A/N: So I got to wondering about how Ally's mom is never mentioned. And then I thought that she was, y'know, deceased. And then I thought how hard Mother's Day must be for Ally. And voila! This story was born. I do not own Austin & Ally, much to my dismay.

Ally was watching Sonic Boom for her dad as usual. This day had been particularly uneventful, so she was grateful when a familiar blond waltzed into the store and hopped onto the counter.

"Sooo Ally, I have a question," Austin said.

"Yes?"

"What do girls like to get as presents?"

Ally raised an eyebrow at this. "Who's the special lady?" she teased.

Austin laughed before answering, "Actually, it's for my mom. Mother's Day is this Sunday and I don't know what to get her."

Ally stood frozen to the spot. Her heart had plummeted to the the floor but she didn't want Austin to notice any of it.

"Well, girls like flowers," she offered weakly.

Austin seemed to be as oblivious as usual and considered her suggestion. "Yeah, but my dad usually gets her flowers. I want to do something special."

Ally tried to make him leave with her mind, but to no avail. "Chocolate?" she asked.

"She doesn't want chocolate. She said she doesn't want to get fat. Which is ridiculous because she weighs like 125 tops!"

"I mean, I don't know what else to say. I like stuffed animals. But I don't know if your mom would like those."

"Yeah, that'd probably be weird... WAIT!" Austin hopped off the counter and grabbed Ally by the shoulders. "A song! Girls love being serenaded! Right?"

Ally smiled at Austin's hopeful face. "Good idea, Austin! So just go find the perfect song and you're set!"

She turned to leave but was pulled back. "Ally, help me write a song!"

"A song for your mom?" Ally asked, horrified. "I don't think-"

"Pleeeeease, Ally? It would mean the world to me!" He gave her his trademark puppy dog face which made her heart hurt.

She let out a sigh. "Fine, Austin. We can work on it tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes! Thanks Ally!" And with that, he sped out of the store.

Ally was extremely grateful when her dad returned from his break 5 minutes later. All she wanted was to be left alone for a while.

Ally had been hanging out in the practice room, listening to the radio and eating pickles. She felt a little better after the Austin incident.

"Guess who got a job at Gizmos Galore?" Trish asked, bursting through the door in her usual manner.

This made Ally smile. "Hey, Trish. You have great timing, actually. Would you mind talking to me for a little bit?"

Trish seemed to pick up on Ally's sad vibe and immediately sat down on the couch next to her. "Sure thing, Ally-cat. Is it a boy problem?"

"Well, not really. But Austin came in today and asked me to help him write a song for his mom for Mother's Day. And I couldn't turn him down-"

"Uhh, yeah you could have! Ally, I know how hard Mother's Day is for you. Do you really think you could write a song about a mom? Especially a happy one?" Trish was rather blunt when it came to advice, which Ally usually appreciated. But today was different for some reason.

"I mean, I don't know. I've got to get over it eventually, right?"

Trish just shook her head. "I can't make you do anything, Alls. And I know how strong you are. But if you need to, y'know, not be strong, I'm always here for you."

The two girls hugged.

"Well, I should probably head back to work," Trish said, breaking the hug. "I didn't actually show up for my shift yet..."

Ally rolled her eyes and watched her friend leave.

She would help Austin write the song. She could handle it.

Ally was surprised when she heard a knock on the practice room door. No one she knew ever knocked. They usually had the tendency to simply burst into the room.

She was even more surprised when she opened it to reveal Dez.

"Dez, why did you knock?" Ally asked, looking at him strangely.

"Huh? Oh, no! I was killing a spider." He pointed to the spider guts on his side of the door. "Got it!"

"Oh...uh, thanks? So what's up, Dez?"

"I was actually thinking about Austin's next video and wanted your input. Do you know what your next song is going to be? Cause once I know the song, I can work out my ideas."

"Well actually, we haven't even started a new one."

Dez tilted his head in confusion. "Austin said you'd have one finished by this weekend. Or maybe he said something about bacon..." Dez shrugged.

Ally bit her lip, unsure of what to say. The truth won out. "We are starting a new song tomorrow, but it's for his mom. I don't know if he wants a video made for it," she said, hoping he'd get the hint and leave.

"Wait!" Dez said, and Ally watched as he began to space out. "Inspiration! Bye Ally!" And he rushed out the door.

Ally watched him go, thankful that the topic had been dropped.

It was going to be a long week.

A/N: Read & review! More to come!