Part 24

Various assortments of pictures lay spread out on the Whitman's kitchen table. They were all of either Liz or Alex. Maria and Michael sat around the table sifting through them.

"So, what's this about?" Michael asked Maria as she critically looked over two pictures he had held up.

Waving aside on of them, she answered. "It's like a two page spread for the school book. You know just memories and things they loved." Maria told him.

"But the yearbook committee doesn't need anything until the end of next month." Michael pointed out, perplexed.

Maria sighed as she played with one of the pictures, not meeting his eyes. "I guess…I guess this is more to help me." Maria replied quietly.

Michael reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing them gently. Maria looked at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I guess I just need something to keep me occupied, something that will keep my mind of…you know."

Michael got up and came and sat down next to her. He hugged her gently, and kissed her. "I know I don't listen to you too often and when I do I can be a real ass…"Michael paused when Maria chuckled weakly. "But, I am here for you. Whenever you need me just say the word and I'm there. I want to help you through this Maria."

He stopped and looked her in the eyes, eyes that were looking at him with gratitude and relief. "I want to be there for you…"Michael finished softly.

Maria took his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly but lingeringly. "Thank you." She finally said.

Michael smiled crookedly back at her and went back to his seat but still held her hand over the table.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

"Where is it?" Maria grumbled in frustration as she searched frantically for the picture. "I know I took it out, where is it?"

"Relax Deluca!" Michael told her. "We'll find it."

"We have to. It's the best picture of Liz and Alex together. I need it, it's the main picture." Maria sighed as she dropped unwanted pictures of the table and onto the floor. "Mrs. Whitman will kill me when she sees this mess." She said to herself.

She tugged at her hair, agitated. "It's here, I know it. Why can't I find it!" she yelled.

Michael laid a calming hand on her shoulder. "Breathe Maria. Sniff some oil or something." He coaxed. "Look, maybe you left it back in Alex's room. I'll look for it here and you go look for it's there. It will turn up."

Maria nodded, taking deep breathes to relax herself. Frustration would not help her. She headed to Alex's room and quickly flipped through the pictures she had left behind on his desk. She was halfway through the stack when a book caught her eye.

She put down the pictures and hesitantly picked up the book. She ran her hand over the blue cover.

Robert Frost.

She sat down on his desk chair and stared at the book for a few seconds. Something important tugged at her memory but she couldn't pinpoint what.

**Flash**

"Hope you remember this."

** End flash**

Maria shook her head. She opened the marked page slowly, glancing at the Beth Orton concert tickets which Liz had been so sure were clues. She read the poem which had been Alex's favorite and which Liz had read that day at his wake, convinced that it meant something.

"…The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep."

She furrowed her eyebrows, perplexed as she read it to herself. Something seemed off about this. Why did it seem important?

**Flash**

"…But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep…"

** End flash**

Maria closed her eyes as she had a vivid image of Alex sitting next to her at the Crash Down reciting the last verse. She opened them slowly and looked back down at the book still in her hands. She glanced at the tickets before gently placing them back from where she found them. She closed the book and placed it back on the table. She shrugged away the images as she began to search for the picture again.

Just me going crazy. She told herself as she finally found what she was looking for.

But as she headed back to Michael, she paused to look once back into his room and glanced curiously at the book again.

Could it be…? Maria began to wonder but then smiled ruefully as she closed Alex's door and headed back to the table. Of course not. Alex and Liz died in accidents, not alien related deaths…right?