The Beach
He felt the heat from the sun on his face, the rays beating down on him only to be replaced by the coolness of a breeze coming off the ocean. The smell of the water reached him and he breathed it in. He listened to the waves as they washed up on shore. He wiggled his toes in the sand, feeling each grain as it rubbed against his skin. Finally he opened his eyes.
He was standing on a beach somewhere. It was a beautiful sight—the water moving along, the sun above giving light to everything around him—but why was he here? How did he get here? What was going on?
His feet felt cold as the salt water washed up over them. He looked down and saw that a starfish had been washed up on the shore. He picked it up, looked it over a moment, and then tossed it back into the water. To his surprise another starfish came up on the shore. He stared at it a moment in confusion, picked it up, and threw it back in with the first one. Seconds passed and there was another starfish. He sighed and picked it up, looking it over. It was then he realized it was the same starfish.
"What the...?" Had he not thrown it far enough or something? He threw it again, this time watching it fly through the air and land in the water some distance away. There, that should keep it off the beach. He was wrong though, which he discovered less than a minute later.
Strange, he thought. He picked up the starfish once more and looked at it closely. It was just a normal starfish, nothing out of the ordinary. So then why...?
Knock it off Tim, something told him. Just enjoy the view.
But there was something, something important that he was missing.
He looked around trying to find some kind of sign or clue that would lead him to the answers he was looking for. The ocean was void of any boats or swimmers, there were no abandoned towels or other beach ware on the sand, not even a single footprint, with the exception of his own. There was no sign of life anywhere. He was completely alone.
That's weird, he thought. A beautiful day like this, there's bound to be tons of people here.
Under normal circumstances he would have been happy for the solitude. It would give him a chance to think, to delve deep into whatever he wanted, maybe get some writing done, but his gut was telling him that something was off. If there was one thing he'd learned from working with Gibbs it was to go with his gut. So, despite his desire to just enjoy the beauty around him and soak up some sun, he decided to go for a walk along the water. Maybe he'd find something that could help him out.
As he walked down the beach he took in his attire. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white v-neck shirt. He looked behind him, wondering if he'd left his shoes behind but he couldn't see them anywhere. He hoped he didn't need them. As much as he liked walking around without his shoes he might end up in a situation where the lack of protection on his feet would be a hindrance. Something else he'd picked up from his time at NCIS: be prepared for any situation.
After what seemed like a good hour of walking, Tim began to think that the beach was never going to end. He looked behind him again and realized that it looked just as empty and unending as what was in front of him. Maybe he should try walking away from the water. However as he started to step away from the ocean he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Something was wrong and it wasn't just the state he was in. He went to go for his gun but found that he didn't have it with him. The thought that he might be in a dangerous situation and he didn't have any means of protecting himself made his heart race.
It's okay Tim, just calm down. There's got to be a reasonable explanation for what's going on you just have to figure it out. You can do this.
Tim stood up to his full height, and, feeling like a little kid that was just dared to go into an old house his friends said was haunted, took a step away from the water. The feeling in his stomach didn't seem to let up but he ignored it, using what will power he had to keep going. The sand beneath him began to climb after a few feet and something inside of him screamed to stop, to turn around and go back to the water, but he didn't listen. In fact, the fear of what he might find in this direction made him all the more determined to go.
He reached the top of the dune and found a sea of green. Wind was blowing across the knee high grass and just like the beach there wasn't a person in sight. Tim turned to look back behind him. The dune he had just climbed wasn't all that big, which surprised him because he could have sworn it was. His heart was still pounding with the exertion of climbing, but his stomach didn't seem to be as bothersome as it was before.
Now that he had a better view of everything, Tim took in the ocean before him. The water seemed perfectly still, so much that Tim felt a chill down his spine. That wasn't right, it should be moving. Even if there was no wind at all, some kind of movement had to be there. But no, it was as still as a stationary glass of water.
He suddenly felt rather tired. He checked to make sure there were no immediate threats, and then, somewhat hesitantly, he curled up in the grass and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.