It had taken a lot of reading to figure out what she had done. Luckily, the books were on the shorter side. Real page-turners, too! And it wasn’t as if she had anything better to do with her time.

She’d been mistaken with her initial assessment. While it was true that she had based the original idea off of a book characters magic cost, the actual weaves she had used had been based off the properties of another characters armor... in the same books. Less Harry Dresden, more Michael carpenter. At least, in the material properties sense. If one wanted to be horribly silly, you could have said it was like Harry and Michael had given birth to a baby... In her mind.

The end result, however you wanted to look at it, was simple. Clothing with the properties of both Kevlar and ceramic plating, with a little stain guard thrown in. And maybe some water resistance, like PTFE. Try as she might, Amelia had not been able to make a successful Teflon coating weave for her clothes. Water resistance was the best she’d achieved. And, of course, replicating weaves she had already created in the past. She’d even focused on extra properties like fire and electrical resistance! Cool stuff.

Amelia had worked on it from when they’d first talked about it, until 2-3 weeks later (or maybe a month?). That was when she had finally deemed the thing she had made for Sam yo be worthy. Workable. Functioning. She had run some quick tests. Maintained it.

There had been a metric ton of experimentation involved. A lot of late nights spent working, studying. The end result was a black Leather jacket with a blue x across the chest, split down the center by a zipper. On the back, there was a big yellow awesome face. No words. Just that. She’d felt it a very Sam emoji. Amelia wrapped it in red and blue tissue paper, then put it in a cardboard box underneath a package of doublestuf creme-filled sandwich cookies.

Amelia trundled over to the men’s dorms and knocked on Sams door. She got the big deja vu, and hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything. Didn’t he have a girlfriend now?

“Hello? Pizza delivery.” She said.

Sam’s neck cracked when he turned his head, was he getting old… he did just age ten years. Sam closed his computer just after finishing another installment of ‘the life and times of Sam’. There was nothing major to report other than his recent run in with Private Dancer and finding out his girlfriend never listened to him when it came to her safety. Typical.

Sam pushed himself up hoping it was pizza. He didn’t order it but he could always eat pizza… or bacon. His stomach growled loud enough to cause Bruno to tilt his head to his side. Sam waved at Bruno and the dog lay back down. It took a minute for Sam to recognize her voice by that time he was already opening the door. ”Really hope you got pizza girl. If not stick around and we will order some come on in.” he said as he waved her into his room he realized he was still shirtless.

Sam never really hung out with Ami, until he was deaged that was. Now they were friends and that was something else he was happy about when it came to Deaging. The icemancer had more friends in the mansion now than he did before, was his younger self more likeable? Didn’t matter. Sam was Sam.

Sam walked into his closet and grabbed a classic rock t-shirt and threw it on. By that time Bruno was greeting the newcomer with a tail wag, ”What’s going on? Finally ready for a some sessions?” he asked as he brought his hands up into a guard.

When he opened the door, he was shirtless. For some reason, Amelia found her cheeks reddening slightly. Weird. Because as a rule, she was supposed to think he wasn’t ripped or hot. Yet, there he was. Both. Amelia smirked and laughed and played it off with good humor. Underneath that, she was thinking what the ffff?

“Pizza sounds good.” She said lightly. “I don’t have that. I do have Oreos.”

She stepped into his room, balancing her armload of stuff.

She set the box and the cookies on his bed while he dressed himself, and didn’t glance at his back. Pointedly.

What was up with her lately? At the party and elsewhere. Un-Amilike behavior. And flashes of insight from things she shouldn’t have known. Amelia chalked it up to her slow crawl towards insanity, and left it alone for the minute.

He returned and asked if she wanted some sessions. Some training sessions? “Oh. Think I might be banned from those for sneaking me and other people in to train... but maybe you could use one. To test out your present.”

She held the cardboard pizza box up to him. The one with the jacket.

