The Illusion of Happiness

[Drew Conner]

Moments in which Drew and Erika Conner (Bellefonte)  managed to find the time to spend together without any interference from their respective professions were growing rarer by the week.  With the dearth of holiday events, as well as the increased level of travel for both students and faculty at the Academy, Christmas always found Erika running herself ragged in an attempt to make the thousands of moving parts that made up Bellefonte work while appeasing every request she could.  Likewise, the winter brought little relief for Drew, who's fiscal year end reports would forever be a painful thorn in his side and a time waster with little equal.

And yet, through it all, here they were, sitting on a park bench while their bundled up, two year old son tromped around the snow covered playground.  Drew couldn't help the smile from taking the place of his usually ever present smirk as he watched Isaac trod through the snow with Argos, tail wagging madly, frolicking nearby.  It was a painfully simple scene.  For just a couple hours Erika and Drew didn't have to answer to their last names.  There were no reports, no academic schedules to approve, no worries or concerns.  They were simply Mister and Misses Conner and their son, Isaac, enjoying an early afternoon visit to the park.

"My assistant will have the end of year reports finished by the end of the week."  Drew said, though he didn't let that announcement linger in the air for very long.  He quickly finished his thought.  "Once they're finalized I told everyone I'm disappearing until the new year."  The smile crept into his gaze as he turned his dark eyes to his wife.  "Have you decided where we're going to spend Christmas this year?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika moved her gaze away from her son to look at her husband. Her brows furrowed for a moment before a smile formed over her lips. Issuing a chuckle, the telekinetic tilted her head. "My oh my, is the ever magnificent Drew Conner skipping his work duties? Someone call the Heavens above, because I think the world is ending!" she teased dramatically.

Yet, she couldn't quite help the appreciating smile that erupted. She'd been waiting for both of them to get some time away from it all. They sorely needed it between their busy personal and professional lives.

"Preferably somewhere far away from cellphone reception and responsibilities," she said with a smirk of her own. "Maybe join one of those African tribes that doesn't even have plumping. Who knows, maybe it could be a fun experience to use a bush as a toilet."

[Drew Conner]

A soft chuckle caught in Drew's throat at the quick-witted reply. He supposed given the way the previous year had gone he deserved the quip. Work, it seemed, had taken a priority and what felt like rising tension within the city between humans and mutants only added to the strain. Regardless, every time Drew got himself lost in his career or the duties to his kind he'd taken upon himself he found his way back to his family. They'd become the reason he had spent so much time in his office and pushing for equality and acceptance between mutants and humans. It was all in an effort to make a better life for them.

"Not quite." He said, his head shaking faintly as he continued watching the young boy chase around the golden retriever. "A promise is a promise, right?" One of Drew's hands went to his coat pocket while the other sought out Erika's. His fingers laced between hers as he spoke. "Anyway. Isaac's old enough now. I want to start taking him places."

The trademark smirk of Drew's had melted away under the warmth of his family, though at the mention of Africa and... bushes, it returned, mingling with the genuine smile that had overtaken his features moments before. "I was hoping for some place less... Africa." He replied, his eyes sliding over to regard Erika with no small amount of amusement gleaming in them. "There are plenty of places with running water and plumbing that don't have cell service."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The brunette turned to look at her husband once more; she didn't have to say anything. The appreciation was obvious in the way she looked at him. She loved the fact that she had married someone she could rely on. Their life wasn't perfect, but she couldn't complain. The love the three of them had for one another was stronger than anything else. "Yeah," she said, looking over at their son.

Laughing, Erika shrugged her shoulders. She vaguely remembered how much Drew had been against her going to Africa with her sister several years ago. "Ruin my fun, why don't you?" she grinned. "I'd love to see you going a long time without any signs of normal means - like a shower. Somehow I don't think you'd survive for long." She looked at him again and shrugged her shoulders innocently.

