"Pay close attention members of Phi Beta Capa," Matt's baritone voice rang out, "Big brothers, little brothers, freshmen and seniors. It matters not if this is your first time to hear the reading of The Code, or your last, for The Code plays no favorites. Enumerated in the lines below are the doctrines around which you must form your lives as a member of this fraternity. Take The Code seriously, or you shall reap the consequences."

Steve and Ryan made their way quietly from the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, so they could hear the proceedings, and made their way into the hallway. They found Danny sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, his head in his hands. He was sobbing. Wordlessly Ryan sat down beside him, and put his arm around him.

"I can't do this!" Danny choked without looking up. "I can't do this! It's too hard."

"Yes you can, Dan," Steve reassured quietly as he looked affectionately down at his younger brothers. "You're doing fine. Your role is to support Kevin, and you are definitely doing that, maybe a little too well," he added ironically. "I'm not altogether happy that you challenged me the way you did, but I'm sure it means a lot to Kevin that you stuck up for him."

"No it doesn't!" Danny argued. "Did you see how he looked at me? He hates me!"

"No he doesn't," Ryan soothed. "He doesn't know what he's feeling right now. He's a little too shocked to process it all, but he'll come around!"

"Sure he will!" Danny retorted bitterly. "He thought we were throwing him a party for Christ's sakes! When he has time to process it all, he'll hate me even more! God, Steve! Why'd we have to do it on his birthday?"

"You know the answer to that!" Steve replied brusquely.

"Well, it's an awfully mean thing to do! James is right! I would have kicked our asses too, if I were him!" Ryan and Steve remained quiet. "And then you gave him extra!" Danny sobbed, letting it all out now. "Why Steve? Why did you do that?"

"Danny, Kevin's got a real attitude problem right now that centers around his resistance to authority! He has to learn to follow directions!"

"But he was trying! He didn't know! You never told him not to stand or rub, and that paddle hurts! It hurts so bad . . . ," Danny put his head down on his knees, unable to continue, and Ryan kept a consoling hand on his back as he met Steve's eyes. With patient concern, Danny's older brothers waited and finally he went on, ". . . I didn't even get that many licks last year," he choked, "and I deserved it just as much as he does!"

"But you got it quicker, Dan," Steve responded gently. "Kevin is too impulsive. He has to learn to think before he acts!"

"Well, it's a little hard to think, when your ass is on fire!" Danny snapped.

"Danny, look at me," Steve squatted down in front of his little brother. "Look at me please," he placed a gentle hand under Danny's bruised chin and forced him to look tearfully up at him. "You deserved what you got last year. There's no doubt about it, and Kevin deserves his punishment too. The two of you are very much alike in so many ways. Sometimes I wonder if you were secretly separated at birth! I know this is hard! Believe me, I know, but it's necessary and I think you know that! Just look at how you turned around! You're going to class, doing your homework, staying out of trouble, and according to this hotshot right here, you're going the right way for straight A's this semester! In fact he's already predicting you'll be valedictorian, and class president and now we're all praying for maybe just a little slip on your part, so we don't have to hear his mouth all next semester." Ryan couldn't help grinning a little sheepishly as he tightened his hand on Dan's shoulder. "I've never seen anyone straighten out faster than you, Danny," Steve continued more seriously, "but I'm betting Kevin will challenge your record. Know why?" Danny shook his head and brushed at his tears. "Because of his attachment to you! He adores you, Dan. I'm not saying things won't be rough for awhile, but he'll get past it, like you did. He's just as smart as he is stubborn. Ryan tells me he hasn't had a moment's trouble with you this semester, and by this time next year he's going to be sick to death of hearing about all of Kevin's accomplishments! We do not pick our younger brothers idly, Danny. We know what we're doing, and when you and Ry are picking for Kevin next year, I'm sure some cocky little bastard will distinguish himself in a way that will make it just as easy as it was this year and the year before when Matt and I picked you for Ryan." Steve fell silent and Ryan remained quiet too, letting Danny absorb all that Steve had said to him. He placed his head back on his knees as Steve took his hand from his chin, and for a few long moments he did not look up. He was still crying, but not as hard, and the only other sound to be heard was the drone of Matt's voice coming through the cracked door. He was near the end now, and Steve and Ryan exchanged glances as they listened. They really had to go back in.

"What do I do in the meantime?" Danny finally looked up at his brothers and wiped once more at his dwindling tears.

"What?" Steve asked softly. His attention had been completely absorbed by the proceedings in the other room which he was straining to hear, so Dan's question caught him off guard.

"In the meantime," Dan repeated, "while I'm waiting for Kevin to `get past it,’ what do I do?"

"Well," Steve responded gently, "you start by going back in there with us now, and helping him to get through tonight."

"Yeah, and then what?" Danny sobbed, becoming agitated once more.

"Then just give him time," Steve soothed.

"And be prepared for anything," Ryan added quietly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "It's going to be ok, Danny. We'll get through this. I promise!" Matt was reading the last couple of doctrines now, and as his voice drifted through the door Steve grew restless, sharing another look with Ryan.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly. Ryan nodded. "Dan, it's time, Bud. Are you ready?" Danny was quiet for another couple of moments as he tried to pull himself together. "Kevin is going to need you, Man. You think you can do this?" Finally Dan nodded as he brushed at the rest of his tears. Ryan got to his feet, helping Danny up after him, and silently they followed their older brother to the door and as discretely as possible slipped back into the common room. Steve stood to the side against the wall, flanked by his younger brothers as they waited patiently for Matt to finish. Their reappearance caused some restlessness in the room, but Matt was undeterred. His voice remained strong and unwavering as he began to read the last section of The Code:

"These are the doctrines of The Code as decreed and maintained by the Order of the Humble Pie within the fraternity Phi Beta Capa. Any violation of the above code will result in swift and severe consequences to be determined by the president of the order and those he chooses to advise him. Consequences may range, as previously stated, from the application of the traditional disciplinary implement to eviction from the fraternity and or expulsion from school. Any member summoned for discipline to the chamber of the president must report promptly, without questions. The president will hear any defense the member may wish to give in his behalf at the time of the summons. Any member summoned to the chamber of the president will be notified by a pink slip of paper placed in his mailbox, stating the date and time of the summons. If the paddle is to be applied, the member's big brother will be summoned also, by way of a blue slip, to act as a witness and a support. These are hereafter the Disciplinary Codes to be known and adhered to by all members of the fraternity known as Phi Beta Capa."