After he had opened it, she explained. “I promised you I’d try to make you one. Finally busted my butt and figured out what to do. Either I’m getting stronger, or else the power was inside me all along and I’m Dumbo. But I got it to let me make more than one of the thingies.” The bulletproof thingies. From before. Did he remember? And wait.

Amelia stares at him. “When Did you lose an eye?”

Wait. Had other things changed as well?

No pizza. Damn. Mentally he was already calling but Oreos did sound pretty good right now. He noticed he as more into sweets before the degage. Maybe he was just enjoying more now that he was back and not taking everything for granted.

”You sneaking people in?” Sam asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. ”Do I need to ask more?” he asked rhetorically hoping it wasn’t that bad of a situation. ”You can’t be banned when I’m in there.” Sam smirked looking at the not-a-pizza box.

”Oh? Did I miss a important date?” he asked wondering if he should have gotten her something. There was no mention of dates in his recordings Sam did doubt how accurate they were frequently.

Sam smirked as he took the box and opened it. His stomach growled in response wishing it was pizza. What was there was in his opinion, not his stomachs way cooler than pizza. It was a jacket. A good looking jacket.

Removing the jacket from the pizza box he slipped it on with a grin. Badass. Shifting his weight around in the jacket he raised his arms up and threw a few jabs in the air testing out his range of motion in the thing. Better than most jackets he was pretty satisfied.

”Welcome back.” he teased pointing at his patched eye. ”I got older again.” he turned his back towards her and flexed in the jacket. ”Nice fit. How much do I owe you. Time and material?” he asked smirking.

He smirked. And she felt like maybe she should have been using it for something more mischievous and fun than sneaking Evelyn in to train? Hm?

Amelia shrugged. “It was just me and Eve.” She said. “To train.”

He asked if the present were for something important and she shook her head. Didn’t explain.

She smirked as he put it on and threw a few fake punches. Goofball. Noticed the eye. Called him on it. And he told her welcome back. Like, “thanks for joining us. For those just tuning in...”

She didn’t roll her eyes or anything. She should have noticed it first thing. She just stood there and listened. And was amazed. So amazed she didn’t even really acknowledge the money question. “So. You can just... REage? Grow up. Like... for some people, it isn’t PERMANENT?”

Here she was, living like it was. Making choices. Starting relationships. Living life.

She put a hand to her head, and shook off the thought. “Sorry. Just. Hadn’t really thought this would eventually wear off. Yeah. First one is free. My brother had an old leather jacket he never uses, and he’s about your size. Just bring it back to me if it gets shot. I guess there’s some sort of maintenance required for keeping clothing bulletproof.”

The icemancer laughed, ”Who banned you?” Sam bet it was Mirror. He had good reasons to not let her train however as long as there were safety precautions he didn’t see what the issue was. It wasn’t like Ami didn’t know how to keep an eye on her. ”I bring Eve in there all the time. She’s my favorite student, might be a bit biased though. I did just adopt her.” he said not really thinking what he said was odd. Then again he still hasn’t found a way to tell her yet, talk about an awkward conversation.

Sam shrugged, ”Not for everyone it seems, or we wouldn’t be wondering what happened to my eye huh?” he asked rhetorically with a big grin. ”I was hit with an aerosol version apparently I don’t really remember it at all but I’m glad I’m older. Was hard owning a bar and drinking again, illegally I might add.”

”Hoooly $hit….” he started to laugh again, ”Bullet proof?” he started examining the material, ”No way! Gonna have to test this out now!” he said before noticing her reaction to the re-age.

”Listen, even if does wear off you are still you right?” younger sure but still the same. It’s what he had to keep telling himself.

“Who banned you?” Sam asked

Amelia smirked and pantomimed zipping her lips. She was no narc.

An eyebrow arched at his admission. “You adopted her? Wow. Suddenly, you’re a dad.” She said. Well. Maybe not suddenly. Maybe he had kids elsewhere? Ones he did not know about? Weird thought. But there it was.

