Author's Note: If anyone knows the "Friends" episode where Joey and Chandler try selling their entertainment center, only for their apartment to get robbed, then you'll get the reference in this chapter.

Chapter 14: Sale Turned Robbery

It was January 21, and 18-year-old Gilbert stood in the middle of the living room, looking with wide, disappointed eyes at the piece of paper he held in his hands.

"Gilbo, what's wrong?" Ludwig asked his older brother.

"Yeah, tell us," said Elizabeta.

"I…." Gilbert said.

"You what?" asked Roderich, now trying to get his and Elizabeta's 1-year-old daughter, Hannah, to stop pulling on the hair that stuck up on the top of his head. "Ow! Hannah, honey, stop pulling Daddy's hair, please," he pleaded with the little girl.

"I…I was denied financial aid," Gilbert said and looked up at his brother, cousin, and cousin-in-law.

"What?" Elizabeta said in a shocked voice as she took Hannah from Roderich and gave her something else to pull on.

"Thanks, Lizzie," said Roderich. He then turned to speak to Gilbert. "How can that be? I got aid when I went to college."

"I…I don't know," said Gilbert. He then sank down on the couch beside the 14-year-old already seated there. "Oh, man, I can't go to college now because of this stupid letter," he groaned.

"Hey, it's alright, Gilbo," said Ludwig. "We'll find a way."

Roderich got up and went towards his old room so he could get something else for Hannah, who was now trying to pull on Elizabeta's hair (Hannah really loved pulling people's hair), he was blocked from opening the door by none other than a rather large—and long —entertainment center.

"Maybe we should sell this piece of junk," Roderich said to the three still seated in the living room.

"No, not the Unit!" Ludwig exclaimed and went in front of the center, spreading his arms protectively.

"Lui…" said a now frustrated Roderich. "This…thing…obstructs the pathway to my old room. It needs to be removed now."

"Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!" Ludwig said, stomping his feet in protest.

"You are just…" Roderich said, and then went up to Gilbert. "Hey, cousin," he said. "Let me see that paper."

"Here," Gilbert said sadly.

"Dada," said Hannah, her eyes following Roderich as he went into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeta called to her husband. "Ow. Sweetie, please stop pulling Mommy's hair," she said to her daughter.

"I'm calling the people who sent this letter," Roderich called back from the kitchen. He then dialed the number to the federal aid office and waited.

10 minutes later, someone finally spoke to him.

"Hello, this is William at the Federal Student Aid Office," said the voice on the other end. "How may I help you?"

"Hello…William, was it?" said Roderich. "This is Roderich Edelstein."

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Edelstein?" asked William.

"Well," said Roderich. "my cousin, Gilbert Beilschmidt, showed me this letter he got from you. It says that he was denied aid, even though he meets the criteria for said aid. Now why is that?"

"To be perfectly blunt, Mr. Edelstein, we've heard about the Beilschmidt family," William said seriously. "And, quite frankly, we just don't like the Beilschmidts."

"Why not?" Roderich asked. "When I went to college, you guys gave me financial aid, and I'm their nephew!"

"Well…" William said, a little hesitant. He then continued, "Well, it's because of the family's…..history."

"Oh, this is all about my aunt Elise's little drug thing in the past, isn't it?" Roderich said angrily.

"Uh, well, yes, as a matter of fact," said William.

"You legally can't do this, you know," said Roderich.

"I'm sorry, but a judge has decreed that we can," said William. "And he specifically said to do this to the Beilschmidt family first."

"What the fuck?" Roderich yelled into the phone. "Wait…the judge…he wouldn't happen to be the one who ordered my aunt to go to rehab for two months 14 years ago, would he?"

"Actually, yes," said William.

"Just give my cousin aid so he can go to college!" Roderich said. "Don't listen to that asshole!"

"I'd really like to, but…" said William. He sounded nervous now.

"But what?" asked Roderich.

"But I'd get fired from my job," said William.

"Fine, fine," said Roderich. "Good day." He then slammed the phone back on its hook and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Roddy…" said Elizabeta. "What happened?"

"They told me they can't give Gilbo any aid," said an angry Roderich.

"But why?" asked Ludwig.

"Yeah, why?" asked Gilbert.

"It's because some judge told them to do it because he doesn't like the family," said Roderich.

"So they take it out on the kids?" said a now angry Elizabeta.

"Yeah, pretty much," said Roderich. "Now, we need to sell that infernal thing," he continued, gesturing towards the Unit.

"Okay," said Ludwig.

A few days later, Ludwig was left home alone, waiting for a potential buyer to come for the Unit. Gilbert had gone out with his girlfriend, Anna Liebert, and Roderich had gone with Elizabeta to pick up their daughter from day care.

A couple minutes later, the man who had called about the Unit came into the house.

"Uh, hi," said Ludwig.

"Yeah, I called about the Unit," the man said.

"Oh, okay," said Ludwig. He led the man into the living room, where the Unit stood bare, blocking the way to Roderich's old room. "This is the Unit."

"Okay, so how much?" the man asked.

"Uh, let's see…" Ludwig said, trying hard to think. "Um…my cousin said about, I don't know, $20,000?"

"So, would this be big enough for my use?" asked the man.

"Yeah," said Ludwig. "It's even big enough for a human being to crawl into."

"Oh, ha-ha, I doubt that, kid," said the man.

"No, it's true," Ludwig said. 'Geez, Roddy's counting on me to sell this thing today,' the teenager thought nervously.

"10 bucks says that's a load of crap," the man said, crossing his arms.

"I'll tell you what," said Ludwig. "I'll crawl in myself, and if I don't fit, then I'll give this thing to you for half price. 'Kay?"

"Deal," said the man.

Ludwig then successfully crawled into the Unit and closed the door. "See?" he said. "Okay, give me my 10 bucks."

What Ludwig didn't know was that the man had already locked him inside by placing Gilbert's hockey stick in front of the door, locking the boy in.

"Hey, a quarter!" Ludwig said happily from inside the Unit.

Two hours later, Roderich and Elizabeta entered the Beilschmidt house with their daughter, and Gilbert and Anna came in soon after. All of them were surprised to see all the furniture of the living room gone, save for the Unit, which had Gilbert's hockey stick acting as a lock.

"Hello?" Ludwig called out. "Can you let me out now?"

"Lui!" Roderich said, taking Gilbert's hockey stick off the Unit's doors. Ludwig then got out. "What were you doing in there?"

"West, are you alright, little bro?" Gilbert said.

"I'm fine, Gilbo," said Ludwig. He then looked around the room. "Aw, he promised he wouldn't take the chairs!" he whined.

"I'll ask you again," said Roderich. "What. The. Hell. Happened?"

"I was making a sale like you told me to," said Ludwig. "But then the guy and I made a bet that I wouldn't be able to fit in the Unit. So I got inside and proved him wrong, and he was supposed to give me 10 bucks."

"This is bad, Gilbo," said Anna.

"Yeah, it is," Gilbert said.

"You know what I'm gonna do when I find that guy?" a now angry Ludwig said.

"Bend over?" yelled Roderich.

"I'm calling the cops," said Elizabeta. "Ouch, Hannah, please stop pulling Mommy's hair," she said to the 1-year-old in her arms.

"Oh man," Gilbert said.

"What's wrong?" asked Anna.

"My parents are gonna be home later," said Gilbert.

"Oh no!" said Ludwig. "I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm so screeeeeeewwwwwwwwed. Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

Author's Note: I know that the denying-someone-financial-aid-because-of-their-family thing would never, in a million years, happen, but I just had to pop that in there for some reason.

Hope y'all liked it ^_^