A/N: I didn't know, but there was more to this story. At least one more part will be added soon. In this part the girls are eleven and twelve.

"Happy birthday to you!" Misty's raspy voice cut through the otherwise silent morning, the last words more belted out than sung. She was standing by Cordelia's bed, a brightly wrapped present held in one hand and a homemade card in the other. The grin on her face stretched from ear to ear as she jumped on the bed and dropped the gift and card onto Cordelia's lap.

Misty's smiling face was such a contrast to the sad expression Cordelia remembered from two years ago. Misty had shown up at school with a black eye and tears running down her cheeks, without lunch as usual. The incident had coincided with a rare visit from Cordelia's mother and as Cordelia hugged her friend while trying to comfort and calm her down, Fiona had stood by listening to the words tumbling from the curly-haired girl's lips.

For some inexplicable reason Misty's story about her alcoholic, negligent and now abusive father had pierced Fiona's seemingly impenetrable walls and touched something within the normally cold woman. To this day Cordelia didn't know why her mother had acted the way she had, but she was ever so grateful for the hell her mother had caused.

Within a day Misty's residency at the school had been confirmed and she and Cordelia had been moved to a spacious bedroom with a small bathroom all their own. According to Fiona calling Social Services and arranging Misty's change of address had more to do with keeping Cordelia's focus on her studies, instead of worrying over her friend. The woman also insisted that Cordelia's current room wasn't up to par as being the main reason for going up against the school board.

What had been the real motivation behind Fiona's actions that day was still a mystery to Cordelia, but the two girls had happily been roommates ever since.

"Read your card!"

Cordelia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared at her friend, then down at the card. She giggled at the crudely drawn alligator wearing a purple partyhat. The same green crayon used to draw the cross-eyed reptile had been used to scribble 'Happy Birthday Cordelia! I hope you have a grrrrrrreat one.' in a speech bubble at the top of the card.

"Thank you Misty. It's lovely."

"Open your present! Open it!" Misty looked close to bursting as she sat almost vibrating on the bed. "Open!"

"Misty, I think you're more excited about this than I am."

"Of course I'm excited! You're twelve! One more year and we'll be teenagers!"

"One more year for me. One year and seven months for you."

"Ah, come on!"

"Well, it's true."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Open your present 'Delia."

"Yes, Misty" Cordelia drearily replied before giving her best friend a cheeky grin.

She carefully unwrapped the gift, turning it this way and that as she scraped at the tape with her fingernails. The tape gave way and as the paper fell to the side Cordelia was greeted by two rather large bunches of packets of seeds, both held together by rubber bands.

She quickly removed the rubber bands to skim through the packets. "Passion vine, Texas sage, Indigo spires salvia, Confederate jasmine, Royal cape plumbago, Areca palm, Pygmy date palm, Snow-on-the-mountain, Pink powderpuff, Datura, Crinum lily, St. Christopher's lily, Silver dollar eucalyptus… Misty, there are so many! Oh, and White African iris!"

A few months back Cordelia had taken an interest in botany. She'd poured over every book on the topic she could find in the library and although Misty hadn't been keen at first, hearing Cordelia read out loud about the power of medicinal herbs before bedtime had made her own interest grow.

They already had small pots of thyme and lavender in one of their windowsills and every time they went to the farmers market Cordelia's eyes would be drawn to the flowers sold there. Misty had known exactly what to get for her birthday.

Cordelia looked up at Misty, eyes shining and joy caused by the gift evident on her face. "Thank you!"

"I thought maybe we could ask matron if we could go out tomorrow and get some pots and soil. I think we could have a lovely little indoorsy garden right over there." Misty pointed at the doors leading to the french balcony of their bedroom.

"That's a great idea. And you know what Misty?"

"What?"

"I think you are the bestest friend ever."

Misty's blush went unnoticed as she, without warning, found her arms full of overjoyed birthday girl. They hugged, Cordelia whispering yet another "Thank you".

"You're welcome 'Delia." Misty drew back, looking into her friend's eyes, sharing her wide smile. She leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss to Cordelia's cheek.

"Happy birthday."