whispering now, intrigued especially by Kurt and Mike’s presence among Danny and Ryan’s friends. Nothing could have confirmed the rumors Gregg had been spreading, faster. Seniors, particularly friends of the president, did not mix so openly with underclassmen unless there was an occasion of some sort. To see Kurt and Mike with their little brothers, Sean and Andrew, wasn’t so unusual, but for Jesse and Pat to be with them too? That was practically unheard of. “He’s going to have a fucking hissy fit when he finds out about this,” Mike added with a nervous glance at all the activity. People opened new books, fresh from the campus store, as he looked their way, lowering their heads, and pretending to be hard at work.

“That’s the understatement of the year!” Kurt agreed. “Is this really because of Mcarthy?” Jesse and Sean nodded glumly and recounted their run-in with Gregg.

“That sorry son of a bitch!” Mike seethed, meeting Kurt’s eyes again. Kurt threw another smoldering glance in Gregg’s direction, but Gregg was looking quite pleased with himself again now, and he did not acknowledge Kurt’s silent threat, if he even saw it. Instead his grin widened and he looked up over all their shoulders.

“Hey Kev’bo!” he greeted, and with a collective feeling of dread all six of Ryan and Danny’s friends turned their heads in the direction of the door. Kevin swallowed as all eyes turned toward him and the din of the common room began to die. He had been standing there, unnoticed, scanning the room for his brothers for at least a couple of minutes. He had not approached their friends because he did not like the feeling he got as he surveyed the room. Now his anxiety increased still more. The last time people had behaved like this around him, he had gotten his ass beat, but good.

“Has anyone seen Danny and Ryan?” he questioned tentatively, focusing particularly on the little group sitting closest to him. Gregg snickered, but Kurt narrowed his eyes at him.

“Not one word!” he hissed. “Not one single word!” Gregg raised his hands in a gesture of protest and assumed his best look of injured innocence. He then sat back, crossed his arms on his chest, and once again traded looks of amusement with his closest friends.

“What’s going on?” Kevin asked. After all, he wasn’t stupid. Jesse put his head in his hands as Pat and Andy traded nervous glances. Sean gnawed at his lip, and looked at his five allies, but none of them looked back, and finally he looked again at Kevin.

“Nothing,” he answered him softly. “Nothing’s going on, Kev. What did you need from Danny and Ryan?”

“I was just hoping Danny could help me with my history project,” Kevin replied timidly, his stomach turning. Something was definitely not right. Sean bit his tongue, and covered his mouth with his hand as he looked at Jesse.

Jesse met his eyes and shook his head as he too bit hard on his lip. “Fucking unbelievable!” he muttered. It was the one place they had not looked, and where Kevin had most assuredly been, the library. They were just not used yet to the golden boy reputation Kevin was fast acquiring. It had, after all, been less than a month since he was the party king.

“Why don’t you bring it here,” Sean encouraged, at last. “I bet Jess and I could help you.”

“But Danny’s the History major,” Kevin protested and Gregg Mcarthy snickered again.

“Yeah, Sean, Danny’s the History major!”

“Shut it!” Sean turned on him, unable to contain himself any longer.

“You know what, never mind,” Kevin backed away.

“See you later, Kevie!” Gregg called brightly. “Hey, why don’t you ask Steve where your brothers are?”

“You asshole!” Mike fumed, and Kevin gave them both a funny look.

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” he replied, turning towards the stairs.

“No!” all of his brothers’ friends exclaimed together. Kevin returned once more to the door of the common room, all his anxiety written clearly on his face now, as Kurt and Mike stood up to confront Gregg.

“You,” Kurt pointed his finger at him, “are going to get your ass beat!”

“What the hell is going on?” Kevin shouted in distress.

“What’s the matter, Kev’bo?” The tired sounding voice in the hallway made everybody freeze.

“I don’t know!” Kevin answered his brother in exasperation. “They won’t tell me!”

Mike sank back into his chair and brought his hand to his eyes. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“Oh, yeah!” Gregg sneered. “It’s show time!”

“Your day is coming asshole!” Kurt clenched his fist tightly, but as Danny and Ryan appeared behind their brother, he too sat down again, propping his head on his hand, and closing his eyes. Sean dropped his head into his hands, and Jesse bit his lip, fighting back tears. Andrew reddened and looked at the floor as Ryan glanced his way, and Patrick quickly dodged Danny’s eyes as well.

“Mary, mother of God,” Ryan breathed as they surveyed the scene in the common room. Danny turned ashen and Ryan’s hand went to his shoulder.

“Where have you two been?” Kevin asked, turning to look at them. “I’ve been searching for you all day!” He paused as he caught sight of their wan expressions. “God, are you guys all right?” he asked.

“Yeah, Bro, we’re ok,” Ryan assured him quietly. “We just had some things we needed to take care of.”

“What did you need, Kev?” Danny inquired softly. “Is it something that will wait?”