Steve stepped quietly up beside Matt as he finished reading, and Matt quietly handed him the parchment. All eyes followed the president as he hung The Code in its honorary place on the wall. Steve then turned back to face the freshman, and giving his brother a look of encouragement, Matt quietly took his place amongst the juniors and seniors. Steve took a deep breath and swallowed hard in an attempt to calm his nerves as he looked at the terrified freshmen, but finally he took a deep breath, and began to address them.

"Freshmen year," he stated with calm authority, "is a transition year. For many of you, you are away from home for the first time in your lives. You are dealing with new roommates, new surroundings, new responsibilities. Many of you," he glanced back at Kevin, "are also dealing with the pressures that go with new found stardom. Balancing these pressures against those of your everyday responsibilities can be, at best, difficult sometimes. At worst, they can cause you to neglect what is most important. Those of us in this fraternity who have made it through our first year successfully, have taken a vow to help those behind us succeed as well. The vow includes a strict code of discipline, as you just heard. You may wonder why you have not been told more explicitly about The Code before now. Why would we wait until the end of the first semester to bring this up? It is because we all know and remember how hard freshmen year can be, especially the first semester. We know you have enough to do, enough to worry about without this being an added stress. It is why you are assigned a `Big Brother' to help guide you when you stray, to help encourage you when you're feeling down, and to prod you when you start to slack off as you inevitably do once you become comfortable. It is largely based on your response to your brother's advice and encouragement that you are judged."

Steve took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. This last part would be the hardest to say. Danny and Ryan too knew what was coming. Danny put his head in his hands, and Ryan put his hand on his shoulder. Finally Steve continued, letting his voice ring out and praying it would not waiver. "Your behavior, no matter how understandable to us within these walls, is still a reflection on the house. It determines how the rest of the campus views and treats us. Therefore, every year at the end of the first semester, the freshman who has most flagrantly violated the rules and shown the least concern about doing so, must pay the price as an example to the others. This year, that freshman is Kevin Kramer. Kevin, come here."

Steve's commanding voice called his youngest brother from the corner, but Kevin had hidden his face against his arm, and he neither looked up nor responded to his brother's summons. Steve waited a moment, but then looked nervously at his two other brothers who were still leaning against the wall by the door. "Dan," he prompted. Danny looked up at him and swallowed hard as he read Steve's expression. Ryan squeezed his shoulder, and a moment later Danny resignedly made his way over to Kevin.

"Don't make me haul you over there, Kev," his voice cracked as he gently addressed his younger brother.

"I'm scared, Danny!" he sobbed.

"I know you are," Danny replied softly, "but you're not going to help yourself by disobeying." Kevin just continued to cry. "Come on Little Bro," Danny placed a hand on his arm, "I'm going to get you through this. I promise."

"No!" Kevin jerked his arm away and finally raised his red-rimmed eyes to glare accusingly at Danny. "Get away from me!" He pushed at his big brother.

"Kev . . .," Danny started, taken aback by his brother's change of tone. He moved in closer, but Kevin pushed at him again. "You knew this would happen!" he cried. "You knew all along, and you never once told me! You knew! You knew!" Kevin swung at him and Danny ducked, grabbing his arms.

"Stop it, Kevin!" Danny looked nervously at Steve. Kevin struggled, but his efforts were futile and he became more and more worked up as he desperately twisted to get away.

"Calm down," Danny instructed quietly, but his younger brother only fought harder and out of the corner of his eye Danny saw Ryan move closer. "Please, Kev, trust me!"

"Trust you?" That caused Kevin to pause as he stared at his big brother contemptuously, his eyes brimming with tears of rage. "Trust you?! You lied to me, Danny! You lied! How can I trust you, now, or ever again? How could you do this? How?" Kevin finally succeeded in breaking Danny's grasp and he struck violently at his big brother, not even taking time to aim. Danny was done playing around now, though, and he easily caught his brother's arms once again. "Let me go, Danny!" Kevin screamed in frustration. "I hate you! I hate you! How could you do this?" Through all Kevin's struggling and pushing Danny held on, and finally his little brother collapsed against him. "How could you let this happen to me?" he sobbed, clinging to Danny and pressing his face into his shoulder.

"Kevin! Let's go!" Steve's stern rebuke filled the room and Danny glanced uneasily once more in his direction.

"Please don't let them do it, Danny, please!" he sobbed. "Please! I'll listen to you, I promise! I'll do exactly what you tell me to! I'll do the report right now! I'll never go to Phi Beta Delta again! I'll be good! I'll be so good! I'll do anything you want! Anything! I promise! Please, don't let them spank me, Danny, please! Please!" The room was silent now except for Kevin's erratic sobbing, and Dan clutched him tightly, letting his chin fall to the top of his little brother's head and swallowing back his own tears as he whispered to him soothingly.

"It's too late now, Kev'bo," he murmured, "it's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do except help you through this, and I will do that, I promise." The strength of Kevin's sobs increased as his only hope went out the window, and he clutched at his brother. Danny tightened his arms around him and let him cry, his conscience plaguing him as his little brother became more and more agitated. Steve waited a few more moments, but when Kevin had finally calmed slightly, he caught Danny's eye. Prolonging this, Steve knew, was not doing any of his brothers any good. Danny swallowed hard as he received Steve's silent command, and he held Kevin closer, pressing his cheek to the top of his head. "Let's get it over with, Kev," he whispered.

"No, Danny! Please, Please!" Kevin clung to him and Danny looked pleadingly at Steve, but Steve just frowned at him, reprovingly. With a sore heart, Danny tried to extricate himself from Kevin's grasp, but Kevin clutched at him once more, clinging to his neck and sobbing. Steve prompted Ryan and reluctantly, Ryan, who had been hovering nearby, stepped up beside his younger brothers.

"Come on, Kev," he encouraged gently, taking hold of his arm and attempting to loosen his hold.

"No!" Kevin yanked his arm away and clung tighter. Danny kept a soothing hand on his little brother's back and he and Ryan locked eyes.