The whole deAging thing was still distracting her. Not for everyone? He sounded so smug but it was her life she was talking about. And the chance she wouldn’t have to relive it from her awkward teenage years on.

She stopped focusing for a second and when she tuned back in. He was talking about aerosol. And um different delivery methods?

“But I think i— wasn’t there aerosol involved?” She murmured. There had been a broken needle tip too. But... it wasn’t as if she could remember everything leading up to the main event. And Serena has been mum.

She held her head, got her mind clear. Mentioned the jacket and it’s properties. Sam was impressed.

He asked about the reaging thing, and Amelia frowned. “Yeah.” She said. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. It’s just... a lot to think about. Yeah. You go test that thing out.” She said, rising from the bed. “Be careful. Multiple hits might wear down the protections. Or they might not. I’m still experimenting.” Because that is great for ones confidence in an items defensive qualities. Being told you’re basically a guinea pig for the product.

“Let me know how it works out. I think I’m gonna—“ Amelia stepped out of the room after a quick ‘gotta go’ gesture. She left the Oreos. No pizza party for Amelia and Sam. Kind of too bad, it got derailed by drama. But... there was a lot suddenly on her mind.

Amelia went back to her room to practice her power, and plot. And figure out what the possibility of change meant to her. She called her brother to bounce ideas off of him. About what she could do, if and when... and about what he knew about the WHOLE thing. Because of how you got deaged affected if you became normal again or not...

”That I know of.” Sam said laughing more to himself than to her. It was a very real fear he had that his younger self had gotten a little too care free with some poor woman. The last thing he needed was someone showing up in a few months or worse a few years when the kid was already grown. ”That make her the second one actually. Alex was the first, he’s in college right now.” Sam said trying not to thin about the situation that made Sam want to adopt Alex.

”Got it.” Sam said eyeing his reflection. Even for a used jacket it seemed to look good on him. Then again most things looked good on him. He flexed a few more times making sure there wouldn’t be any tears if he moved one way or another quickly.

Before he could turn and say thank you again she was gone, she must have had somewhere to be.

-----

Some would say he had different priorities, others would call him an idiot for stopping for Pizza. The bullet wound on his shoulder was still fresh seeing as he removed the bullet shortly after it was lodged in him. Wishing for it to go all the way through and not getting lucky with it he managed to make it back to the mansion in one piece, the only piece missing from him was the bullet. As he touched down in front of the mansion he looked to the pizza delivery guy who arrived right on time.

With labored movements on one side he paid the man ignored the blood that started dripping again and walked inside. Either the jacket’s magic had worn off or this was a special kind of bullet either way he figured he’d go see his magic tailor.

Ice formed on his shoulder to stop the bleeding, bruises covered the rest of the chest where the bullets had hit luckily for Sam there aim was off other wise he’d have a few bruises on his face as well.

Knocking on Ami’s door with pizza and the Oreo’s she left when she first gifted him the no longer bullet-proof jacket. ”Yo, Ami! Sam. Got pizza.” he tried to sound casual despite the pain from knocking.

‘Man. Sam has kids’, she thought after she’d left. Long after. That was just, whoo.

—

~Several days later~

She was groggy. It had been a long night, and she was still tired. A long night of working and practice. What she really wanted was to go back to sleep after she’d first opened her eyes. But—

Knock knock knock. Someone was at the door.
Amelia sighed. Hard. Rubbed the sleep from the corners of her eyes, and stumbled over to the door like a zombie.

The door opened. Amelia stared at Sam. With pizza. And Oreos. Only then, did she realize she hadn’t really done much to get dressed that morning. And he was right there.

Oh, she was decent. Clothed, even. The big white button up she had worn as a sleep shirt was man’s size, and covered her down to the tops of her legs. Sort of like a short skirt. The main problem was, she was not wearing any pants. Which meant when she opened the door, her first response wasn’t a greeting. Or to invite him in. No. It was to go “Oh crap!” Eyes wide. And shut the door in his face.

