When Ellen entered Julie's place she found Xander back in his human look, and similarly to Alastor, there were no outward signs of him being in heat. It seemed the disguises hide that too.

"I'm not sick am I?"

Ellen gave him a resigned smile. "No, but I'll explain it when we're in the car. You packed?"

He nodded.

"You want to put it in the car? I want a quick word with Julie."

"I assume you don't want me listening in."

"I promise I'll explain."

He didn't seem convinced but he gave her a nod wishing a farewell to Julie before grabbing a bag that she honestly didn't know where he got, or what he would have packed in it, and headed out. Once the door was closed Julie practically jumped her.

"Okay what the heck is going on? Is this something I need to worry about?"

Ellen chuckled at her rushed questions. "No you're fine."

"So why can't I go?" She crossed her arms giving her a stern glare. "You keep doing things without me."

"The boys are in a rut."

Her face twisted. "What?"

Ellen turned to the door with a smirk on her face. "Google it Julie, it has to do with the deer part of their demon form."

She didn't even make it out the door before she heard Julie, who had likely already looked it up.

"No fuckin' way! They have a mating season?" She laughed. "Yeah you're right, I think I'll stay. I want no part of that. Good fuckin luck."

Ellen just shook her head as she shut the door behind her. Luck has nothing to do with it.

Her stomach started to churn her breakfast in an uncomfortable manner as she remembered the approaching conversation she was stuck having to start.

The first twenty minutes of the drive was uncomfortable neither really wanting to address the elephant in the room… or car.

She stopped by her place to find a bag already packed in her room, likely Alastor's doing. She grabbed some camping equipment and with a hasty and vague explanation to her parents, they two were back on the road.

She waited until they were on the highway before she finally worked up the nerve to start.

"So this is a natural part of having more animal traits as a partial demon."

"This isn't a 'birds and bees' talk is it?"

Ellen pressed her lips together silently cursing Alastor for making her have this discussion.

"Not exactly," she sighed. "So you know that animals have mating seasons, yes? Carrying some deer traits means you, and Alastor partake in ruts."

She spared a glance at him seated beside her only to find a look of horror on his face.

"I'm going to have to fuck a deer?!"

"No! No, no," she snickered. "You'll just be a bit out of sorts for a week. Your antlers will grow, don't know about them getting velvety."

She tried to think back to the rut she shared with Alastor. She couldn't seem to remember seeing it.

"You may run warmer than usual and as you've already discovered, your sense of smell is a bit more sensitive."

"Wait, why isn't Alastor having this talk with me? Wouldn't he know best?"

"Yeah... You'd be correct. He's just not great at discussing these kinds of…topics? But I have gone through one as well so I do understand a little bit."

"What? You're human."

"Your dad marked me as his mate last season, which put me in…uh… heat as well."

Xander shook his head, hands covering his ears. "Okay ew gross. I think I'm good."

"Just be careful with your claws, don't want to mark anyone by mistake."

"Why the heck am I going with you? I am not spending a week with you and dad to be stuck listening to you guys… mating." He grimaced at the thought.

Ellen didn't have an answer aside from the fact it was probably best they be away from civilization. It would give them both a chance to be in their natural form without having to worry about being seen and it may be more comfortable in a deer's habitat.

"That's something you'll have to ask your dad," she concluded.

Xander slouched further into his seat, arms crossed his chest. "This is going to be a dreadful week," he grumbled. "I hate it already."

She wasn't too sure she was going to be thrilled about the week either, but she would do what she could to make it bearable for them all. How she was going to accomplish that, she had no idea, but hopefully things would work themselves out. At least she knew Xander had already had the birds and bees talk though. Small wins?

…

It was a three and a half hour drive to get far enough to be on crown land. Then there was hiking. Of course the car could only take them so far, and in order to make sure no one would stumble across them, they needed to be well off any trail, bushwhacking as far as they could into the wild.

It had been a long time since Ellen had gone camping, but it was something she knew well. Everything from living off whatever you had in your rucksack to full on glamping. She had made improvised shelters a few times and in all seasons. She was no 'Bear Grylls' but she was pretty confident in her wilderness skills.

