A/N: NEW CHAPTER YAAAAAAY. Can you spot the Hunger Games reference ;P

IMPORTANT NOT... MAYBE: Ok sidebar here, ummm the reason Cody is alone during this chapter is because all but four of the brothers are at school. The exclusions are Echo and Fives (both 18) who are away at college, Rex (21) who is fast asleep because he works through most of the night (he intended to go but was just to exhausted), and Cody... who is in the chapter. OK SIDEBAR DONE :D ON WITH THE FIC.

Shame

Cody took a deep breath. He rubbed his eyes, wishing he'd been able to get at least some sleep last night. He'd agonized on what to do with the bribery the entire night, tossing and turning, trying to figure it out. Finally somewhere near five in the morning he settled into the realization that taking it was wrong, sighing as he did so, glancing again at the large stack of money, racking his brain for an excuse. He'd found none. Now he was sitting in the car wondering if the police even dealt with bribery cases or if he needed to go higher. He shook his head and decided he'd go to the police and figure things out from there. He turned the key and started driving, wondering if he was going to even make it to the station as tired as he was…

He glanced up at the station realizing he'd driven there, turned in the right places, and parked without realizing. He took a moment to marvel at the fact he was here unharmed and then shook himself unbuckling and picking up the money from the seat next to him and-

Stopped. What was he even going to say? He had prepared to get out of the car but relaxed into the seat as he faced this new problem. He put the money in his lap and sighed rubbing his eyes, wishing he had a bit more brain power to work with.

Hi, I'm Cody. My brother is working at the mental hospital and the most beloved famous senator to have ever lived in Louisiana came in randomly last night and gave him a bribe.

Hello, I'm Cody. You may know because I work at Verizon. My brother is the new guard at the mental hospital and got a bribe from Palpatine, ya know the senator guy who's been elected three times.

Hey, I'm Cody. My brother just started at the mental hospital and the most famous man in Louisiana came in and gave him a bribe…

Cody suddenly bashed his head into the steering wheel disturbing a group of nearby pigeons. What the heck had he been thinking?! He let out rueful bark of a laugh. He hadn't been. He rubbed his temple trying to figure out what to do next. Then the matter was taken out of his hands with a gentle tapping on the window next to him. He started and looked up at the interrupter, opening his mouth to snap at them, and realized it was a police officer.

"Sir, can we help you?" She asked. Cody needed a lot of help right now… but he suddenly wasn't so sure she could give it.

"…and that's what happened." He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to relax his hands. He was afraid to look up; he hadn't done so once during this whole interview. The sergeant and sheriff themselves had come to "talk" to him.

I sound completely insane. He thought chidingly. He dared to raise his eyes, only his eyes, to search the faces of the officers. They completely calm. Cody felt himself going pale. This sort of news should have elicited some sort of reaction from them, laughter, anger, ridicule, arrest. But they simply stared at him passively, and Cody wasn't sure if that was good, or horribly bad.

"We think… you must be mistaken." The sergeant said softly. Cody's eyes snapped up.

That's a rather odd thing to say. If sergeant Argyus also thought what he had said was odd, he didn't say anything about it.

"We're very busy, but don't worry, we'll take your request into consideration." Sheriff "Slick" purred smoothly, an attempt at assurance. Cody internally snorted.

I bet you will. Yet even as he had the thought a worm of fear was forming and beginning to wriggle inside him, insistent. Palpatine had already given Rex a bribe… who said there weren't others. As the oldest child he had learned how acting worried could spread worry and fear like wild fire, or in cases like this encourages torment. His brothers, looking to bully or seeking comfort, would come to him, expecting a calm reassuring presence, even during those innumerable times that things had started falling apart. It had taught him how to look cool and collected even now as panic began to spread throughout his mind, an ever-growing pit in his stomach. They opened the door and after a moments hesitation Cody got up in left the room, the two cops following just behind him. As he went out past the desk he wondered how far spread this was. He stopped just at the door. They hadn't helped him, they were obviously being bribed, they'd taken the money to use for who knew what, they'd frightened his brother; he needed the last word.

"Thank you… for your consideration." He didn't even turn around.

He was wide awake the entire ride home.