“Be back in a minute!” Amelia shouted, through the door.

A minute later, she opened the door again. This time, in black sweatpants in addition to the button up with the rolled up sleeves.

“Uh. Hi, Sam.” Amelia said, uncertainly. “Why are you at my house?”

She looked older than the last time he had seen her. And she had not seemed to notice, yet.

The door opened his eye fixed on her face; she was older than when she had given him his jacket. His lone eye followed her up and down and he realized she wasn’t wearing pants. Sam was about to say something then the door slammed in his face. ”Right…” he turned and waited till the door opened again.

”Uh Hi, Ami.” Sam repeated back and then raised his good arm with the pizza and Oreos balanced in it. ”To eat pizza and ***** to a friend” he said smirking as he walked into her place without being invited in. He wasn’t a vampire, he was a friend. Unless she had a similar issue with her memory like he did when he got older.

”Congrats on growing up.” he said nodding to her face. ”Was worried it was permanent for you, how you feeling?”

Again, like a zombie she sort of just stood there as he slipped into her room and said a lot of things. A lot of things that made very little sense.

He didn’t comment about why he was at Her House. Or why he had pizza. Just that he HAD pizza, and wanted to eat it and... and what to a friend? Her mind had skipped over that word like a bad record with a scratch. He mentioned growing up, and permanence... and asked how she was feeling.

The door clicked shut, Amelia pressing it closed gently. She used the moment to focus on the wood of the door, close her eyes and focus on what she recalled of events in the last few days.

What she remembered, was— foggy. Not total memory loss. If pressed, she probably could have pointed to some of the people she had met and things she had done. Unfortunately, most of it had the odd effect of feeling distant. Like it had happened years and years ago. Which would probably be bad, if there were someone important or something important in there, in that mad mix of memories up in there, up in there. Her head.

Amelia leaned forward and pressed her head against the cool wood of the door. Then, she spun and smiled at Sam. It was a half smile. A half hearted smile.

“I should kiss you. That’s the best news I’ve had all day.”

She wouldn’t. But she should. It just seemed appropriate. The person she had been had been VERY upset over the whole deAging thing and whether or not she would ever return to having been... her... and... Whoah boy, this could get confusing if she started exchanging notes with past self and previous self.

She opened her mouth to say more, maybe to explain how she didn’t remember everything up until that morning as well as she might have liked. About how happy she was to be her again, to be an adult. How exciting it was. But she noticed the blood dripping, and realized

“holy shit you’ve been shot.”

”Should you?” he asked giving her a little smirk. ”I mean we got close but not that close. Cora might have something to say to you if you kissed I think.” Sam gave a slightly laugh then stopped his new wound hurting with his shoulder movement.

”Yeah…” he looked to his shoulder and did a one armed shrug the ice still covering the wound. ”it be like that sometimes.” he said moving the oreo’s off the pizza box. His good hand grabbed a slice of pizza before he realized he was bleeding.

”Might have something to do with a gift you gave me.” he took a bite reformed the ice over the wound to slow the bleeding again. It wasn’t the first time he was shot and in his mind it was probably one of the ones that hurt the less. ”You’ve might have over sold the bullet proof jacket, so maybe change the name to bullet resistant?” he smirked.

Sam smirked, and teased her about her phrasing of the old standby, ‘I could kiss you’. The one usually uttered in old movies upon receiving good news. Amelia pointedly did not roll her eyes. Not physically, at least. Such an act would have given his comment a reaction, and it didn’t deserve that. Didn’t deserve the weight. Besides, there were better things to think about than witty rejoinders and jealous girlfriends... Like Sam’s wound, for instance.

Amelia couldn’t help but notice the injury, now that she was actually looking at him, and not thinking about pants or other stuff. It had started to bleed again. The evidence had seeped through the shirt. He’d bandaged it with ice. “Bandaged.” But then physical discomfort was making him move oddly, and gave her her another clue.

