Disclaimer: Nothing has changed; I still don't own 'em.

A/N: Sorry for the delay but here is another chapter that I hope you enjoy. I should give a warning that there is some mild cussing in this update.

Shenanigans

"Are you about done, Nick?" Nick looked at his friend and fellow prankster with a tight grin.

"I would be if you'd stop asking if I was about done every couple of minutes," he answered. "For someone versed in the fine art of practical jokes, you have very little patience." Shifting his attention back to his task, he missed the salute Gordon gave.

"I have patience but I also know Scott or Virgil could come through that door at any time and how would we explain what you're doing?" Not expecting an answer, he glanced in the hallway to ensure that neither of his older brothers was around. "I'm just glad that Dad had to leave for the day. Otherwise this wouldn't work."

"Done." Nick pushed his wheelchair away from the desk and faced Gordon. "That's three set up and ready for your brothers but you've yet to tell me about the prank that gets Scott and Virgil at the same time." Gordon's grin widened at the thought of his ongoing prank that neither victim had figured out.

"C'mon, I'm in the mood to swim," he said. Nick shrugged his shoulders before following him out to the pool deck.

"When aren't you in the mood to swim?" Once he'd maneuvered his 'chair next to the pool, Nick locked it and lowered himself to the side of the pool. Gordon had already learned that when Nick needed help, he'd ask for it and until that happened, you'd best not interfere with his independent nature. For a few minutes, the two men relaxed before an unspoken competition had them racing for the far end of the pool. Though Nick didn't have use of his legs, his developed upper body strength allowed him to give Gordon a bit of a challenge. They were so focused on their strokes and breathing that neither of them noticed Scott glowering at them until a beach ball was tossed in Gordon's path. Startled, he inadvertently swallowed some pool water before shifting his position so that he could tread.

"Hey, Scotty, even though I love a good game of beach ball toss, I was kinda busy," he said, cheerfully. Nick noticed that Gordon had stopped and began to tread as well while watching the two brothers.

"Stuff it, Gordon," Scott snapped. "What did you do to the computer?"

"What do you mean, "What did you do to the computer?" Scott," Gordon asked. "Nick and I've been out here since right after Dad left."

"Well, if you didn't do anything to it, who did?" Scott continued to glare down at Gordon, who managed to maintain an innocent expression though Nick noticed the slight tremor in the corner of his mouth.

"Don't laugh, Gordon, you'll give us away." Faking a muscle cramp, Nick relaxed his body enough to let it sink to the cool depths of the pool. His sudden inspiration saved Gordon from Scott's ire as he dove into the pool and dragged Nick to the surface before Gordon could react. Choking and sputtering, dramatically, Nick allowed Scott to drag him to the side of the pool where he was able to grasp the edge.

"Are you okay, Nick?" he asked, worriedly.

"Yeah…" Coughing slightly, he continued. "You saved…me. Thanks." Embarrassed, Scott pushed his tall frame out of the pool and left the pool deck.

"You saved…me"? Damn, Nick, couldn't you have thought of something else?" Gordon choked out.

"It saved your ass, didn't it?" he retorted, laughing. "I thought for sure that you were going to start laughing and give us away."

"So, do you think that he tried to log onto the computer and none of the desktop icons worked? How did you ever think of just using a shot of the desktop as a screensaver and then hiding the icons and taskbar?" Nick shrugged his shoulders at his friend's questions.

"I had a lot of boring afternoons and tried to keep myself entertained," he answered. "If Scott's fallen for that prank, when do you think that either he or Virgil will try for the chocolate cake that your grandmother told them to stay away from?"

"It won't be too long," Gordon replied.

"How would you know that?" Nick asked, curiously. Gordon pointed towards the kitchen where they could see Virgil glancing around as if searching for someone. "You don't think he's going to go against her orders, do you?"

"That's exactly what he's going to do," he said, smirking. "Virgil has never been able to ignore Grandma's chocolate cake regardless of the punishment he would face. I warned Grandma not to leave that cake out or he'd have a huge chunk of it gone before dinner." Watching intently, they didn't realize that Grandma was watching Virgil as well. Virgil set a small dessert plate next to the cake and had a knife poised above the thick chocolate frosting before furtively glancing around before he cut into the cake that was resistant at first until the downward pressure caused the chocolate frosted box to collapse much to the amusement of the men in the pool. "There are just some things that you can count on in life and Virgil's lack of restraint is one of them."

"GORDON, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR…" The chestnut-haired brother had heard Gordon's laughter and had run out on the pool deck with chocolate frosting on his hands.

"VIRGIL GRISSOM TRACY!" Grandma walked towards him with her hands behind her back. Nick was in a prime position to see what Virgil could not and quickly dunked his head before he could laugh. Gordon stared, uncomprehendingly, at his sudden retreat until he heard Virgil cry out.

"OW! Grandma, that stings," he cried, backing away from her and the flyswatter she brandished, threateningly.

"Why do you have chocolate on your hands, Virgil?" she asked, sweetly. As if she hadn't already seen the chocolate, he hid his hands behind him.

"What chocolate, Grandma?" he asked, nervously. "Gordon, Nick, having a good swim?" His attempts at shifting the attention of his steely-eyed grandmother were nothing if not amusing to those who were watching.

"The chocolate that, if I'm not mistaken, came from the chocolate frosted cake that I distinctly told you and Scott to stay away from this morning," she answered. "And don't for one moment think that you're going to get out of this, young man."

"Aww, Grandma, don't be mad at me," he begged. "I can't help it if your cakes are the best in the whole world. If it's anyone's fault, it's yours since you create such masterpieces."

"My fault, you say," she repeated, thoughtfully.

"She's going to swat him good," Gordon whispered. He and Nick continued to watch with avid interest as Virgil relaxed slightly. Just as he relaxed, she lashed out at his leg once.

"Nice try, young man, but you're going to have to do better than that," she told him. "Get in that kitchen and clean up the mess that you've no doubt made." Before she could swat him again, he ran to the kitchen and set about cleaning up the mess. Once he had the kitchen island cleaned up, he grabbed the sprayer so that he could rinse any chocolate from the sides of the sink.

"Five, four, three, two…" Grandma looked over at her grandson and his friend just as a surprised shout came from the kitchen.

"AARRGGHHHH!" Gordon and Nick held onto the side of the pool, laughing uproariously at the sweet sound of success. Grandma watched them and realized that if Gordon and Alan or Gordon and Nick together were quick to come up with all sorts of practical jokes what would it be like if Gordon, Alan, and Nick teamed up.

"Those boys will wreak all sorts of havoc here," she thought, smiling.