"Kev," Ryan tried again, "you're not making this easier."

"I don't care!" Kevin sobbed. "It's not fair!"

"Now, come on, Kevin," Ryan became just a little impatient. "You've been asking for this for a long time, now, Little Bro! You've done nothing, but break rules all semester. You refuse to listen to anyone who tries to help you, even Danny, and recently you've developed a real attitude. The last few weeks, you've been mouthing off to everyone right and left, even us. You have had this coming for a while now, Kev, and I think you know it, so how is it not fair?"

"It's not fair because you knew!" he sobbed. "You knew this would happen and you never once told me. Why didn't you tell me?" he protested brokenly. He was still clinging to Danny, but now he turned his tear streaked face to glare at Ryan, resentfully.

"Because, Kev," Ryan replied patiently, "you are not a little kid. You are in college, now, and it is time for you to learn how to determine the difference between right and wrong on your own. Danny, Steve and I are here to guide you, but ultimately, the choices are yours to make."

"Besides," Danny added bitterly, "if we had told you anything, we would have been kicked out of the fraternity and off the team." Kevin looked at Ryan for confirmation and Ryan nodded. Kevin took a deep breath as he finally began to comprehend the difficult position his brothers had been placed in.

"Well, you could have hinted at least," he protested weakly with another little sob.

"We did hint to you, Kev!" Ryan responded. "You just never wanted to listen to us! Over and over again, we tried everything possible to make you understand without breaking the rules, ourselves."Kevin began to cry harder again, and Danny tightened his arms around him.

"Why do you think we were so hard on you the day we caught you and your friends telling stories?" Ryan asked quietly.

`Why indeed?' A surge of bitterness washed over Kevin. He had just been thinking about the very same thing. There had always been roomers of the paddle's existence, and occasionally his friends had recounted strange tales of searching for their older brothers, only to be told that they were "indisposed." Further inquiry, usually among their brothers' rivals, led them to Steve's door where their brothers would eventually emerge, red-eyed and limping, their own big brothers behind them. The oldest fraternity members would place protective hands on their little brothers' shoulders and require Kevins' friends to say what they wanted and who had sent them. Kevins' friends would be too flabbergasted to answer and would watch as, without a word, their older brothers limped past them to their rooms where they would almost always stay for the remainder of the day.

If the younger fraternity members inquired whether their big brothers were ok, they would be told patiently not to worry, and the juniors would step into their younger brothers' shoes for the day. If Kevin's friends pressed too hard, or became too nosy, however, their curiosity would inevitably meet with a sharp admonishment to, "mind their own business." Kevin felt queasy as he thought of these whispered tales, always told in secret behind closed bedroom doors. Such stories told in the open, would meet with a stern command to, "Find something better to do, and keep such nonsense to themselves," especially when the freshmen began to speculate about the paddle.

Ryan and Danny had come upon them one time, telling these tales, and had been furious with him. They had hauled him before Steve who had delivered a biting lecture, reminding him that he had plenty of his own business to take care of, and that he should mind his own affairs rather than waste his time worrying about those of others. Until that day, Kevin had brushed the stories off as just that, stories. From that day on, though, a part of him had known they were true, and he had no longer joined in his friends' huddled midnight conversations. He had, thus, been lulled into a sense of false security. After all, he had never encountered Ryan or Danny in that awkward situation, and he began to doubt his conclusions. Perhaps, he had been wrong. Maybe it was just a story after all, or a scare tactic. Now he knew the truth. Another wave of fury washed over him. How could this be happening to him? How could Danny and Ryan have let it?

All of Kevin's feelings were communicated to his brothers in his expression, and Danny swallowed hard. "We're going to get you through this, Bro," he whispered as Kevin continued to glare at Ryan.

"We never said the stories weren't true, Kev," Ryan responded softly to his younger brother's silent accusation. "We never even told you to keep them to yourself! In fact, we hauled you in front of Steve for a lecture because we wanted you to know that the rumors were true! Even Steve tried hard, warning you to attend to your own business and stay out of the affairs of others. He as much as told you that what you had heard was true. After all why would he tell you to stay out of it, if there was nothing to stay out of? We were all hoping you would put two and two together and shape up!"

"It backfired, though," Danny added miserably. "We only succeeded in stopping you from listening to the stories, and eventually you convinced yourself they weren't true. We tried, Bud! We really tried," Danny choked.

"We did try," Ryan acknowledged again softly, "but ultimately Kevin, you brought this on yourself. I've never seen anyone who deserved a spanking more."

"I don't know if that's true," Steve intervened gently, eyeing both Ryan and Danny with an air of paternal sterness. This time, however, the remark carried no humor, nor was it meant to. It was meant only to comfort Kevin, and it did. Though Ryan and Danny's younger brother missed the full significance of the remark, the contradiction (especially coming from Steve) lessened the sting of Ryan's rebuke, and Kevin pressed his face into Danny's shoulder, rubbing it against his older brother's shirt in an effort to dry his tears. The rest of the room looked on in silence, and the three older fraternity members waited patiently. This was a terrible moment for their youngest brother, they all knew, the moment when he had to claim responsibility for all the poor choices he had made this past semester. The moment when he was forced to acknowledge that he had only himself to blame.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Gregg Mcarthy's cry of disgust penetrated the formidable silence of the common room. "Let's get on with it, already! None of us wants to be here all night! This is a lot of ridiculous fuss as far as I'm concerned! The kid has it coming! We all know he has it coming! Even he knows he has it coming, so let's stop stalling!" The outburst caused a commotion as the unsettled freshmen leaned across one another to commiserate and speculate about their friend and classmate's circumstances and behavior. The sophomores too were whispering amongst one another, wondering how Steve would handle Gregg's challenge.

Finally as the commotion died a little, Matt rose from his chair, and stepped up beside his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder once more. "As much as I hate to admit it," he started in a low voice that only Steve could hear, "Mcarthy's got a point. Enough is enough, Steve!" Steve swallowed and nodded, unable to take his eyes off of Danny and Ryan as they looked at him, pleading silently for one more moment. Danny tightened his arm around Kevin and tears stung his eyes as he read Steve's expression.