Sam did not deny the claim. Yeah, he was shot. He grabbed a slice of pizza, and tried to play it off as if it weren’t such a big deal. Though his words had a bite to them equivalent to the one that had taken a chunk out of the slice of pizza pie. She winced.

Gift? She’d given him a gift? Bulletproof? Bullet resistant? The words took a moment to really sink in.

“Wait... younger me... made you a jacket? Younger me was able to make more than one enhanced thing??” Her Mind was a little bit blown. As such, she started speaking faster and with more passion as she went on. “As far as I’ve been able to judge, I was only able to make one. Had to tear apart the weaves on my straitjacket to make my hoodie. Unless I tore apart my hoodie to make your jacket??”

Amelia quickly ran to her closet and found a green Carhart hoodie hanging there. Without preamble, she tore it off the metal hanger, bent the hanger into a point, and tried to stab the hoodie like a crazy woman. The metal hanger bent, attack turned aside as if by armor. She looked at Sam. The weave itself seemed fine, at least for this one... though with further examination, maybe she would find something different.

“Can i please see this ineffective jacket? Maybe there’s enough weave left over that I could figure out what I’d done... unless I took detailed notes?”

There was a thought, and in her passionate and scatterbrained state, she glanced around for a notepad. Somewhere. If there was one, it seemed it was not sitting out.

”She did.” he agreed with his mouth full of hot pizza. He exhaled and let out a little steam. His powers activating made the pizza seem way hotter than it was. ”Don’t know how many she made but she made this one.” He didn’t get the details when she gave it to him other than it was a cool looking jacket with a resistance to damage. ”Could have?” he said taking another bite of the pizza still not giving it any time to cool down.

”It was a gift Ami, I better get it back.” he said with a smirk closing his mouth and chewing as he removed the jacket one side slower than the other. The red covered ice encasing the wound now a more apparent than it was when he was wearing the jacket.

”I told you to take notes, hopefully your younger self listened.” Sam smirked. He didn’t tell her what to take notes on, but just in case she ‘re-aged’ like he did. Or lose/gain memories like he did.

Her younger self had, then. And he didn’t know how many she made, or any of that. Great.

So she could have torn apart her best thing to make Sam something else. Something that apparently did not work.

She watched as he removed the jacket and gave it to her. He was injured. The feat probably hurt. Still, he did it.

Amelia sighed and repressed the urge to snag a slice of pizza to eat while she examined the coat.

“Well, younger me seems hasty and fallible. Let’s hope she took good advice when she heard it! Knowing me, though...” Amelia trailed off and let Sam finish the thought himself.

Now she would have to hunt for a note book. Hunt hunt hunt. Joy.

Amelia set the jacket down, and examined it. There was something, some way she sensed weaves on her objects. Some little trick she had never defined. It was partly related to how she could sense through touch the things her controlled objects of clothing were touching even if she wasn’t touching them, herself. Or it might have been. There really wasn’t a way to define it. It was not as if she could “see” the weaves, but also. She could see the weaves. Whatever. The point was, she could see faint remnants of the weaves now.

“Huh. Lesse.” She grabbed the nearest pointy thing from her bedside table. It was a Bobby pin. Amelia jammed it into the jacket with violence and no warning. The pin bent, and broke. The jacket was fine. Maybe mildly dimpled from where the pin had struck. But that would bounce back. Leather was resilient if maintained.

“Weeeeird. What it seems like to me, is that most of the weaves are still there.” She rambled. “But they’ve aged, as if I had not maintained them for a very long time. Usually it’s a monthly thing. And there are two weaves on each item, but it seems like the bullet resistance wore off faster than the knife resistance... I can’t really explain that. Maybe wear and tear broke down the wards of one faster than the other? Tell me, do you get shot often? Take it for a danger room test drive perhaps? Or how long ago did I give you this crap?”

She snagged a slice of pizza and started rooting in drawers as she ate. The jacket, she sat down on the bed.