Disclaimer: all the characters still belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and the crew
In case you haven't read or don't remember from "Tone Poem: Stella":
A/N: "Tone Poem" is a song by Toyah, it's about dreams and I love to listen to it when I can't sleep because I'm upset, I find it very soothing. The titles of the chapters are also songs by Toyah.
A/N 2: I'd like to dedicate this one to my best friend, who cheers me up even when she's down herself.
His eyes scan the scenery, a quiet beach bathed in afternoon sunlight. He focuses on the woman who is digging in the sand. When he moves closer he realizes she's not digging something up. The wind is playing with her hair, twisting her curls. She brushes them aside as she looks up at him. He looks at the sandcastle she's building. The waves are coming dangerously close; the wall facing the water begins to crumble. She sees the expression on his face change and follows his gaze, noticing the damage. "That's okay, I can build another one," she says before getting up.
She looks at the waves building up ever again. She walks into the water, breaking the waves with her shins. She bends down, reaches for something, the sea seems to be reflecting the green of her eyes. "Look!" she holds out a shell to him. She smiles in childlike innocence, knows no pain, no fear. She steps out of the water, comes towards him, and hands him the shell, "Isn't it pretty?" He nods, pushing aside the thought what finding a shell means for the former inhabitant.
She still smiles when she takes his arm and leads him along the waterline. They continue walking in silence for a while. She takes both his hands and swings him around. She sees his eyes sadden. "What…?" she murmurs, follows his gaze again. Her footprints are being washed away by the waves. "Oh… but I can make new ones," and she does a little dance before him, "see?" His smile is tinged with sadness as he wonders how much longer she will be able to do that.
She continues her little dance, starts spinning around and tumbles to the ground, laughing. She gets up again and brushes over her arms, her front and her legs. Grains of sand trickle off her; he sees them ticking her life away like an hourglass.
She rises up, her hair glowing in the sun, her eyes sparkling with joy. She seems translucent, he wants to touch her, make sure she's still there. He reaches out, puts his hand on her arm, his fingers feel like they're moving through sand. He wants to hold her; the atoms of her body run through his hands like grains of sand, bounce off each other and fall to the ground, becoming indistinguishable.
He sinks down on his knees, stares at the pile of sand before him. The wind is whispering in his ears. She's in the wind, her hand gently ruffling his hair. He closes his eyes, can feel her touch in the sea breeze. He let's the sound of the waves carry him away, waves hitting the shore, the heartbeat of the world.