"Bring him here," Steve commanded his brothers quietly. A look of anguish pierced Danny's expression and Ryan too had tears in his eyes now, but they knew better than to argue with a direct order, and after a moment Danny attempted once again to separate himself from his little brother.

"No, no!" Kevin pleaded, clinging tighter, "Please! Can't we at least do it upstairs? Please! I'm sorry! I know I deserve it! I'll pull my pants down, and my underwear," he sobbed hysterically, "I'll take twice the number of licks! I'll do bathroom duty all next semester if we can just do it upstairs!" Danny put his arms around Kevin again, in a soothing gesture, but he looked away as his kid brother looked hopefully up into his face, turning to Ryan for help. Ryan looked uneasily at Steve. Kevin's request seemed more than reasonable, and in fact all three of his brothers had in their time made similar pleas, right down to offering to take on "bathroom duty," a particularly dreaded chore usually rotated among the freshmen. The decision was, in fact, up to the discretion of the president, but no president in recent history had honored this request. To do so, would defeat the purpose of the night.

Danny too, looked at Steve now, holding his little brother tightly and pleading silently with his older brother to let Kevin's plea succeed where his own last year had failed. Steve sighed as he looked at his brothers' hopeful expressions, and he bit his lip as slowly he shook his head. Tears started to streak Danny's face and Steve's stomach turned as his younger brother swiped at his eyes.

Danny knew there was no way he'd be able to make Kevin understand right now why the spanking could not be carried out in private. Afterall, as far as Kevin knew, nobody else had ever been treated this way. Other punishments, when they took place, obviously took place in private. To deny him this same right to privacy then, would seem to him, like an unecessary and particularly cruel way to exacerbate the punishment. Danny clutched Kevin tighter as his own tears came faster. This was the moment Danny had battled with last year, the moment for which he had been unable to forgive Ryan. He had seen it as his big brother's ultimate betrayal and he knew Kevin would see it that way too. "I'm sorry, Kev," he choked. Steve was looking at him sternly now, and Ryan was trying to look stern too, but he was fighting back tears, and he looked away, biting his lip as Danny sought his eyes.

"Ryan," Steve addressed his little brother firmly. Ryan looked at him, "Help your brother," he commanded. Tears began to streak Ryan's face as he wordlessly made his way over to Danny and Kevin. Danny was still gripping his little brother tightly, but as he felt Ryan's hand on his shoulder, he loosened his hold, and forcing back the lump that rose in his throat, he reached up and gently took hold of Kevin's arm, attempting to break his little brother's death grip.

"No, no! Danny, please!" Kevin's voice was panic stricken. "Please don't do this to me!" he sobbed. "Please!" Danny was crying hard now too as Ryan took hold of Kevin's other arm and pried it off Danny's shoulder, making Kevin scream and brace his feet. Despite Kevin's opposition, his older brothers managed to clasp hands under his arms, and together they half lifted, half dragged him in the direction of his classmates.

"No!" Kevin struggled with them. "No! Ok, ok! I'll go! Let me go! I can walk by myself!" He tried to jerk away again and Danny met Ryan's eyes over their little brother's head. The next time he pulled away, they let him go. Kevin stumbled forward and then with clenched fists and a scowl that pierced Danny's heart he turned his head to look at them. Danny pointed at Steve, and Kevin bit his lip as his vision blurred once more. Finally, Kevin turned and made his way stiffly over to Steve. He stopped in front of his oldest brother and tried to look at him with red, swollen eyes. Steve glared at him, and Kevin hung his head.

"If you fight us the whole way, Kev'bo, you're going to earn extra, and it's going to be a long night," Steve scolded as Danny and Ryan came silently up behind their younger brother. "Turn around and bend over." Kevin hesitated and Steve grabbed his arm, spinning him around and forcing him to bend. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

"OWW! OWW! OWW!" Kevin's anguished cries filled the air.

"You're making this much harder than it needs to be, Kev," Steve admonished as his little brother sobbed and squirmed to get away. "You're breaking Danny's heart," he added softly as his second youngest brother began to sob too.

"I don't care!" Kevin snarled.

"I think you do," Steve replied gently as Kevin snuck a look at Danny and went totally to pieces. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

"OWWW!" Kevin howled. "Oww! Oww! Oww!" he dissolved into embittered sobs, and finally Steve stopped.

"All right, Little Bro. Stand up!" Steve kept tight hold of Kevin's arm as he obeyed. "Don't rub!" his oldest brother cautioned. Kevin inhaled, sobbing harder and clutching his leg in an effort to keep his free hand away from his bottom.

"Look at me!" Steve commanded, and Kevin tentatively raised his eyes. "You have a lot to answer for tonight, Young Man! Do not rub!" he warned once more as Kevin's hand inched toward the back of his thigh.

"It hurts!" Kevin complained bitterly as he grasped the front of his jeans again.

"Yes, I know it does," Steve replied, "but we are just getting started."

"No! Steve, please!" Kevin sobbed.

"Kev, not only were you forty minutes late for the meeting tonight, but you were drunk and you brought girls! Pull your pants down!"

"What?!" Kevin gasped. "No!"

"Kevin you are spending too much time partying and not nearly enough studying! You are getting in over your head at Phi Beta Delta, but you will not listen to anybody who tries to advise you, even Danny, who knows better than anyone how much trouble those girls can be." Gregg started to snigger, but one of his friends jabbed him in the ribs as Steve glared in his direction and he quickly stifled his amusement. "You are failing all your classes," Steve continued to upbraid his little brother, "a fact you tried to conceal from Danny until he confronted you. Even then, you swore up and down that it was only American History you were failing . . .,"

"It IS only American History!" Kevin sobbed defensively. "I still have time to pass everything else. I can even maybe pass American History if I do ok on that report!"

"The same report you were arguing with Danny about this morning?" Steve demanded. "The one you've been putting off for weeks? Kev, the point is not to perform miserably all semester, procrastinating on everything until the last minute, so in the end you just skate by with bare minimum effort. That is not acceptable!" Kevin flushed, crying too hard to respond now as he tried again to pull away from Steve. Danny and Ryan both moved in closer. "You have been blowing off assignments, skipping class, and talking back to teachers for weeks. Recently, all you've done is smart off to Danny as well! Your behavior is arrogant, obnoxious and downright rude. You have been asking for a good ass blistering all semester, Kevin, and now that's exactly what you are going to get!Take your pants down!" Steve eyed him sternly.

