Autumn Wind

CLOTHING [ ]

ALIGNMENT [ ]

Shit. He'd been too distracted when he was grabbing his wallet to notice any of this. According to the app, Samantha was now literally eighteen. As in, she had regressed to eighteen. The person he knew was gone, replaced by the teenager next to him. He thought about how she'd been behaving for the last fifteen minutes and was struck by the sudden observation of how much a person changed in ten (nine?) years. He'd always known people change, but geeze, the difference was incredible. Then again, he figured the person he'd been at FUCKING THIRTEEN was a far shade different than he was now.

He shivered at the thought, intent on fixing this. He set the AGE to 27 YEARS / 247 DAYS, where it had been before, and selected everything else. Then a question popped up on the screen.

CHANGE OVER TIME?

Y/N

They were still on a date, and she'd explicitly asked him to have fun changing her. She'd forgive him for messing up, right? He looked over at her ass, which was nearing four inches wider than it had been before, and smiled. Yeah, she wouldn't mind. Considering what he'd recently come to know of her, she'd probably find it sexy.

He selected YES, and set her to age at the rate of one year a minute, discontinuing the changes he'd already made and setting them to reapply in fifteen minutes. She'd never opened up to him too much about her past; what she was in to or the kind of things she liked, so watching her go from eighteen to twenty-seven over the span of ten minutes was something he as excited to see.

After double-checking his options, he selected the large EXECUTE button that had appeared in the center of the screen. Then, everything changed. Apparently, five years was longer than he'd thought. He observed his girlfriend with a smile as the CLOTHES option came into effect.

Pink. There was so much pink.

-

Apparently, eighteen-year-old Samantha was a very girly girl. She wore a bright pink, sleeveless dress with a poofy skirt. The face of the small watch on her wrist had changed to the shape of a little red heart. Tiny white wedges sat on her feet, swinging energetically in anticipation of the movie. A white belt hugged her waist.

She turned to him, excited, and suddenly above his own eyeline. "You haven't seen this before, have you?"

He shook his head, no. Wow. He was having a difficult time connecting the Samantha he knew with the valley girl sitting next to him.

"Well, my parents would never have let me see this, so thanks for bringing me!"

"Of course." Ethan decided to play along.

Digging in her large, shiny pink bag, she continued. "My dad threw a fit when he found me with the book. He can be such a jerk sometimes, you know?" She found the gum she was looking for and ripped open a piece, which he accepted. A moment later, the theater darkened, and Samantha shushed him and slapped him softly on the arm repeatedly.

She was always beautiful, he thought with a smile. Maybe it was a bit of an overstep to see what she'd been like in the last ten years of her life, but he wasn't really intruding all that much. There wasn't much that he expected to be able to grasp from watching her age. Hopefully she felt the same way.

A flash from the screen interrupted his train of thought and he spent the next few seconds watching a trailer for a new remake of Alien done by David Fincher. It looked absolutely amazing, and he almost didn't realize the change that took place next to him.

Samantha's dress was gone, replaced by a comfortable-looking white tank top and jeans. This must be when she started college, he thought. Her hair was longer, too, draping casually over shoulders that showed a fair amount of muscle. During one of their raids online she'd mentioned she used to swim in college, but now that he got to see the added muscle he thought it was sexy as fuck. He could imagine her in a tight little one-piece, performing the butterfly and absolutely dominating in the water. Looking her up and down, he could see the changes that had taken place over the course of that year. There was less youthfulness in her cheeks, and he could see the faintest evidence of stress behind those timid freshman eyes. He imagined her laughing in classes, her hair all dried out and smelling of chlorine. She really was beautiful.

Then it was gone. Samantha was still held in rapture by the screen in front of them, but she looked totally different. Black hair kept in a short bob framed her pixie face, which looked tired. What was she, now? Twenty?

That made Ethan sad. Twenty-year-olds were never meant to show that level of wear. Pronounced muscles flexed under a loose, dark t-shirt. She must have continued swimming, and he bet the shorter hair had certainly helped in that endeavor.

He struggled to recall what she had been doing in her 20th year. She was a computer science major, he knew that much. But The girl sitting next to him now bore little resemblance to either the valley girl or the care-free freshman he'd just witnessed.

