A/N: Ok, it seemed to be a consensus that Kel and Yuki should prank Dom and Neal…well, you're predictions have come true- just maybe a little bit differently than you might've thought. Their prank doesn't come in the form of oatmeal to the face, but as more of something to get their husbands to stop their pranks (for the time being of course). In what way could Kel and Yuki possibly get to their husbands? Read and find out!

Chapter Three: Clear-Minded People?

The next week passed quickly, with Dom and Neal getting into an all-out prank war. Daily, one of them would pull some sort of trick on the other and then the next day, or even during the same day, the other would retaliate.

Kel and Yuki, along with the townspeople, found it highly entertaining at first. Well, almost everyone.

"They better not interrupt the town social with their pranks," warned Fanche one day, "Otherwise I'll have both 'f their pretty little heads..."

She was referring to New Hope's biannual town social- a gathering of the town's inhabitants to a night of feasting and dancing. And since she was the one who ran it, she would not appreciate any disturbance.

Both Kel and Yuki chuckled at the thought of their husbands getting in trouble with the headstrong old woman. Fanche would not be happy with them if they got in the way of her plans. She could rival the temper of the Lioness if she wanted to- something that Kel and Yuki laughed about whenever the older woman remarked about their husbands' pranks.

However, after a couple more days of continuous pranks between their husbands, Kel and Yuki started to get tired of it too. So one night, after yet another round of pranks, Kel and Yuki voiced their opinions about the mischief to their husbands, as they walked back to headquarters after dinner.

"It's foolish," stated Yuki to both men. "You both have children, yet you're still acting like children yourselves."

"And think of the influence you're having on them," continued Kel. "The two of you are enough to handle for us."

"Too much to handle," Yuki emphasized. "These pranks need to stop before they get too far out of hand. Otherwise, if you continue with your games, you will both be sleeping out in the stables."

Neal and Dom looked at each other, both women thinking they had finally gotten through to them.

"You know what, Dom? I think they're right," said Neal, nodding. "We should stop…"

"Yeah," Dom decided, "I can't believe I'm agreeing with you, Meathead, but the stables do not exactly define the word comfort…"

"So you both agree to stop?" asked Kel, unbelievingly.

"Yes," Neal affirmed. Then he glanced at Dom, "Though I think I know the real reason why they want us to stop…"

Dom raised his eyebrows in question, just as Kel and Yuki did the same.

"And what is that, Meathead?"

"Why," said Neal, grinning, "They're feeling lonely and left out of course!"

Kel scoffed. "Oh yeah, I really want to be involved in something where I have my saddle loosened so I fall off my horse, too," said Kel sarcastically. This got a laugh out of Neal, who had played that trick on Dom that afternoon. To be fair, Kel added, "And I really don't want to ever worry about eating a turnover filled with dirt." That comment caused Neal to scowl and Dom to grin.

"How can you not be jealous of our closeness?" Dom asked Kel wryly.

Kel couldn't help but laugh, especially as she looked at Neal's still-scowling face. "Oh, I'm quite jealous," Kel joked, laughing over the memory of Neal's face when he bit into the dirt-filled turnover.

"Well, I can't have my wife jealous, now can I?" Dom asked playfully as he walked over and slung his arm around her shoulders.

"It isn't a wise choice," Kel told him flatly.

Dom then looked at her and grinned, squeezing her shoulder as he said roughly, "Then I will just have to bring it upon myself to cure this jealousy and loneliness of yours."

Kel gave him a speculative look as he gave her a quick raise of his eyebrows. "And what do you have in mind, Dom? It better not be one of Neal's healing mixtures. I figure you have had your own fair share of those for a while…"

He grinned at her reference to Neal's initial prank on him with the vial-tasting liquid in his flask. "That's for sure," he chuckled. Then, stopping and pulling her to him, he added mischievously, "Though I didn't mind the attention I received after, that's for certain."

Kel rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips as he pulled her closer to him. "So what is this cure of yours?" she asked casually.

"Well…" he started, eyes alighting, "I was thinking…" He then leaned over to whisper his ideas in her ear.

Trying to hide her blush, a smile broke across her face as she listened to Dom's suggestive words. She was glad that Yuki and Neal were too occupied with each other to notice. The two of them were already engaged in an elongated kiss.

Before Kel knew it, Dom was leading her toward headquarters and their rooms.

"So I take it that this mean you're going to stop your pranks?" she asked him as she followed him into the building.

Laughing, he replied, "Most definitely."

Finally, she thought, an end to these pranks!

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as Dom continued to whisper in her ear as they walked. Gaining confidence from the smile and soft laughter his wife rewarded him, Dom's suggestions also became bolder.

As they mounted the stairs, Kel was exceedingly glad that he had decided to stop the pranks, thus allowing him to not be sent to sleep in the stables that night...

The next day dawned beautifully. The weather was fair- a great day for weapons practice. However, instead of taking advantage of the great weather, two women could be found sitting silently on the wooden fence surrounding the town's well-occupied practice courts. They seemed to be watching the soldiers intently, but truthfully their thoughts were elsewhere. The same furrowed expression was on both of the women's faces, allowing one to believe that their thoughts were also in sync.

Finally, Kel said aloud, "I can't believe we thought they would stop with their pranks…"

"I know," Yuki agreed softly.

That morning, Neal had already pulled another trick on Dom, which caused both women to believe that Dom would soon be getting even. They shook their heads simultaneously at the thought.