"No!" Kevin pleaded desperately. "Please, Steve, not here! I'll go quietly upstairs with you and Danny and Ryan! I'm sorry for everything! I know I deserve it, but please don't do it here!"

"I can't do what you're asking, Kev," Steve responded softly, his voice cracking a little for the first time. "I would like to, but I can't." Kevin stared at him in disbelief. Steve was the president, he could do anything he wanted to couldn't he? Angrily Kevin once again jerked his arm away, and this time Steve let him go. Ryan stood right behind him now and he placed his hands on Kevin's shoulders in a soothing gesture, but Kevin twisted away from him.

"I'm going to go pack," he sobbed.

"Kevin," Ryan started in his best big brother `you're overreacting' type voice.

"No!" Kevin turned on him. "You obviously don't want me here anyway, if my behavior is so unbearably rude and obnoxious!" Ryan paled, and Kevin looked at Steve who blanched too. Kevin could barely bring himself to look at Danny, but finally he did as tears of rage filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. Danny gazed steadily back at him with an aching heart and brimming eyes. This was the moment he had been dreading. Unlike Steve and Ryan he had seen it coming from the beginning. His little brother was so proud, and the smart of the betrayal was so potent as Danny well knew. Rebellion, as far as Dan was concerned, had been nearly inevitable.

"Don't do it, Kev," he whispered. For a moment, Kevin just continued to glare at him. Then, without a word, he turned and started for the door. Ryan put a hand on his arm and Kevin wrenched it free only to discover that Danny now blocked his way. He tried to move around him, but Danny stayed with him. He tried the other side, but once again his brother matched his steps.

"Get out of my way, Danny!" he cried in frustration.

"I'm not going to let you do this, Kev!"

Kevin tried once more to get past him, but Danny was too quick and Kevin pushed at him in frustration. "Don't be a jerk!" he sobbed.

"If you walk out of here, you are out of the fraternity and off the team, Man!"

"Who cares!"

"I do!"

"Oh yeah? Then why'd you let this happen in the first place?" Kevin demanded.

"I know you don't understand right now," Danny replied quietly, "but you will!"

"Well, you can save your explanations!" Kevin pushed once more in an effort to get by his big brother, but Danny grabbed his arms. "Let me go, Dan!"

"I'm not going to let you throw your whole life away, Kev."

"What do you care?"

"A lot. How are you going to pay for school?"

"I don't know," Kevin sobbed, "I guess I won't. Since, according to you, I'm failing all my classes anyway," he seethed, "what's the point?"

"The point, Kevin, is that you've made some mistakes as we all have. You're paying for them now, and I know how hard it is . . . ."

"No you don't!"

"Yes, I do," Danny returned softly.

"Yes he does," some of Danny's friends and enemies resounded in conflicting tones of sympathy and mirth. Danny ignored them.

"I do know how hard it is, Kev," he said, "but it's one night! You'll get past it, believe me, and you'll make better decisions in the future because of it."

"A fat lot you know!" Kevin sobbed.

Danny lowered his voice and spoke gently in tones only his brother could hear. "You have more talent and promise than anyone else in this room, Kevin. You have the intelligence and ability to succeed in anything you do. Lord knows you are one hell of a football player, and you will probably be able to play in the NFL someday if that's what you want, but that's not all you are, Kev! It's time you realized that! You have a lot of living to do both before and after any potential football career. It's those parts of your life, you ought to be thinking about! Don't push us away, Man! We all just want to see things go well for you!"

Kevin looked at him incredulously. "So, you're going to let Steve spank my bare ass in front of the whole fraternity! That's making sure things go well for me?"

"Kevin, along with all your intelligence and talent you got a big dose of cockiness, and that's not surprising, but it's working against you, Man! You're not making good choices!"

"And you think this will help?" Kevin snapped.

"Yes," Danny responded quietly, looking directly into his little brother's smoldering, tear filled eyes, "I know it will."

"Well, if you were so convinced a spanking was what I needed, why didn't you do it before?" Kevin choked. "I would have listened to you, Danny!I would have done whatever you told me. If you and Ryan had brought me to Steve like you did before, I would have accepted whatever punishment he gave me. I would have been pissed, but I would have accepted it without question. I would still go upstairs with just the three of you right now, but damn it Danny, you're asking an awful lot of me!" Kevin was sobbing hard again now.

"I know," Danny's voice broke, "I know I am. I wish I could spare you all that's ahead tonight, Kev," he started to sob too, "and I know you don't understand what's happening. If I could explain it all to you right now I would, but I can't. All I can tell you is you've been chosen tonight to take the fall for everybody, to set an example of what not to do, and I know it doesn't seem fair, but it really is a good thing, Kev'bo." He put his hand tenderly on the back of his little brother's head. "It's a good thing," he said again softly.

"You're damn right, it doesn't seem fair!" Kevin sobbed. "I don't know what you expect, Danny, but it's already been the most humiliating night of my life. I can't do what you're asking! I just can't do it! I'll never be able to face anybody again! Mcarthy will never let me hear the end of it!"

"Mcarthy will keep his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him!" Danny growled. Steve and Ryan both glared menacingly at Gregg in an effort to reinforce their younger brother's words. Gregg just simpered.

"Wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face!" Matt hissed as he too glared at Gregg, and with effort Gregg did so.

"As for everyone else," Danny continued, "there is nobody you care about who feels anything but sympathy for you right now. All these jokers right here," he indicated the freshmen in general, "just ought to be grateful that it is your ass and not theirs!" Danny looked up at them and addressed the cowering freshmen in a voice stronger than any he had used so far tonight."Understand that!" he commanded. "My brother is taking the heat for all of you tonight! It's not just about him and what he's done to deserve this punishment, it's about making sure that all you clowns shape up and learn your place!" The younger students shifted in their chairs, most of them sinking lower as they looked at Danny's angry face. Some of them sought out their big brothers only to meet the sophomores' stern eyes as they received nods of confirmation. Danny looked back at his little brother.

