Still in October and Izzie is celebrating her 11th birthday but she doesn't want to make a big deal out of it… yeah like that is going to happen.

Izzie woke up when she felt a small furry object on her bed and Angus the cat nuzzled her nose. "Hey you fur ball." she said sitting up, stroked the cat's back and looked at the calendar on her clock: 11th October. Ten days following her parent's 11th wedding anniversary and it was her 11th birthday. Walking over to her mirror, she looked at her refection. She didn't look any older or different. She still looked like a scrawny, dark-haired, olive-skinned girl.

She knew her family bar Harry will make a big deal out of it. Harry actually knew she didn't want to make a massive deal out of the fact she was 11. It wasn't a massive milestone. 16 yes but 11 no.

Most likely her parents would have planned a surprise party. But what she would like is a nice quiet family dinner with her parents, siblings, Lilly (Parker's fiancé) and her friends. And possibly some of the squint squad.

When she finished getting ready, she walked down stairs and found a few presents on the kitchen table. "Hey, happy birthday." Booth said.

"Don't." Izzie said sounding exasperated.

"What's wrong? Usually people deny their birthday when they hit forty." Booth asked.

"Like your father did many times." Brennan said smiling.

"I didn't." Booth said.

"Dad you claimed you were 39 until you admitted you were 46." Katy said biting her toast.

"I just don't want it to be a big deal. I'm 11 not 13." Izzie said.

"Ok, so how about pizza, nibbles and drinks?" Booth said.

"Ok, can I bring Laura and Karen since the twins are coming anyway?" Izzie said.

"Sure." Brennan said.

bxbxbxbxbxb

"Hey Izzie. Happy birthday." Laura said walking up to Izzie with a birthday card in their classroom. Laura was a blonde, pale young girl with pale blue eyes and was a little taller than Izzie. But then again, Izzie was the smallest girl in her class and she was probably the thinnest.

"Shhh, I don't want the whole class finding out." Izzie said. Laura gave her the card and Izzie placed it in the bag.

"Why not?" Laura asked looking confused.

"I've never made a massive deal out of one day that just so happened to be the day I was born."

"Come on. Your birthday is the day where you have to allow yourself to be spoilt."

"Right. So what are you doing later?"

"Dad's ordering pizza if you want to come."

"Sure, why not. Have you asked Karen?"

"I'll ask her when she's here. Kathy and Damon are coming anyway." Izzie looked behind Laura and saw Karen (a Chinese decent Jewish girl with long black flowing hair that was tied back during music classes- something which both Izzie and Karen share). "Hey Karen, can you come to my place tonight? Dad's ordering pizza. Don't worry; Dad's getting you a pesto and basil since I did warn him that you were lactose intolerant."

"Yeah, that's no problem. Here's your card. And I've got you a present that I can give you later." Karen said handing her a pink envelope.

"Thanks." she gave a small smile.

"Class, why are you not sitting down?" Ms Blackley said entering her classroom. The class sat in their assigned seats. Despite it being over a month since she was placed next to Robert, she had not bothered to exchange pleasantries with him and all they seemed to do was bicker. "I hope you have done the poetry homework you were assigned to do based on trains."

"Yes Ms Blackley." the class said though Izzie did it in a mocking simpery voice.

"Ok, I want some examples. Firstly… Isabel Booth." Ms Blackley said and Izzie's blue eyes shot up. What she had written was extremely sarcastic and was bound to get her in detention since she was really annoyed at both Robert and Ms Blackley. "Isabel, have you done the homework?"

"I have but it isn't very good." Izzie said.

"On the contrary Isabel, having read some of your previous work, I have to say you are a very good writer. What could be wrong with this piece of work?" Ms Blackley asked and Izzie stood up and opened her homework book and began to read out her poem.

"Puff puff puff, can't stand this stuff. All about trains, it gives me pains (Prize pain to me is Robert B)." some of the class had started sniggering but she hadn't finished it yet. "And Ms B is a bore; her train theme is a chore. Want to sit with my friend; I'm going around the bend. I feel so blue, choo choo choo." Izzie stopped and Ms Blackley's face looked pale in anger.

