Hi everyone! To all the moms reading this story, Happy Mother's Day! :)

This idea popped into my head and I hope it turned out okay. I see Sophie as a mother-like figure to Parker, Eliot and Hardison. She's their friend and their equal but she's so understanding and patient and sweet with them that it's hard not to see her that way. ;)

Hope you guys like it and I'll definitely be back very soon with some new stories! :)

~cosette141

Sunlight streamed through the blinds of Sophie's bedroom, waking her from sleep. She hadn't bothered to set an alarm; today was Sunday, and it was the first day in a while that the team didn't have work to do. She could finally get back some rejuvenating beauty sleep.

Knowing she wasn't going to get any more sleep, Sophie turned over, only for something to fall and make a clattering sound. She opened her eyes, shocked awake to see a plate of breakfast foods overturned on her pillow. She must have knocked into it when she turned.

But why was it there?

"Ugh," she felt herself say as syrup dripped from— "Not the silk!" she whined. The syrup for what looked like Eggo waffles was now all over her silk pillow cases.

Sophie screwed her eyes shut.

Parker.

Sophie had overheard both Eliot and Hardison complain that Parker had broken into their apartments and left messes and chaos in her wake. But Parker had never broken into Sophie's apartment—at least, not that she knew of…

Sophie looked around her empty bedroom. "Parker?" she asked, her voice a little on edge from the ruined pillow cases.

When she heard nothing but silence, she shook her head to herself and wrapped the plate and mess of food in the ruined pillow case to throw away later. If Parker was going to break in and eat breakfast in her bedroom—in her own bed!—the least she could do was clean up after herself.

Sophie made a mental note to remind the girl that this was not okay.

She threw on a robe and walked out of her bedroom into her living room, cautiously looking for the thief. "Parker?"

But when she walked into the living room, she found another sight she didn't remember last night before she went to bed.

Sitting on the coffee table were what looked like flowers that had been ripped from a garden. They still had clumps of muddy dirt on the bottom, and the dirt smeared over the polished wood. Half caught between confusion and horror at the mess—on her white carpet, too, no less!—Sophie approached the table.

"You didn't like your breakfast?"

Sophie jumped a mile in her skin, slapping a hand to her chest. Standing behind her was Parker, holding the ruined pillow case with a frown on her face.

"Parker!" yelled Sophie, mostly out of shock. "What—what are you doing in my apartment?"

Parker's brows kneaded the way they did when she didn't understand something. "What do you mean? I'm here to celebrate!" Her crazy grin was back.

Sophie briefly shut her eyes, trying to compose herself. It didn't work.

She had just gotten those sheets.

"Celebrate what? The fact that I have to buy new sheets and get my carpet cleaned?"

Parker's face fell. "I did everything the commercial told me to do. Am I celebrating wrong?"

The sudden innocence on her face reminded Sophie that some things are more important than Louis Vuitton silk sheets and her irritation hesitated. "What do you mean?" asked Sophie, gentler.

Parker reached in her pocket and pulled out what looked like a playing card. She held it out for Sophie.

Tentatively, Sophie took it, seeing that she was right; it was a playing card. It was a 7 of hearts. But there was scribbled writing on the center.

Happy Mother's Day, Sophie!

Love,

Parker

Underneath her loopy writing was messier writing that said:

It was Parker's idea.

-AH

In utter confusion, Sophie lifted her eyes to Parker. Parker, who was smiling again. A hopeful sort of smile. Akin to a child waiting for praise.

Giving it a moment of thought, Sophie remembered seeing something the past week on television; today was Mother's Day.

But what did that have to do with her?

"Parker," said Sophie gently, "I don't understand. Why are you giving me this?"

Parker's smile faltered. "I'm… appreciating you." She took a breath, and, as if she was reading off of something, she quoted, "'Mother's Day is about appreciating the woman who's always there for you, the woman who's always made you feel better. Today is about making her feel good, with a special card, breakfast in bed and, of course, flowers, from your friends at Garner Florists.'"

Sophie stared at her in shock. This must be the commercial Parker mentioned following. "Parker," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Darling, this is very sweet. But I'm not a mother. I'm not…" She trailed off before your mother could slip out. But it was there nonetheless.

Parker just blinked. "Garner Florists seems to think so." When Sophie only stared at her in more confusion, Parker went on, "You're the only person I've ever met who's helped me understand things. And you don't tell me things like I should already know," she added quietly. "I never knew what to do when I… felt things. But you help me with them. You talk to me and you don't get mad when I don't understand. You make me feel better." She shrugged. "I know you aren't a mom… but I think you'd be the best one there ever was."

Parker's words hit her deep in her chest. Sophie felt moisture gather in her eyes.

"I hope the card was special enough," Parker went on. "They weren't very specific on what card was the most special."

Sophie was too stunned to speak.

"Oh," said Parker, as if she remembered something. She pulled off the drawstring bag she wore and took out a small cardboard box. She handed it to Sophie. "I asked Eliot to sign the card but he didn't want to. But a couple hours after he just told me to give you this."

Sophie opened the box to find a pastry. From the aroma it was a cherry tart, something Eliot once made that Sophie has mentioned was her favorite of his desserts.

She stared at it, her own feelings stirring up into something she didn't quite understand.

"It's okay if you didn't like the breakfast," said Parker. "Hardison made it. He's not very good. He burnt the Eggos." She wrinkled her nose. "I picked the flowers though! Right from the field behind that Garner Flowers place." She looked at Sophie expectantly. "Do you like them?"

Sophie looked from the boys' gifts to the dirt-covered flowers on the table, and the dirt-stained carpet. She felt herself smile, realizing for the first time how the three younger team members viewed her. Appreciated her.

Mother.

A title she never thought she'd ever have.

Or want.

"I love them." said Sophie, and Parker's entire face lit up. Sophie smiled too.

Parker suddenly dropped her gaze and noticed the dirt staining the carpet. "Oops! I… uh, I can clean that up…"

"No," said Sophie, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it."

Parker's brows kneaded. "But you don't like messes."

Sophie just smiled. "I like this one."

The pride was back on Parker's face, and Sophie suggested that she bring the pillow case to the kitchen table to salvage Hardison's breakfast. As Parker did, Sophie looked back at the flowers, and the mess they left behind, feeling her smile grow.

And for some reason, the mess was even more beautiful than the flowers themselves.