As the light started to fade Ellen finally started looking for a place to set up camp. It wasn't too difficult; she just needed large enough gaps in the trees to be able to set up the tent.

Once she was content she set to work setting up a nice campsite. Tent was first, and while there was daylight she sent Xander to go look for kindling, wood and stones for a fire. Once the tent was set she moved to set up a latrine (a fairly big hole in the ground with a tarp set up for some privacy.)

By the time she was finished Xander had finished and she had his help setting up a large tarp for extra shelter should it rain. By the time they were finished the last corner the sun had set, darkness coating the land.

She started on the fire, her fingers now getting cold as the temperature had started dropping from the lack of sun.

She let out a contented sigh when it roared to life, the soft crackling filling the otherwise quiet night.

"Alright, I'll admit it. It's pretty nice out here."

She watched as he shed his human look, antlers extended upwards with a few spiky tines. Nothing like Alastor's though she had never thought they would be the same. Xander was still young, his rack would never match his dads. It may never get to that point seeing as he wasn't a full demon.

She smiled at him as he leaned back, getting comfortable on the stump he had found.

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "Meh. A bit restless and my antlers are a bit itchy but not bad I guess. Still kinda warm though."

Ellen chuckled, pulling her hands into her sleeves to help keep them warm. "Lucky you."

Xander took notice and stood, moving to sit beside her, huddling in close to share his excess heat. "You're freezing."

She grinned despite the cold. "Yeah that's normal for me. I swear I need a permanent heat lamp attached to me."

It was something she had forgotten about until she returned to the land of the living. Hell was warm, her constant chill never seemed to appear, but here? It was an unhappy reminder of a small inconvenience. Fingers and toes were almost perpetually cold, not enough to be painful, just never never warm.

A small pang of disappointment flit through her at the thought of how warm Alastor's skin would be especially now in his rut. He would probably welcome her little toesicles to help with the heat.

He laughed, pulling his jacket off and wrapping it around her. When she looked like she was going to protest he silenced her. "I'm already over heated, I really don't need it."

She grumbled under her breath about being a mom and making sure her kid is dressed properly, but with a huff she relented, murmuring her thanks.

He watched the fire letting the dancing flames clear his thoughts, though there were still a few things that seemed to remain. He did his best to research deer and their mating season, at least until his cell lost signal. There were still a lot of things he didn't really understand and he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. Was it normal to be nervous about it? His mom had seemed so calm talking about it so maybe that meant it wasn't a big deal. For a moment he wondered what would have happened if he was still with Dolion. Would he have known what to do? He shook the thoughts. At least someone knew what was going on, even if it wasn't the best source… He turned to look at Ellen who also seemed to be starting at the dancing flames.

"Mom? Is it going to be a problem that I'm here too?"

It took a few blinks for her to pull back from her thoughts. "Sorry, what?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well I mean bucks tend to fight for the attention of a…doe and I obviously have no interest with..umm." He swallowed uncomfortably, maybe he should just wait to see what would happen. He was probably overthinking this, but he really wanted to know, be as prepared as he could be.

He closed his eyes before rushing the rest in a single breath. "Dad's not going to fight me for you right?"

She stared at him, her mind being pulled in a bunch of different directions at once. She was not expecting that kind of question. Surely not, there was no way she would ever.. She shuddered at the thought. But he did get a bit more possessive when she mentioned Xander. On the other hand, he was the one that suggested bringing Xander along.

"I…I don't know," she said honestly.

Xander quickly turned back to the fire. "I'm not…I mean you're not…I… I know you're not mated. You smell…funny."

She sat up straighter. "Wait what? What do you mean I'm not mated?" Her face crinkled up. Did she need to be marked every season? She knew deer didn't mate for life, but the thought of not being Alastor's mate made her stomach hurt. Was he actually going to fight-

"Wait, what do you mean I smell funny?"

Despite the darkness she could see the pink colour filling his cheeks.

"I don't know you just…your scent is different." As an after thought he quickly added in a panicked cadence. "I don't think it's good or anything I just…fuck! Why does this have to be so weird?" His head fell into his hands with a groan.