[Drew Conner]

Drew's gaze moved back to Erika as she spoke. He caught the mischievous smile adorning her features and, while he wanted to reply in kind and start a war of wits, as it were, he had little ammunition. It would have been a losing battle since Erika was right. Camping and 'roughing it' had never been part of the 'Conner Experience' growing up. Neither Drew or his sister had much in terms of 'survival' sense and if either of them had to go more than a day or so without their phones or access to a computer (if nothing else to check in on the office) they would probably end up going stir crazy.

"I can't argue with that." Drew said with a resigned shrug. But he was going to own the resignation. He cast Erika a bit of a smirk before looking back out over to where the two year old and the dog were romping about in the snow. "If mankind were meant to remain in the stone age they wouldn't have made hotels and vacation homes so comfortable and accommodating." He reasoned with a faint, stifled snicker. "Anyway. I don't consider not showering to be a benefit of any destination choice." His brow suddenly furrowed and he turned to look at Erika with an expression of genuine concern on his face. "You're not going to make me go camping, are you?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"You're such a snob," she laughed. He was partly right though. Erika was clearly more adapt to the lesser way of living, but that was only because she had an interest in it. She enjoyed hiking and camping. Always had. Drew hadn't gotten the same chances she had growing up, so she could hardly blame him for not wanting to spend his vacation in some third world country without plumping or hot water.

"Well.." she began, tilting her head and furrowing her brows as if she was considering it. Part of her was. "No, I won't," she finally added with a light chuckle. "I won't put you through that. I have my reserve husband for those kind of things," she quipped with a wink.

"Where do you want to go?"

[Drew Conner]

"You'll get no argument on that from me." Drew said with a curt nod. He'd simply never seen the appeal of sleeping outdoors or going days without such basic amenities and running water or plumbing. He supposed on some level he could understand why other people enjoyed it. Maybe. There may have been a beautiful simplicity to the 'less is more' mantra of planning vacations but Drew, in all honesty, was perfectly satisfied with turning his phone off for an evening and enjoying a drink in the quiet comfort of his own home. That had a roof. And toilets.

Drew let out a relieved exhale of breath at Erika's concession. She knew, had to know she would barely even have to bat her eyes and the Conners would be planning their first big outdoors adventure. He was thankful he wouldn't be subjected to such a misery but the question remained where would they go? The plan had already been set into motion. There was nothing on the planet that would keep him from seeing it through and taking his family somewhere they could experience together without any outside interference. "Hawaii has great hiking trails." He offered, glancing back to Erika to gauge her reaction. While Drew would hardly call his wife the 'outdoorsy' type he knew she enjoyed the freedom nature offered far more than he did. He remembered Las Vegas right before they got married how pleased and content she'd been when they hiked along the trails of the Grand Canyon. "Compromise?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Compromise," she repeated. See, this was made the two of them work so well together. They were extremly good at giving and taking - and sharing those two. Well, at least it was part of why they worked. They worked well together and usually saw eye to eye - and when they didn't, they managed to talk things through without things escelating too far. It wasn't a surprise that they worked together. They were similar and different enough that they had a lot in common, but made things interesting yet.

"I love you, you know," she said as she looked back at him, her expression serious, yet held a kind of warmth reserved only for him. "I love this-" she continued and gestured around them. She loved their life together and everything they had built. And most importantly, she loved their son.

[Drew Conner]

Drew nodded faintly at the word. In truth, Drew had rarely compromised at all in his life before he'd met Erika. He'd never seen the point nor had a reason to. He'd been raised as a Conner, someone who was meant to be unyielding in their pursuit of what they wanted on their own terms. Negotiating to get what he wanted was common, though not to the point where he would concede. When Erika came around that all changed. He stopped thinking so much about himself and started considering someone else's happiness. She made him want to compromise. Want to give everything he could to see her happy and safe. Isaac's birth had only cemented that stance.