"I can't, Danny, I can't . . .," he sobbed. "Why do you have to do this, this way? It's not fair!"

"Kev, I know that you're mad at me, but I can get you through this! Let me help you! You're the gutsiest kid I know . . .," Danny's voice cracked again. "Don't give up now."

Kevin clutched his brother as he struggled with his emotions and Danny waited. "What do I do?" Kevin finally sobbed. "Tell me what to do."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed his little brother's shoulder. "It's going to be ok, Kev," he said in a low voice. "The first thing you're going to do is walk with me back over to Steve. You're going to tell him you're sorry and that you changed your mind. Then you pretend like you are in the locker room before a game. You turn around and face me, you take your pants down, and you don't look at anybody, but me for the rest of the night. Ok?" Kevin clung tighter to him and Danny closed his arms around him as his little brother buried his face in his shoulder. "Ok?" he whispered again, and Kevin nodded. "I'll get you through this Kid," Danny repeated softly. "Come on."

Danny kept his hand on Kevin's shoulder and Kevin brushed at his tears as they turned and approached Steve once more. Silently, Danny pleaded with his oldest brother to go easy. Steve nodded reassuringly at him, and Danny tightened his hold on Kevin's shoulder as they came to a stop before the fraternity president. Kevin raised his eyes hesitantly to meet his oldest brother's eyes, and Steve gave him a look of encouragement. "I'm sorry," Kevin sobbed. "I still want to be a part of the team and in the fraternity, and I will do whatever you tell me to."

Steve nodded. "You know what you have to do, Kev," he returned gently. Kevin swallowed and looked at Danny. Danny squeezed his shoulder again and prompted him silently to look at his eyes. With crimson cheeks, Kevin turned to face his big brother. His fingers went fumblingly to the top of his jeans and with shaking hands he managed to unbutton and unzip them, but he got no further as his eyes shifted slightly from Danny's and he froze, sobbing in mortification.

"Right here, Bud," Danny prompted again, "look only at me. Just changing before a game, Man," he whispered softly. Kevin swallowed hard and swiped at his tears. Finally, however, he grasped the top of his jeans again and pulled them to his knees, wincing as the rough material slid past his already well-punished bottom. "Here, look here," Danny urged, anticipating his brother's impulse to look elsewhere. "Now here's the deal," Danny placed his hands on his knees, bending low and instinctively Kevin followed suit, entirely focused now on his brother's eyes. "These guys are tough. They are real good at forcing the third and long, so I'm going to be relying heavily on you today, Kev'bo. Are you ready?" Kevin started to nod, but then he shook his head as Steve raised his t-shirt and took hold of his briefs, sliding them down to join his jeans at his knees.

"It's not working, Danny," he sobbed. "It's not working."

"Ok, Bud," Danny soothed, standing up and moving in closer, "just hold on to me, then." He took his place beside Steve, and raised Kevin's t-shirt higher to keep it out of the way. Steve and Ryan nodded at him in approval as he gripped his little brother's waist, and Kevin turned his face into Danny's leg and sobbed.

"Pay close attention!" Steve admonished the horror struck freshmen. "These rules are for all of you! Rember what I say tonight, or you too will find yourself in this position." He indicated his youngest brother's already black and blue bottom with the paddle, and the young South Bend Bulldog rookies squirmed. "First," Steve continued, "no girl, girlfriend or otherwise, is ever again to come through these doors when we are gathered for a meeting that has been earmarked as mandatory! What goes on inside these walls, stays inside these walls tonight and any other night we meet! Is that clear?"

"Yes," the freshmen chorused disconcertedly.

"Is it clear, Kevin?" Steve pressed the paddle firmly against his little brother's bottom.

"Yes," Kevin sobbed.

"Good. Then next time you will know better! Now, count!" Steve raised the paddle and a hush of anticipation filled the room as Kevin braced himself.

THWHACK! "One!" Kevin inhaled sharply, and clenched his fist. Steve waited, giving the sting a moment to settle before he raised the paddle again. THWACK! There was a long pause and nobody made a sound. "Two," Kevin sobbed finally. THWACK! "AHH!" He gritted his teeth and shifted his weight as Danny tightened his arm supportively. "THREE!" he choked. THWACK! "FOUR!" he bit his lip, and scissored his legs.

"Hang in there, Bro," Danny whispered.

THWACK! "AHH! GOD! OWW! Five!" Kevin sobbed, digging his nails into Danny's arm.

"It's all right, Kev, you're ok," Danny comforted huskily as Steve brought the paddle back to his side and looked again at the rest of the freshmen.

"What I have to say now concerns the amount of partying that has been taking place this semester, particularly with thanks to the girls over at Phi Beta Delta! Understand me when I say that what they do over there is their business, but in this fraternity, school comes first! If you are not maintaining at least a B average you cannot afford to be partying every weekend let alone every night! I will not tolerate poor grades at any time! If, however, your poor grades are the product of too much partying, your situation will be just that much worse! Anyone who does not have at least a B at the end of the year will not be returning next year. This means most of you have a lot of work to do between now and the end of next semester. Anyone who does not straighten up and fly right starting now should expect to hear from me soon!" Many of Kevin's friends started to cry now and the sophomores moved quickly in among their younger brothers, doing their best to mitigate the impact of Steve's strict warning. Steve in the meantime, placed the paddle once more against his own little brother's bruised bottom, causing him to wince and writhe as he awaited the agonizing smacks that were sure to follow. "Kevin," he scolded, "with as much potential as you have, there is simply no excuse for your astoundingly poor performance this semester! I can't tell you how disappointed, Ryan, Danny and I all are!"

"Steve, please," Danny objected quietly, but Steve ignored him and Danny tightened his arm around Kevin protectively as their older brother continued.

"There will be no more partying for you at all, Young Man, until you shape up and show that you can conduct yourself responsibly! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Kevin whimpered, clutching Danny's arm tighter. "I'm sorry!"

"All right, count!" Steve instructed. The paddle whistled through the air and thudded into Kevin's bottom with a force that nearly drove him to his knees. His face contorted, and it was a moment before he could get the breath to react at all, but when he did, he screamed. "OWWWW! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! Holy Shit, it hurts!" he sobbed.

