“Morning, Rip,” Isabel said.

“What?”

“Rip. You know, Rip Van Winkle. Slept for 20 years…?”

“Oh…” Max’s voice trailed off. “Whatever.”

“Ouch. What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” Max shot back defensively.

“Okay, calm down, Max. What did you do, wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

Max took a deep breath and sighed.

“Never mind. Sorry,” he said.

“Well, I’m going to the mall right now, so I need the car.”

“Fine,” Max said, half-listening to what she was saying.

“Oh, and don’t plan on doing anything tonight. Not like YOU would, but, don’t.”

“Why?” Max said, ignoring his sister’s insult.

“Daddy just got promoted. He’s going to be a partner. So we’re all going out to celebrate. To that new place in town. Something Factory… Cheesecake Factory, I think. I don’t know. It’s supposed to be good.”

Max aimlessly opened the refrigerator, and didn’t answer Isabel.

“Max?” she asked, concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Max looked up at Isabel with dismal eyes. “Yeah,” he said sadly.

Isabel wasn’t sure what to do. Usually when Max got like this, it was best to not talk about it. “Okay. Well,” she said, checking the clock to avoid his eyes. “I better get going. Make sure you’re home by 5:30.”

A pause. “Right.”

“Bye, Max.”

Max nodded, closing the fridge. With a half-hearted wave, he went upstairs, leaving his sister puzzled at his behavior.

*****

Isabel knew her brother well. And she knew he wasn’t okay, despite whatever he said. She also knew what must be depressing him. None other than Liz Parker.

Isabel had verbally disapproved of Max’s relationship with Liz, just like Michael. She sometimes felt bad that they were so harsh on him. He truly did seem to share something with Liz.

But she and Michael had severely warned him about the jeopardy he was placing them all into. They knew it would work, because Max needed to feel like the protector; the peacemaker. Max wanted to keep them safe. So Michael and Isabel pushed their safety above all else.

And for a long time, things were going well -- Max hadn’t done anything with Liz; in fact, he barely spoke to her. It seemed as if everything was back to normal.

Or so Isabel thought.

She hadn’t really noticed how strained the communication between her and her brother had been until today. She had sensed it before, but she didn’t want to acknowledge the fact.

Isabel didn’t want to back down, and let Max be with Liz. She would look soft, and she despised being soft. Liz was really a threat to them, when Isabel thought about it. If Liz felt even half of what Max felt for her, they could be in a serious danger.

What bothered Isabel the most was that Max was supposed to be the responsible, level-headed one. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with someone, much less a human. He should be correcting what she and Michael did; not lose sight of what was at stake.