All of her clothing in general was looser, he realized. Loose-cut jeans covered her toned legs, probably chosen to do just that, and sneakers sat on her feet. He wondered what might have happened to her during her first year at college to cause such a dramatic shift in preferences and character.

But if that was alarming, he had no clue how to come to terms with what he saw next.

Samantha looked completely different. Purple hair hung all the way down her back, pooling lower even than the bottom of the red crop top she wore. It had a cut down the middle at the top, showing more breast than he'd seen all day. Abs, toned from swimming, were bare for all to see, and he could make out the tight little lines on either side of her core that led down under the rim of her pleated, black leather skirt.

She leaned on her elbow, resting her jaw on her hand. Her face was covered in 'fuck me' makeup; ruby-red lipstick and sharp eyeliner were accented by a nose ring he'd never noticed before.

Despite all of the sexy getup and makeup, she didn't radiate any sort of sensuality to him. Perhaps it was because he though he knew her as she was today, just the tip of what she had the potential to be, but all he felt when he looked at the person sitting next to him was sadness. Something had happened during those first few years away from home to turn the bright and energetic girl into the desperate person he saw sitting next to him. Desperate for what? He didn't know, but he could feel it.

Of course, that didn't last long. Within a minute she'd changed again. She kept her nose ring, but not much else was the same. Easily forty pounds heavier, she wore yoga pants and a sweatshirt with her university name on it. She was still beautiful, he thought, but she was broken. The skin on her face was dry, and her eyes bloodshot. Her hair was shorter, but unkempt. There was no makeup this time, just her. And she was a mess. He watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle that was definitely not filled with water and took a swig from it, grimacing at the taste of hard alcohol. Whatever had happened to Samantha, this is what she looked like when she was at her lowest.

She looked at him in between trailers and offered up a sad excuse for a smile. It was a smile that said, 'I know you're judging me, and I don't expect you to stay, so why don't you just go?' It was a smile that brought tears to Ethan's eyes.

And then she changed again. Ethan was glad the theater was both dark and pretty empty, as he was sure someone would have noticed his date changing right next to him. No, not his date. His girlfriend. And something more, he was certain. Regardless of what had happened in the past, he held deep emotions for this woman and wanted to help her. To take care of her.

It seemed that whatever had happened to Samantha at age 20, whatever had caused the difficulties she'd had, had finally become something she'd been able to overcome. She still dressed conservatively, but she was clean. Maybe she hadn't lost all of the weight she'd put on, but she'd definitely lost some. Her skin was cleaner, and she even wore some makeup. Healthy hair sat on her shoulders, resting upon a professional looking blazer. She wore black dress pants, and he thought she looked wonderful. But behind those eyes, he still saw pain.

But that's the thing about hurt people, he realized. They're just trying to get better, not become perfect. Samantha was who she needed to be at twenty-three, and that was okay. In fact, it was wonderful. Sure, he didn't see the same humor hidden in her expression, but he also didn't see the darkness that was just there, either. At least, not much. No. This was a Samantha who overcame the bad shit in her life. This was when Samantha started becoming the person he knew and... cared for.

He watched for the next few minutes as she continued to age. The nose ring was gone by twenty-five, and her added weight didn't even last half as long. Her clothes became more professional, and then more relaxed. Her hair went through several iterations of the same cut before settling, at twenty-seven, at the luscious hair he'd been dreaming of running his hands through all night. Weight settled on her body more as she aged, too, giving her breasts a much fuller appearance. He noticed that her butt had slimmed down tremendously as she'd lost weight. Maybe that's why she'd gotten frustrated when he'd made her ass larger, because it reminded her of the past.

And within ten minutes, Samantha was sitting right next to him all over again. Except he could never look at this Samantha the same way again.

She wasn't some genius who'd lucked upon a crazy good job. No, she was a hurt and pained individual who'd struggled, fought, and overcome to be where she is today, and when she smiled at him as the trailers ended, he shed a tear.

"What?" she asked, tenderly. "I didn't think the trailer was that sad."

All he could do was shake his head. "It's not the trailer."