"Kevin," Steve reprimanded softly, "you forgot to count, and you swore! We will have to repeat that one."

"Oh no, Steve, Please!" It was not Kevin, but Danny who protested once more. Kevin was crying too hard to react to either of his brothers. Steve raised the paddle again, and without responding to Danny's plea he drove it once again into Kevin's bottom. THWACK!

"AHH!" Kevin threw his head back and gritted his teeth. "Oww," he sobbed, "OWW!"

"I'm going to keep repeating it until you count, Little Bro," Steve warned.

"Don't do it so hard!" Danny sobbed as his weeping little brother clutched at him.

"Danny," Ryan cautioned in a loud whisper, "stay out of it!" Danny bit his lip and tightened his arm once more around Kevin. Again Steve raised the paddle. THWACK!

"AHH! ONE!" Kevin cried. THWACK! "YOW! TWO!" Kevin stamped his feet and scissored his legs in an attempt to shake out the burn.

"Stand still!" Steve directed, and his little brother did so, hanging lower over Danny's arm as his heart rending wails filled the air.

THWACK! Kevin clutched his knees and inhaled. "THREE!" he finally breathed, and he couldn't help squirming a little.

"Stand still!" Steve commanded again.

Kevin once again obeyed, whimpering with the effort, and Danny squeezed his arm. "Hang in there, Kid!" he choked.

THWACK! "FOUR!" Kevin screamed. "It hurts! God, it hurts! Please Steve, Please!" Danny was having trouble containing his brother now as Kevin fought to reach back.

"Come on, Bro, I know it hurts, but you can't rub yet!" Danny tried his best to reason with him, but Kevin was beyond reason. The fire in his bottom had eliminated every other thought from his mind. Danny had both his wrists pinned to his back now, and he struggled futiley to pull his hands free from his brother's strong grip. Finally, however, his struggles began to subside, and the intensity of his sobs increased as he resigned himself to the helplessness of his situation. Steve waited for Kevin to become still again, not wanting to catch his younger brother on the thighs, but the moment he quieted, THWACK! Steve brought the paddle down with such strength that Kevin was once again thrown forward and this time Danny staggered back a little in his effort to bear his little brother's full weight.

"FIVE!" Kevin sobbed so inarticulately that it was hard to understand him. "Please, Danny, Please! It hurts!" Danny was crying almost as hard as his brother now, and it was all he could do to maintain his grip. Steve raised the paddle again, but before he brought it down, Ryan stepped up beside his older brother, looking pleadingly at him. The expression on Ryan's face caused Steve to pause and he looked inquiringly at him.

"They need a break, Steve," Ryan begged into his brother's ear, "Danny as much as Kevin." Tears were welling in his eyes now, and Steve's heart ached as he regarded his little brother with indulgent concern.

"I know this is hard, Ry," he consoled softly, "but it's better if we finish it now." He went to swing the paddle once more, but Ryan grabbed his arm.

"Please, Steve!" Ryan broke down completely for the first time that night. "You know how they are!" he sobbed. "They are both so passionate! You are going to push them right over the edge, and then God only knows what they'll do. Please! Just give them a little break!"

Steve looked quietly once more at his little brother's distraught face, and then at the feverish face and bloodshot eyes of his second youngest brother and with a sigh of resignation he brought the paddle to his side. It was against his better judgement, but he had never been good at denying Ryan. "All right, Ry," he said softly, "a little break."

"Thank you," Ryan sobbed, and Steve turned to address his two youngest brothers as Ryan tried to pull himself together.

"Ok, Kev," he commanded, "stand up and look at me please. Do not rub!" he added as Danny released Kevin's hands. Painfully, with agonizing sobs, Kevin did as he was told, clenching his fists in a ball in front of him and biting his lip as he resisted the impulse to rub his tortured bottom. "I am going to give you a little time to get yourself together and prepare for the last phase of your punishment." The vehemence of Kevin's sobs increased as a feeling of relief swept over him. "Listen to me," Steve cautioned and Kevin tried to calm himself as he looked into his oldest brother's eyes. "We are not done!" Steve continued. "Do you understand me?" Kevin nodded, but was still crying too hard to answer. "I do not want any fuss this time when we get ready to begin again. Are we clear?" Kevin nodded once more and Steve softened his demeanor just a little. "All right then, Little Bro, your break starts now. Stay right here where I can see you please." He pointed to an overstuffed, blue, arm chair that stood directly next to him, and gratefully Kevin sank into it on his knees, clutching the back of the chair and hiding his face on his arms as he sobbed. "You may rub," Steve said gently. Immediately, Kevin's hands went where they had so long wanted to go and finally as the sting began to subside a little so did the intensity of his distress. He pressed his face into the back of the chair and sobbed quietly, as he continued trying to rub the burn from his bottom.

Matt got up and approached Steve as hushed whispers rippled through the room and Ryan made his way over to Danny as the two older students began to converse in low tones. Danny was a wreck. He had his hands over his face and he was crying harder even than Kevin, now. "Come on, Little Bro," Ryan put his arm around him, "you're doing fine. Everything will be ok." He tried to pull Danny's hands from his face, so he could see his brother's eyes, and as he did so, he caught a glimpse of the damage Kevin had done with his nails. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, taking hold of Danny's arm and gently pushing up his sleeve to expose the mass of purple and red scratch marks. Some of the marks were fairly deep. They were red and inflamed and starting to puff up. "Steve!" Ryan called, interrupting his brothers' whispered conversation. Steve looked his way. "We'll be back," Ryan held out Danny's arm and Steve paled, nodding in comprehension. "Come on, Bro, come with me," Ryan encouraged, keeping his arm around Danny and ushering him towards the door of the common room. Danny went quietly, allowing his brother to guide him into the hallway, up the stairs, and into one of the two house bathrooms.

Ryan then let go of his little brother whose agitation had not abated much, and began gathering supplies from the medicine cabinet. He immediately found the peroxide, and after a brief hunt he was also able to produce some neosporin, some gauze, a roll of adhesive tape, and a tiny pair of nail scissors. "Sit," Ryan indicated the toilet as he put the seat down and closed the lid. Automatically, Danny obeyed, and for a moment all was quiet as Ryan began to minister to his arm. The gentle attention had a pacifying affect on Danny and finally he began to calm down.