Ellen smiled, being able to relate. She wrapped an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "I get it, don't worry. It's still kinda weird and new to me too. We'll figure it out."

"Why can't I just be normal?"

Ellen's shoulder fell. "You are normal, just…not here. Once you get to Hell you'll blend right in, there are a lot of other sinners that have more difficult forms to deal with."

"I'll still be weird." He pulled his knees up. "I'm not a sinner, I didn't die and I'm half human. You said so yourself, I'm not supposed to exist, so where do you put someone that doesn't belong?"

Her gaze turned back to the fire, a gentle smile on her lips. "You know… I didn't belong in Hell, but I still made a home for myself there. Yeah it was probably a bit more difficult for me than everyone else, I was probably the weakest and most insignificant person there and I couldn't just whip up a disguise. Everyone got to see me and boy did they stare," she laughed. "But even though I didn't belong, I was an outcast, I still miss it."

She turned back to Xander giving him an encouraging smile.

"Dad said you saved his skin and took on the king and queen of hell. I don't think anyone saw you as weak."

She raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh, did he now?"

"Yeah and that you rallied half of hell to fight for you."

She chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I didn't rally anyone, I didn't even know I had a little fan group until they just showed up to protect me, and you."

"Me?"

"Mhmm. It was a few months before you were born. They saved my butt though." She chuckled recalling the memory. "Alastor was so angry, and rightfully so." She paused for a moment, taking a few breaths before her thoughts continued. "You don't need to worry Xander. No one is really normal anyway. Life would be quite boring if everyone was the same. So be weird."

He laughed, nodding his head lightly, a smile pulling to his face. "I can't believe you took out the king of hell; the devil himself with a frying pan."

Ellen sat up, a shocked gasp escaping the crooked grin on her face. "Alastor did not tell you that…"

Xander just nodded and Ellen sputtered a bit before explaining herself. "It was an accident, he snuck up on me and I panicked!"

"Okay, but a frying pan?"

"It's what I had on hand. Clearly it was a good choice."

The two snickered, falling back into silence. As the fire started dying Ellen pushed to her feet, handing Xander his jacket back.

"I think it's late enough so I'm off to bed. Make sure the fire is completely out before you leave it."

"Will do."

She turned heading for the tent already knowing this week was not going to be great for sleep, and it would have absolutely nothing to do with horny deers.

…

Ellen was surprised she slept relatively well, likely due to the hike to get to where they were, but she was grateful nonetheless. It wasn't until she started to stir that she was reminded why she had stopped camping like this. With a groan she sat up, her right hip and shoulder aching from being on the hard, cold ground for so long.

She found Xander by the fire, the soft sounds of sizzling and crackling drawing her in. The two finished off the trail mix for breakfast, laughing and sharing stories finally feeling like family. It was probably well into the morning, maybe mid afternoon when Xander decided he was going to go for a walk, explore the area.

She thought about heeding a warning about getting lost, but quickly realized it wouldn't be a problem. He'd find his way back, following scents.

With the camp to herself and many hours of daylight, Ellen decided she would do her best at making it comfortable and functional for the week.

With a happy tune stuck in her head she started waltzing around the site happy to have some time to herself.

After a while she was drawn to a stop when she heard a scratching noise. Spinning on her heels she bit back a laugh finding Alastor, head bent at an odd angle rubbing his antlers against a tree nearby.

"Well good morning," she called out. The sound startled him still for a second before he straightened and turned to her.

He looked in rough shape, though she wasn't really surprised. As usual for the season, the red pinstripe coat was nowhere to be found, sleeves rolled up and tie gone. He even had the top few buttons of his shirt undone.

His permanent grin lifted higher at the sight of her and he quickly started closing the gap between the two.

"A good morning indeed if I am graced with your presence."

Her smile turned shy, the forest floor now holding her attention. How was it, he could always make her a flustered mess with simply his words.

In almost a blink he had his arms wrapped around her middle, head resting next to hers taking a deep inhale.

"My darling why don't we-"

He stopped abruptly, head pulling back and a deep growl ripping from his chest. His fingers tighten harshly on her hips, claws leaving indents even through all of her layers.

"Where is he," he ground out.