"Then, wha—"

"It's you." Taking her face in his hand, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. They sat there for a small, but important moment, with his lips brushing her face, and her confusion painting her cheeks red with blush. The moment ended as quickly as it had begun, and she pulled away with a shy smile.

"You're too much." She frowned. "Wait, what movie are we in, again?"

"We're watching IT, remember? The crazy clown movie?"

"Really?" a pained expression fell over her face. "Crap."

Curious as to the sudden change, Ethan pushed. "Why?"

"Oh, I just... well, I just don't really like horror movies anymore."

"Anymore?"

She shrugged. "I used to be really in to them, but then I grew up. I went to college and realized that there are worse things than scary clowns," she said, gesturing toward the screen. "And then I decided I didn't need to artificially inflate the horror in my own life, so I stopped watching them."

"Huh." He didn't know what to say to that. He didn't think there was even a right answer that existed. "Well, I don't mind leaving early if you don't."

That caused her to perk up. "Really? Are you sure?"

He took her hand and stood. "Yes. Let's head back to your place. I think we can have some fun there." Samantha stared as he waved the tablet in front of her face before pocketing it.

"Fuck yes!" she squealed as she followed him out of the theater.

As she followed her friend—no! As she followed her boyfriend, she recalled all of the shit she'd gone through to get to this point of her life in order to be here with him. The relationships, the breakups, the heartbreak, the drugs and the alcohol, the times she was taken advantage of, all of it. Sure, it would never be worth it, but as she looked at the love in that man's eyes as he led her through the theater, she thought that maybe she could heal a little better now, seeing what the future had held in store for her after all this time.

And speaking of what the future held in store, she remembered the list of ideas she wanted to play with once she got home with Ethan. Boy, was he in for it.

In short order they were at the car and Ethan was holding her, looking up to meet her eyes.

"Wait, I thought I was shorter than you now?"

"What time is it?" he asked with a smirk.

Hesitantly, she held out her watch for him to check.

With a devious grin he replied, "Any second, now..."

And then her world got a whole lot bigger.

Her world... and her ass.

She reached around to grab at it, but her hands ran into her wider hips along the way. Holy fuck! What? Was she... she did the math as she held her hands up in front of her face.

"Is that six fucking inches, Ethan?"

All she wanted in the world was to be angry with him, but she simply couldn't. After joining him in a bout of laughter, she let him escort her to her door, open it for her, and help her inside. As he circled around the other side, she took the notepad back out of her purse.

The devilish grin she wore would have made a succubus proud as she began to brainstorm what to do to Ethan when they got home. Boy, was this gonna be fun!

-

The drive back to Samantha's house was quiet and uneventful, and was mostly spent holding hands. Ethan was caught up on deciding whether or not to share with Samantha what had transpired in the theater, since she obviously seemed to not be aware of it. Was it maybe better to just leave well enough alone?

All in all, what he decided was that what he'd seen didn't change his view of Samantha in any sort of negative way. If he were to tell her, she may become upset, or feel like he'd intentionally violated her privacy. It might not be the right decision, but it was one he could live with. And, he thought, one that can keep tonight going as fun as it had been.

Samantha, on the other hand, spent the ride preparing ideas for what to do once they got home. There were a few things she'd had running in the background on her computer that she wanted to check the progress of as well; things that could make this week all the more interesting.

As they pulled onto Samantha's street, Ethan asked, "Does it hurt at all? When you change?"

"No." Samantha had been expecting a question along these lines. "There's not much that you really feel. If there's an instant change, like when I shrunk seven inches in the parking lot and my giant fucking ass ballooned out behind me, yeah, I felt those changes." She paused as Ethan parked the car and snickered. "But the height change is more a sense of vertigo. When you made my butt bigger, though..."

"What?" Ethan stepped out of the car and went around to open the door up for her.

"Well, I have a great way to describe it, but it's kind of gross."

"Hit me." He took her hand and helped her out of the car, letting her walk in front of him to the doors. It was a lovely home, and far larger than his. He suspected the tour he'd gotten earlier had been truncated by their lack of time, and he looked forward to seeing what the second floor of her home was like. Primarily the bedrooms.

"You asked for it," laughing, she fiddled with her keys to open the door, "well, it's kind of like when you have a really big poop."

"What, because it's your butt?"