He screwed up his face as Ryan swabbed his arm with peroxide, but after the initial sting had passed the agonizing pain the marks had been causing him became considerably duller, and he looked at his brother gratefully. For a moment they remained silent as Ryan began to dab the gauze pads with neosporin. He placed the pads evenly, and then took a firm grip on Danny's arm as he began to tape it up. Finally, he met his little brother's eyes. "Is there any place you're not bruised?" he asked with gentle sarcasm.

"My ass," Danny responded bitterly.

`Yeah, but for how long?' Ryan pondered dejectedly, dropping his eyes back to the work he was doing. `How long would Steve wait?' he wondered. `Just long enough for the rest of these bruises to heal.' He couldn't stop the bitter thought from popping into his head and he sighed, careful now to keep his eyes away from Danny. `If only I could have kept my own temper!' he berated himself. `Then I know I could have talked Steve out of it.' His throat tightened and he swallowed. As it was, he knew he would be acquiring some new bruises of his own.

"I can't do this anymore!" Danny choked, interrupting Ryan's thoughts as he cut the last strip of tape and let go of his brother's arm.

"Well, you certainly can't hold him anymore," Ryan agreed.

"No Ry, I mean I can't go back down there. It's too hard! I just can't do it!"

"Yes you can, Dan. Come on, it's almost over. We'll get through this. I'll help you," Ryan encouraged quietly. Danny was becoming agitated again, and after a minute Ryan inquired, "What's the alternative, Danny? To leave Kevin down there without any support at all? Is that what you want?" Danny was quiet for a minute as he fought with his emotions, but finally he shook his head.

"No, I guess not," he sobbed.

"I didn't think so," Ryan replied softly. "It'll be all right," he said again as Danny brushed at his cheeks in frustration. "Besides," he added, "we really can't afford to piss Steve off anymore. I think we've hit our quota." Danny looked up quickly and met his brother's eyes. Ryan hadn't really meant the comment to be funny, but he couldn't help smirking a little just the same, and even Danny smiled a little through his tears. They had a lot more breathing room than others did, they knew, when it came to pissing Steve off. For them to have met their quota was a fairly impressive thing.

"How we doin'?" Steve's best friend, Kurt, appeared in the doorway. Ryan and Danny locked eyes and remained silent. "Your brother's gettin' a little antsy," Kurt tried again.

"Ok," Ryan responded quietly, "we're coming." Finally Danny got to his feet. "You ready?" Ryan asked, and Danny nodded. "Let's go," Ryan said softly. With an embarrassed sidelong glance at Kurt, Danny walked past him and into the hallway. Ryan followed him and Kurt brought up the rear.

"How antsy is he?" Ryan asked after a moment, dropping back beside Kurt.

Kurt looked at him and smiled. "You know Steve when it comes to you, Ryan. He's fine. He just wanted to be sure you were coming back." Ryan nodded and breathed a little easier. "How's Danny?" Kurt asked in a low tone of concern.

"He's been better," Ryan sighed, and Kurt put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Hang in there, Kid," he comforted.

With feet as heavy as his heart, Danny made his way down the stairs. He wanted nothing more than to retreat. As the low murmurings from the common room came closer, the impulse to turn and run for his room became stronger, but he knew his big brother wouldn't permit it. Besides, Ryan was right. Kevin needed him. It would be wrong to abandon him now and, as Ryan had also pointed out, they had to watch their p's and q's a little around Steve. It was definitely not a good time to embarrass him. He had reached the doorway of the common room now, and he paused as he took in the scene.

Kevin had calmed considerably, and in fact did not appear to be crying at the moment. He was still crumpled over the chair where they had left him, his face pressed into the cushions as he attempted to rub the burn from his bottom. Danny bit his lip and swallowed hard as he took in the bruised and inflamed state of his little brother's hind end. He couldn't bear the idea of contributing to further punishment. Uneasily, he shifted his eyes to the activity in the rest of the room. Things had changed slightly. The line between upper and lower classmen had blurred. The sophomores and juniors were interspersed with the visibly upset freshmen, and though the seniors for the most part remained aloof, there were a few to be found in the midst of their own little family units, their arms around their youngest brothers as the concerned juniors and sophomores looked on. Danny's eyes came to a rest on his own two oldest brothers who were still deep in serious conversation, and Danny guiltily wondered if Steve was informing Matt of the bad behavior he and Ryan had displayed earlier in the day.

At that moment Gregg Mcarthy looked up from where he was whispering amongst his own ragtag bunch of villainous friends, and he smirked as he caught sight of Danny hovering in the doorway. Others followed his gaze, and slowly a hush descended, leaving the room in stillness once more. Kevin turned his head to look at him too, as the room quieted, and Danny's stomach churned as he looked at his little brother's petrified expression. He felt Ryan's strong hand on his shoulder as he came up behind him, and despite his thoughts of a few moments before, it was only his brother's physical presence that kept him from bolting now.

Ryan waited patiently, sensing his little brother's emotions, and Kurt hung back respectfully, too. After a moment, however, when Danny still hadn't moved, Ryan tightened his grip on his shoulder. "Come on, Bro," he whispered, "let's just get him through this." Danny looked up at him and Ryan squeezed his shoulder once more as he saw the tears in his little brother's eyes. Danny bit hard on his lip, but finally he nodded, and with Ryan behind him, he slowly entered the room, and approached his little brother.

The room settled completely as the two brothers entered the room with Steve's best friend tagging after them. Those who were not sitting sat, the random whispers that Danny and Ryan's reappearance had sparked were quelled. Kurt made his way through the room as discretely as possible and took his seat amongst Steve's other friends. As he sat down next to him, his friend Mike caught his eyes, "Are they doing ok?" he whispered. Kurt bit his lip as he met his friend's eyes, and Mike swallowed. Kurt's expression was the only answer he needed.

"Are you ok, Kev'bo?" Danny asked softly as he and Ryan came up beside their little brother. It seemed like sort of a stupid question, especially as Kevin looked up at him, his eyes brimming with resentful tears, and shook his head. "Hang in there, Bud," Danny placed his hand on his back as his little brother hid his face once more. "It will be over soon."