Mica was alone at daycare for the second day in a row. Today Erica was there but she was hanging out with the older kids not wanting to leave Jared's side. After the talk she had with her dad. Her dad had gotten a call from Mr. Vance saying that Jared was home. They had taken him to the hospital and aside from a few new battle scars and being mildly shaken up. He was going to be OK. Mica was glad that Jared was back. That went without saying. She was just hoping that with her brother back Erica would be more wanting to play and have fun. Gracie was the one who wasn't there today. Mrs. Hollis had called Gibbs and said that Gracie had a stomach-ache. Personally Mica wasn't buying it. Gracie had been acting strange for weeks. What if she was sick like Mrs. Vance? When she was in first grade. Mica remembered going with her dad to a concert the high school band put on. For the brother of one of the members a boy only a grade or two ahead of her who had brain cancer. A few months later, she read in the paper that the kid had died. She remembered her dad holding her and saying how much he hated that kids had to die. Not long after that she found out she had an older half-sister from another mother who had been killed along with her mother. She didn't want Gracie to be sick and she certainly didn't want her to die. She knew that not everybody with cancer died. In fact now days more and more people were surviving but her grandmother and that boy had died of it and Mrs. Vance was dying of it. No Gracie didn't have cancer but something was definitely wrong with her.
"Freeze Federal Agent!" Shane cried jumping out from under the table.
"Hi Shane." Mica greeted.
"You're not supposed to say hi to me! Your supposed to run!" Shane cried.
"Yeah but I already got in trouble yesterday and running is only allowed on the playground." Mica replied.
"Oh alright!" Shane sighed.
"How are you today, Shane?" Mica asked.
"OK, how are you?" Shane asked.
"Not so great." Mica admitted.
"What's wrong? Did you get in trouble?" Shane asked.
"Not really my dad talked to me but he grounded my foster-sister Lori for calling me "Kind of a psycho." and now she is even more mad at me." Mica explained.
"Did you tell your dad?" Shane asked.
"No" Mica sighed.
"Why not?" Shane asked.
"Because I already got in trouble and I hate getting in trouble and I never used to get in trouble before Lori came. Now I am always in trouble and I don't like it! I don't even really like being mean to Lori but she is such a Miss. Perfect and makes me look bad." Mica explained.
"I know how you feel." Shane replied.
"How?" Mica asked.
"My mom got remarried last year and when she did I ended up with a step brother who is a goody two shoes." Shane explained.
"Boy she got remarried fast." Mica commented.
"No my parents divorced when I was two. My sister who was seven went with my mom and my dad got me. My mom and Steve had just gotten engaged when my dad died." Shane explained.
"That's a lot of change really fast." Mica commented.
"I know. So how did Lori and Katie end up with you guys?" Shane asked.
"They were my grandpa Jack's foster daughters and after he died my dad took them in." Mice explained.
"Talk about change." Shane replied.
"I know." Mica replied.
"Don't worry maybe Lori is just having a hard time adjusting to the change. I am sure that she will come around soon." Shane assured.
"I hope so." Mica replied.
"Let's talk about something else." Shane said.
"Like what?" Mica questioned.
"Tell me about yourself? Any other siblings besides Lori and Katie?" Shane asked.
"I had an older sister but she and her mom were murdered back in nineteen ninety-one." Mica replied.
"Then how are you here?" Shane asked.
"Kelly had a different mom. My dad married three other times before he married my mom in two thousand and six." Mica explained.
"Where is your mom?" Shane asked.
"She died when I was three but I don't want to talk about it." Mica replied.
"Oh I am sorry." Shane replied.
"Rule six" Mica grunted.
"Huh?" Shane asked.
"Rule six never apologize. It is one of my dad's rules." Mica replied.
"OK" Shane replied skeptically.
"What about you tell me about yourself." Mica suggested.
"You know it all." Shane replied.
"Well do you have a favorite color?" Mica asked.
"Maroon" Shane replied.
"That's interesting." Mica replied.
"What's your favorite?" Shane asked.
"Red, just like my dad." Mica replied.
"So do you have any friends?" Shane asked.
"Yes but they are being weird now." Mica replied.
"You have a lot of weird people in your life." Shane replied.
"I know but I can't really fault Erica." Mica replied.
"Erica Vance?" Shane asked.
"Yeah" Mica replied.
"It is sad about her mom. My sister Tara is on her brother Jared's soccer team. I am glad Jared came home OK." Shane replied.
"Me too and I really wish that Mrs. Vance wasn't so sick, too." Mica replied.
"Who is your other friend?" Shane asked.
"Gracie Hollis" Mica replied.
"My dad was her dad's Senior Field Agent." Shane replied.
"Oh your dad was Agent Brecken?" Mica asked.
"Yes, he was." Shane replied.
"He was really nice. I think I met you at the Christmas party a few years ago." Mica commented.
"I remember that I wish I could have gone to NCIS more but my dad was worried about me. I guess he had reason to. I was supposed to be there the day of the bombing but my dad got the call about Dearing and made me stay home." Shane explained.
"Well I am glad that you did." Mica replied.
A/N: Good thing Shane knows what Mica is going through. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.