"No, smartass. Let me finish." The door opened, and Ethan thought he saw something blur across the floor, and he remembered her skittish cat. "It's like when there's a lot of pressure inside you, and then it releases. You instantly feel different, better, but you didn't really feel 'wrong' to begin with, you know? There's just a big ol' shift and then things settle, and you can feel it all, but it doesn't hurt. It's just... I don't know." She shrugged as she set down her purse and closed the door behind them. "It's a shift."

"That's... a really interesting way of putting it." Ethan shrugged off his coat and hung it by the door. There was a quiet moment as he looked at the room again.

They stood in a large, spacious living room. The floors were carpeted, and were left mostly open save for a large leather sofa and a media cabinet with a TV mounted above it. A yoga mat sat rolled up in the corner of the room, and a ceiling fan spun lazily above them.

"Make yourself at home." Samantha smiled as she took off her shoes, now even shorter than she was before.

"You're so damn cute." He held her in a tight hug, letting his hands slip down her back and rest just above her ass. She didn't remove them.

"And you..." she tapped his chest, "have to give me back my tablet now."

With the tablet in her hands she ran off into the house. "Bring your luggage in and meet me in my office!"

A lustful sigh escaped his lips as he watched his girlfriend's rear as she left the room. Taking a deep breath, Ethan went out to his car and grabbed the suitcase he'd packed. He didn't have much, just a couple changes of clothes, toiletries, and his camera and laptop. Hopefully he'd still be able to get some work done from home this week, even if he wasn't supposed to be on call for actual shoots.

After lugging his suitcase inside, Ethan took Samantha's advice and made himself at home, leaving his shoes at the shoe rack near the door. He didn't know where he was going to be staying, so he just opened the suitcase in the living room and grabbed his favorite shirt, a dark v-neck, and changed into it. Trusting that Samantha wasn't going to walk in on him, or at least wouldn't care if she did, he changed into a pair of joggers. He ran his toes through the carpet, admiring the feel of the soft material. Samantha certainly had a nice place, and he was excited to see the rest of it.

He zipped up his suitcase and walked down the hallway, trying to remember where her office was. The hallways were pretty clean, evidence that she'd only recently moved in, though a few photos and pictures lined the walls. Ethan took a second to whistle in admiration at a large, autographed portrait of Dan Marino in the hallway.

"I didn't know you were a Fins fan." He called out.

"Only since forever." Came the reply from the office. Using her voice to help triangulate the room's location, he was able to arrive quickly. He found her sitting at her desk, hunched over her computer and tearing away at the keyboard. Spreadsheets covered one monitor, while the other was filled with a loading screen that was sitting at 99%. Whatever she was rendering seemed to be nearly done.

She'd changed out of her dress and had apparently undone the different transformations he'd placed on her. A tight pair of blue yoga pants hugged at her now thinner hips, and she wore a comfortable zip up over a white spaghetti-strapped top.

"Took you long enough, Girlfriend." She didn't turn to look at him, but rather pointed at the small pill bottle she'd shown him before. "Take one."

"Uh, yeah. About that."

Samantha spun around in her seat, a look of worry on her face.

Ethan held his hands up. "Whoa! I'm still going to do this, I just need to know how these work, first."

The relief was instantaneous on Samantha's face. "Oh, yeah." She grabbed the bottle and tossed it to him before turning back to her computer. "The nanites only last for two weeks, as a security precaution, hence the larger bottle of pills. I have a few more permanent ones, but those are locked up. You can program saving points for them to revert you back to before they shut down, if you don't want to go back to your original body, and the saving points can only be saved by the individual. Is that enough for you?"

It answered the majority of his questions, but he was still a little nervous. "Will I feel anything? And how long does it take to start working?"

"Like, when can changes be implemented?"

"Yeah."

"Well, first, they don't hurt to take. You may feel a little lightheaded for a minute or two, but they get in the bloodstream pretty quick and spread all over. You'll have to take one of these, too." She haphazardly tossed another pill bottle over her shoulder, which he struggled to catch. "Those pills are basically 'food'. The nanites will multiply by themselves over time if they need to, using body fat or food you digest to do so, but charging them up with one of those pills helps to give them a really great head start."