"How could we be so foolish?" asked Yuki. "We're both such clear-minded people…"

"Except around those two," said Kel quietly. "I'm as helpless as a court lady whenever Dom starts sweet talking."

Yuki nodded consent, "And I'm no better with Neal…"

"It's that charm of theirs-it's irresistible," claimed Kel. "Whenever Dom starts whispering in my ear, my knees go weak, my heart starts pounding- I even start giggling! The next thing I know, I'll be flitting about in silk dresses! His charm should be outlawed…"

However, as she felt Yuki's amused gaze on her, Kel chuckled, "Okay, maybe not outlawed."

"But we have got to work up some sort of immunity!" Yuki agreed emphatically. Then as an impulsive thought struck her, her eyes suddenly brightened.

Narrowing her gaze at her friend, Kel asked cautiously, "What are you thinking?"

Yuki responded slowly, as if the thoughts were forming as she spoke, "They have to learn that they can't always expect to charm themselves into our arms, right?"

"Right…" Kel concurred warily.

"And we have to learn not to let them."

"Yeah…"

Yuki grinned at Kel, "Well, at least not until we want to that is…We'll make them work for it. They'll be too busy chasing after us that they'll forget all about their pranks!"

Ideas and images then running through her head also, Kel grinned. "I like the way your mind works, Yuki."

Her friend's eyes crinkled, "Thank you, though I don't think you would have agreed when I let Dom know you were pregnant…"

"Except for that of course," said Kel, smiling. Then she asked, "So then how are we going to get our husbands to chase after us and stop doing their pranks?"

"Well…" said Yuki. Then she leaned toward Kel to tell her the plan…

They did not have to wait long to put their plan into action. It wasn't long before dinner when Kel and Yuki were walking through New Hope and heard shouts and the sound of running.

The two women turned to see Dom running their way, a triumphant smile plastered on his face. Not too far behind him was Neal, completely drenched as he ran after his cousin.

Yuki and Kel looked at each other with concealed smiles.

They watched from a short distance away as Dom stopped and faced Neal, who slowed and stopped in front of him.

"You know, Meathead, you're supposed to bathe without your clothes on," teased Dom.

Neal's glare narrowed. "I am fully aware of that, cousin, but I was not planning on bathing…"

Dom grinned, "Well, I think your plans seem to have changed…"

"Thanks to you," said Neal, still glaring. Then, in a matter of seconds, Neal had lunged toward Dom, and they were soon wrestling on the dirt ground.

Kel and Yuki tried to hide their amusement as they walked up to the fighting cousins. Clearing their throats loudly, both men stopped tussling to look at their wives. Yuki had her hands on her hips, foot tapping, and Kel stood beside her, arms crossed and legs braced sturdily. Both had their eyebrows raised.

Dom and Neal glanced at each other before getting to their feet. They both ran their fingers through their messy dark hair as they smiled sheepishly at their wives.

"Another prank?" Kel asked, looking at Dom.

Before he could respond, Neal interjected, "Uh, no, of course not, Kel."

Dom elbowed him as Kel told Neal, "I wasn't asking you. I was asking my husband."

Dom grimaced and replied, "Yeah…"

"I thought you agreed not to pull anymore pranks…" Kel said slowly, for effect.

"Well, we did but-"

"But?"

"You know Meathead and me, Kel. We can never stop pulling pranks…"

Kel shrugged, knowing it was true. That was when Yuki spoke up. Looking at Neal, she said, "You agreed, Nealan."

"I know," he said, looking at the ground.

"And since you didn't follow the agreement," Yuki said, addressing both Neal and Dom, "Kel and I have now decided to go to the town's social tonight…alone."

"What are we going to do?" questioned Neal, jaw practically dropping. Dom smartly remained silent.

"I don't know," Kel said, "It'll give you two plenty of time to plan you're next prank, I suppose…"

"Why can't we go with you?" Neal asked.

"You two are clearly too childish to attend a social for respectable adults," said Yuki. Kel mentally congratulated her for having the guts to say it. She wasn't sure if she would be able to, especially with the intent look Dom was giving her.

"Oh, come on," both men then urged, trying to get them to smile.

"You can't keep us from attending the social," said Neal, laughing a slightly nervous laugh.

"No," Yuki agreed, "But we don't have to go together. When you two stop with your pranks, then we'll go back to the way it was before, but until then…" She didn't even have to finish her sentence. Nor did she allow either man to respond as she took Kel by the arm and they walked away from the two baffled young men.

After a few minutes of silence as they watched their wives' retreating backs, Neal asked with a stunned expression, "What just happened?"

Looking over at his cousin, Dom informed him, "What just happened is we're going to the social tonight alone…and our wives are avoiding us until we stop our pranks."

"They're stopped! We're done!" shouted Neal to the now distant wives.

Dom rolled his eyes, and couldn't help but laugh at Neal's reaction. "Now we just have to let them know we're serious," said Dom, turning to Neal, "which means we are going to be on our best behavior tonight at the social…"

Seeing Neal's still horrified look, Dom said, "Neal. They're mad at us. They're not going to kill us."

Neal gulped visibly, "I'm not too sure about that…"

A/N: Ah, the poor guys…Let's say the social shall be fun :D (Especially since Yuki and Kel are SINGLE for the night ;) However can they get Neal and Dom jealous? Hmmm…). Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter!! Playing hard-to-get…how fun is that:D