“I guess,” Kevin replied uncertainly, his former anxiety creeping back into his voice as he regarded his brothers. “I just wanted some help with my History project.” Jesse and Sean came quietly up beside them now and Danny and Ryan looked away.

“We’ll help you, Kev’bo,” Sean carefully focused his attention on Danny’s younger brother as he repeated his previous offer. “Why don’t you go get it, so we can see what we’re working with?”

“I have it,” Kevin protested, pulling the crinkled syllabus from his pocket, “but I wanted Danny to help me.”

“I can’t, Bro,” Danny replied gently, and Ryan tightened his grip on his brother’s shoulder, “not right now.”

“Why not?” Kevin’s disappointment was evident and it cut his brother sharply.

“I just can’t, Kev,” he looked away again, struggling to maintain his composure. Kevin hung his head, and the expression on his face when Danny looked back at him, was more than his big brother could bear. “Here, let me see it, Kid,” he said softly, holding out his hand. His voice was tight with emotion.

“Danny, come on, man,” Ryan urged him uneasily.

“I just want to look at it!” Danny snapped, and Ryan squeezed his shoulder again. He knew how hard it was for his brother to deny Kevin this kind of request.

“Won’t you guys tell me what’s going on?” Kevin pleaded quietly, the paper forgotten as tears filled his eyes.

“It’s nothing, Kev, it’s nothing,” Danny tried to reassure, “let me see,” he indicated the paper again, and doubtfully, Kevin handed it to him. Danny opened it up, and tried to smooth out the wrinkles, glancing over it as he did. Finally he looked up at Jesse. The two friends shared a long look and tears welled in Danny’s eyes as he looked back at Kevin. “Jess should be able to help you with this,” he said softly, “we did the same thing last year.”

“But I want you!” Kevin’s anxiety increased as he saw his brother’s tears. “Why can’t you help me?”

“I can’t do it, right now, Kev’bo,” Danny said again, trying his best to remain calm. “Let Jess get you started and I’ll help you later, ok?”

“But why?” Kevin’s agitation was mounting by the minute and Danny pressed his fingers to his eyes. Ryan hung his arm lower over his little brother’s chest and pulled him against him.

“We’ve got to go now, Bro,” he whispered in his ear. “We are going to be in big trouble if we keep them waiting any longer.” Danny swallowed, and nodded, looking at Kevin one more time through blurred eyes as Ryan maneuvered him towards the stairs.

“Wait!” Kevin followed them, putting his hand on Ryan’s arm. “Where are you guys going?”

Ryan’s face flushed, and he bit his lip. “We have to go talk to Steve, Kevin,” he replied tensely. Danny stood before his brother on the very first step, still in his protective embrace, and now he covered his face with his hand.

Kevin, in his own anxiety, missed the tone in his brother’s voice. “Ok, I’ll come with you,” he started.

“No, Kev. You can’t, bud.”

“Ryan, please . . .,”

“I said no!” Tears stung Kevin’s eyes again as Sean came up behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Why not?” Kevin pressed.

“You just can’t, Kev’bo. Not this time. I’m sorry,” Ryan spoke gently now. He tried to urge Danny forward, but Kevin clung to his arm.

“Why can’t I come, Ryan?” he demanded desperately. “Why?” Ryan took hold of Kevin’s arm, and looked at him earnestly.

“Because, Bro, it’s not a social call,” he said quietly, his face turning beet red.

“What?” Kevin looked at him in amazement. “What do you mean?” Both his brothers were a deep crimson now and Kevin’s stomach turned as he looked at them.

“Look, Kev,” Ryan soothed, affected by his little brother’s anguished expression, “everything’s going to be all right, ok? But you have to let us go. Let us go,” he commanded softly. Too shocked to argue, Kevin took his hand from Ryan’s arm. Ryan urged Danny forward once more, and in a daze Danny obeyed, swallowing hard to keep his tears back just a little longer.

“Ryan,” Kevin tried to follow again as they neared the top of the stairs, but Sean held him back. “Ryan . . .,” Kevin called, but neither of his brothers looked at him. He could see that Danny was just barely holding it together. “What did you mean?” The question came out so softly that even Kevin wasn’t sure if his brothers had heard him, but they did, and it was with an aching heart that Ryan ignored his pleas, and continued down the hallway, pushing Danny in front of him.

Finally, they stood outside their big brother’s door, and Ryan paused, swallowing hard as his emotions started to get the better of him. This room had never been anything, but a warm and inviting place to go since Steve had assumed the presidency at the beginning of the year. Now, his stomach was in knots. He knew, as he looked at him, that his younger brother was having similar thoughts, and he kept his hand on Danny’s shoulder as he finally got up the courage to knock. After a minute, Steve opened the door, and Ryan hung his head as his brother looked reproachfully at him. He had seen that look in Steve’s eyes many times, but rarely had it been directed at him.

The fraternity president regarded his little brothers silently for a moment, and then grimly stood aside to let them in, closing the door with an ominous click behind them.