Ellen tried to turn but the grip only tightened causing her to wince. She let out a huff of annoyance trying to pull herself from the boarding painful grip.

"He's out there somewhere."

The grip tightened even more, a whimper of pain leaving her lips. She had always joked about him being jealous and possessive, even more so during their shared rut, but this felt unsettling.

She didn't hear what he mumbled under his breath but whatever it was she knew it wasn't good. He let go suddenly ready to storm off only being pulled to a stop by her hard grip on his wrist.

"You're going to leave him be, Alastor."

Call it what you want, a mother's intuition, a gut feeling, a hunch, but she knew he was going out to cause harm, and she would not allow that.

"What?!"

He turned, eyes black, his rational seeming to have become lost. Her grip tightened even more knowing it was likely the only thing keeping him from shifting into shadows.

She let her features soften, a stark contrast to the vice-like grip of his wrist.

"He is your son; our child, not a suitor." She lowered her voice a bit more. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm yours Alastor, for all of eternity."

Her gentle tone seemed to have worked past whatever had been plaguing his mind, eyes slowly blinking back to red. He cleared his throat, gaze pulling away in shame, ears twitching low on his head.

"Yes, of course. It seems I got a bit heated finding his scent on you."

Ellen wasn't sure if telling him that Xander had been looking after in his absence would help or hinder the moment that still felt precariously on edge. Maybe it's best she didn't.

Instead she silently watched him uncharacteristically shifting from foot to foot uncomfortable. His gaze moved to his hand and when she saw a spark of surprise she followed his eyes.

She still had a deathly grip on his wrist, but upon seeing a light trail of scarlet dripping down his claws she gasped. It was hard to miss, the red against the blackened colour of his hands that faded as it went up his arm. A flash of horror passed her eyes and she let go like she had been burned. She knew she was gripping hard, but she didn't intend to break skin. How did she not notice?

Her eyes shot up to his face, panicked. Her hands started shaking, an apology already tumbling out of her mouth.

"Alastor, I-I don't know- I was just- I'm so sorry."

His eyes remained on the cut for a few more seconds before a chuckle rose from his chest.

"No harm done my dear. It's quite delightful how protective you are of our little fawn."

Despite the words being drawled in a calm almost humorous manner, she could see through the facade. He was rattled, he was just trying to force his way through it.

She swallowed past the guilt knowing a gentle touch was likely what he needed to calm down. Grabbing his hand softly, observing the marks on his wrist had already healed over, she pulled him closer.

He only took one step closer before he met her soft eyes.

"I do believe it be best we keep some distance. Perhaps like we did last time, light touches, small affections. Just enough to brave the storm so to speak."

She gave him a weak smile. "We both know that won't be enough."

"Then I mark you as mine, put ease to the urges."

The hopeful tone and smile had her pull away, a pained look crossing her face. She knew how it must look, rejecting the thought, and like the glutton for pain she was, she met his gaze, only confirming her thoughts.

It's not that she didn't want to, that it wouldn't make the week so much easier for the two of them heck maybe even Xander. They were out in the middle of nowhere and if something were to happen, having three muddled and hazy heads wouldn't do any good.

"Not out here. I-I can't." She knew no amount of soft and pleading eyes would ease that rejection. "Someone needs to keep a clear head."

She had expected him to retort even if it were half hearted, but he made no comment. It brought her shoulder down in light disappointment. It only meant he thought she was correct.

"Then I keep my distance," he concluded.

"That won't do anything."

His hand gently caressed her cheek causing her to lean into his touch. "It will keep you from harm."

Before she could argue, he slipped into shadows leaving her on her own again, the air suddenly feeling more chilly with his absence.

With a defeated sigh she turned back to take a look at the site, taking in what she had done. After a few minutes she went back to work though the songs she was humming and singing weren't as upbeat and jovial as before, the mood having shifted. This was going to be a long week.

AN: Hey all, Not gonna lie, I haven't had a lot of motivation in writing even though I have a lot of chapters in the works. I may be in a bit of a writer block and I'm catching up to what I have written so I may be a bit delayed in posting next week. (we'll see how this week goes) That being said, I'll see you all Thursday!