Not a prompt. An episode tag to wrap up Maureen's weirdness from last night. Apologies for OoC-ness.

Elizabeth took a deep breath in the doorway of her home. Just because this situation in Myanmar was as frustrating as it was disgusting didn't meant she could take it out on her family.

Steeling herself to face Maureen, she stepped through to the kitchen where she saw fewer McCords than she was expecting. Henry was leaning against the island, obviously waiting for her if the two glasses of wine were anything to go by.

"Hey… Where's…"

"She said that she was hungry out of the blue."

"Is she sick?"

"She seems… I don't know… off."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Babe, I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss here."

Elizabeth was struck suddenly that Henry wasn't used to letting his sister lean on him. Maureen was the older sister! She was the one who bossed everyone around. Henry's hazel eyes were lost and scared. Scared in a way that she hadn't seen before. Something was wrong with his big sister, and he needed someone else to make it better.

"I'll try, but you know that she probably won't talk to me."

She downed the glass of wine, kissed her husband on the cheek, and trudged up the stairs.

The guest room door was left open, and Elizabeth stood in front of it awkwardly. There was something about her sister-in-law that made her feel like she was Elizabeth Adams and needed to make a good impression all over again. She hated that. Pushing the feeling aside, she tiptoed through the doorway.

Maureen was sitting on the bed, facing the window on the other side of the room. Her shoulders shook gently. She sniffed loudly, then jumped, glancing quickly to either side.

"Maureen? Are you… okay?"

Maureen jumped up, swiping her eyes as she turned to face Elizabeth. "Just fine, Elizabeth. Good of you to make it this time."

Elizabeth ignored the slight and looked at the woman in front of her in the eyes. There was something there… something just out of her reach.

"No you're not."

Something in Elizabeth's assertion that something was wrong must have set Maureen off, and she crumbled, humiliatingly, in front of her. Elizabeth wasn't quite sure what to do, but being the big sister she was and the mother of McCord women, she did what felt natural… Even if that was wrapping her sister-in-law in a hug.

"I sinned." Maureen sobbed in Elizabeth's shoulder.

"Tell me what happened."

"I can't! I was so unhappy! I sinned! I can't…"

"Maureen?"

Henry's voice came from the doorway, startling both women, and Elizabeth let Maureen go to him before leaving the room.

An hour later, he came back to the kitchen, Elizabeth sitting on the island, waiting for him.

"She okay?"

"No… Elizabeth, she cheated on Tom."

Elizabeth nearly fell off the counter. "What? Why?"

He shook his head. "She said that she just wasn't happy. She wouldn't tell me why. She assured me that she's not staying with us much longer though."

Elizabeth waved off the last sentence. "She can stay for however long she needs to! Family first."