"Well, thank you Isabel for that… interesting insight. However you must stick to the subject in the future." Ms Blackley said. "You may sit down." Izzie sat down. "Next person is Mary Jackson." Later when the class had finished the class and they were due for recess. "Isabel, may I see you for a moment?" Ms Blackley asked Izzie as the class got out of their seats. Izzie walked in front of the desk. "Now are you going to explain the poem you read earlier?"

"I was really annoyed because you told me off for no reason last week and I needed to vent out my anger." Izzie explained.

"However was attacking Robert really necessary?"

"He has been annoying me since the first grade. He sees me as common because I talk like my father even though my family has money. Well, my mom does. But she shares it. My mother is Dr Temperance Brennan."

"Really?" Ms Blackley asked thinking that the girl was lying.

"Yes. Booth is my father's last name."

"I knew she had children but I never knew she had one in this school."

"My brother is in third grade and my sister left a couple of years ago."

"Are you genuinely telling me the truth?"

"Yes. I promise I am not lying." the child said it so plainly that she could not have been lying.

"Well, I can see where you received of your writing talent from. I am a fan of her books."

"Am I going to get a detention because of what I wrote?"

"No, however I want you to write it again, and I want you to apologise to Robert."

"May I go now?"

"Yes you may."

"Thank you, Ms Blackley." Izzie walked out the room and into the playground. She saw Robert sitting on the steps reading a book and she sat next to him. "Ok, I'm sorry I called you a pain." she said.

"I'm kind of used to it from you so it doesn't bother me." Robert said.

"Well, you did call be common even though my family is quite rich. I just talk like this naturally. Not all rich people are posh like you."

"Well, I thought just because if you didn't have an accent like mine then you weren't as rich."

"My Uncle Jack is very rich and he doesn't talk in a posh accent. He talks sort of like me."

"Well, I stand corrected."

"Why did your parents send you here if you are so rich?"

"To get me socialised. I could ask you the same thing."

"My parent's friends have sent their kids here as well because it was a good school." she looked around the playground and saw some of the other kids she knew. "Over there by the large oak tree is my brother with Allie Sweets, the slightly red-head girl and Molly Bray, the blonde girl with her hair in bunches along with Jordan Linder-Saroyan. They are all kids of my parent's friends. The boy with the nut-brown hair is my brother, Harry. Jordan is in the grade above Harry and Allie and Molly is in the grade below. She used to sneak out of the kindergarten area because she didn't enjoy it which is just odd considering I loved finger-painting and eating paste."

"She sounds like a tough cookie."

"Oh trust me, she once got on a bus on her own and ended up halfway to Wisconsin. And she was 3 at the time. It was a little funny. But not to her parents. Allie and my brother are quite close but my mom would kill Uncle Lance because it was bad enough he is with my mom's cousin. Jordan looks out for them."

"And you are all one big happy family?"

"One dysfunctional happy family." she smiled. "What are you reading?"

"A book called 'The Boy in Striped Pyjamas'. It is rather good actually; it's set in World War 2, Poland."

"It' in English right?"

"It's written by an Irish writer, so yes, it's in English. Basically, this boy, Bruno, has to move away from Berlin because his father has a new job at a place called Out-With and he has to go because it was ordered by the Fury."

"The Fury?"

"Yeah. He later meets a boy behind a fence called Shmuel."

"And he is the boy in striped pyjamas?"

"Yes. I'm only part way through it but it is interesting."

The bell rang and they made their way back to class."

bxbxbxbxbxb

After school, Izzie, Karen, Laura and the twins came into the Booth house and found a couple of presents on the kitchen table.

"Oh, wow, are you going to open them now?" Kathy asked.

"Maybe." Izzie said.

"Why don't you open the big one on the side of the table?" Karen said pointing to the largest one.

"Maybe out of curiosity." she walked over and read the label. It was from Parker. She carefully unwrapped it and discovered it was a bike. "Oh." she said looking surprised.

"That is cool." Damon said in amazement.

"It is just what I needed." Izzie said. At least Parker knew what she wanted and needed. Opening the rest of her presents, she received a pretend make up set from her sister, a wallet with a bat on with about $20 from Harry and a few books from her parents. Including 'The Boy in Striped Pyjamas'.

"Your dad has left us some money on the kitchen side and a pizza menu. Wanna order now?" Laura asked holding up the menu.

"Sure. And Dad has some snacks in the cupboard and there is some drinks in the fridge."