Her eyes opened unwillingly, she tried to shut them in hope to sleep the day off, but there was no convincing her mind to fall back asleep. She sighed as she looked up at the photo frame by her bedside. It was a photo of her at two years old standing on the porch railing with her arms around her mother's neck as her mother's arms wrapped themselves protectively around her. It was one of her favourite photos.

"Happy Mother's Day Mom" she said tearfully as she reached out to touch the frame with her fingers. Tears began to roll involuntarily down her cheeks. Despite how many years go by, there are a few days in the year when she felt that it was only yesterday that she had lost her mother.

She imagined that the rest of her friend's/colleagues would be spending the day with their respective maternal figures. She knew Derek had flown to Chicago on Friday to visit with his Mom, and though he had invited her, she refused. It didn't feel right to be spending the day with someone else's mother so she told Derek what she told them every year, that she already had plans. It was very rare for her to have dark days, they came few and far between in the year, and each of them was related to her mother. For the most part she got away with no one knowing about them, as she always made sure she wasn't in the office for those days, as Derek, Emily and JJ could read her well and would know in a heartbeat that something was off.

"Has anyone heard from her at all this weekend?" Derek asked as he conference called to Emily, JJ and Reid.

"Nope," they chorused. The four of them had been discussing Penelope's hibernation mode when it near Mother related occasion. Through the last couple of years, as they have gotten to know how to read her better, it had become more prominent regardless how quick she was to brush it off. Derek thought that by inviting her to Chicago with him, she at least would not be alone. Even when the invitation had come from his mother, she apologetically declined,

"Do we know what it is she does?"

"Knowing Pen, sleep, the insomniac induces sleep as a coping mechanism." Emily answered. Emily had discovered the anniversary of Penelope's mother's death by accident when they came home from a case and she didn't realise that Pen had requested for time off on the same days every year. She had let herself in with her key worriedly when Pen didn't answer her phone calls or the door. She found Pen dead asleep in her bed, all the blinds closed and curtains drawn. When Penelope awoke that evening to find a worried Em on her couch, she had explained the significance of the day and that somehow her body manages to shut down on specific days of the year. Emily filed it in her mind for future days, ever since then she had figured out which dates were Mom related by her friend's behaviour.

"When are you all getting back from your celebrations?" Derek asked.

"After lunch," was the consensus.

"Me too, what do you guys say we met at Pen's at 2? We can take her to her Mom's grave if she's up for it and maybe hang at hers for dinner?"

"Sounds good Morgan, that's a great idea. See you this afternoon."

Penelope who had finally showered and dressed in her favourite pair of jeans, paint splattered and holes to match, a t-shirt and one of Morgan's hooded jumpers that she had long since claimed as hers, sat on her couch trying to determine what she felt like watching when her thought process was interrupted by a knock on her door. As she peaked from her peep hole she chuckled to see Derek, Emily, JJ and Reid standing outside her door with what looked like the largest Pizza known to man.

"What are you insane people doing here?" she asked, though she could guess.

"What? We just thought we'd come over, hang, watch a couple of movies. Are you going to turn away friends baring Pizza and DVD's?" Derek said as he held up the pizza and Em held up the DVD's.

"Would I do that? Come on in." she said ushering them in smiling. Derek pulled her into his arms,

"You know you don't have to go through these things alone? This is what friends are for?" he murmured into her shoulder.

"I know, I've just done this on my own for so long that it's second nature. You guys didn't have to cut your plans short with your family on my account." She replied softly.

"Hush, we are with family." JJ said as she passed them on her way to the couch. Penelope laughed.

"Point taken."