His head tilted slightly as Erika grew serious. Drew hadn't been expecting the sudden outpouring of emotion though it was always welcome. The smirk that had been toying at his lips faded, melting into a genuinely warm, inviting smile. "I love you." He countered before taking a step closer so he could reach out and take her hand in his. "Just don't tell me you're ready to have another kid." He said, that smirk of his making brief appearance as he cast a short glance in Erika's directoin.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Tipping her head back and leaning against him, the brunette let out a bubbling laugh. "Don't worry about that for the time being," she promised him. "I'd rather not miss out on enjoying Isaac growing just yet." She wouldn't mind having another - or even two more children in the future, but she also wanted to enjoy and watch her son grow up. She wanted them to have a few more years of that before having to divide their attention further.

Besides, they also needed a less busy work life before they could take on any more responsibility than what they had and Erika didn't see either of their schedules clearing up any time soon. "One day though," she added and tossed Drew a sideways smirk.

[Drew Conner]

Drew nodded faintly as only the lure of watching his son happily romp around the snow covered park with Argos was enough to pull his gaze away from his wife. He and Erika were on the same page when it came to their family. It was large enough for the time being. He was in no hurry to add to the Conner clan just yet. Isaac was proving to be more than a handful for the both of them to juggle along with their respective careers. That wasn't to say he considered the child to be anything less than a godsend. He'd not experienced anything as trying and complicated as being a father and nothing even close to how rewarding the role had been.

Drew let out a low, obviously overly melodramatic groan as he caught Erika's gaze for a moment. He couldn't help the smirk from escaping again but it was quickly pushed back down in favor of the warm, adoring look he often gave Erika. "One day?" He said, a brow quirking. "If we want another can't we just adopt a twenty year old with his own apartment?" He pulled his attention from Erika to watch Isaac and Argos again. "Then all we have to worry about is complaining that he never calls his mom."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"You wish," she replied with a smirk. "Sorry baby, but this is a fight you won't even come close to winning." Of that, she was certain. Besides, she didn't really think he was being serious. She was tempted to further her point by pointing out that you couldn't adopt someone above the age of eighteen, but he already knew that so she didn't really see a point as to why she should have to.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Erika patted the seat next to her and let her eyes wander over to their son and their dog; To think she had been so skeptical of that hairy little thing when she'd first bought him for Drew - and now he'd become a part of the family. A huge and important part and she could easily admit that she loved him dearly.

"So, Hawaii?"

[Drew Conner]

"Can't blame me for trying." Drew replied with a resigned shrug of his shoulders. He moved along after Erika, not needing much of a prompt to sit beside her. He sat close, his arm slipping around her shoulders and drawing her into him. The entire morning had carried with it such a beautiful simplicity. If only moments like these weren't so rare. He supposed it all had to do with growing up and taking on certain responsibilities.

Another nod came as a response to Erika's question. It seemed an almost cliche place to spend the holidays but, at least on the surface, it worked. Few places combined the peaceful qualities of nature with modern amenities quite like Hawaii. It also remained one of the few locations Drew hadn't gotten much of a chance to fully explore and experience. Vacations had rarely been on the docket growing up or before he'd gotten married. That hadn't changed once he'd taken charge of the family company and certainly not after Isaac had been born. He wasn't sure the last time he'd taken a moment for himself and he wouldn't complain one bit about it. "I know how much you like hiking." He pointed out. "And you know how much I like sleeping in an actual bed without bugs crawling all over me." He chuckled softly. "We can do both there and..." He hesitated just a moment before continuing his thought. "I'll let you control my phone."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

She was skeptic. That much she ought to admit to herself. Their lives had gotten so hectic and Drew had more than his hands full. And here he was. Ready to offer up his free time AND his phone? "Well," she began, pursing her lips. "That sounds fine and dandy and all, but forgive me for not trusting it until I see it," she added with a light hearted chuckle.

The telekinetic's eyes moved towards their son once more and Erika sighed. "Although, I think he's the one who both need and deserves this break the most." With both their busy careers, Isaac was left with his godparents and other family more often than what Erika would have liked.

[Drew Conner]

Drew understood the stakes. He knew the deal in which he offered and, in a way, knew it would be a far more difficult task than the amused response his wife gave would indicate. Drew's phone was his lifeline, his connection to the chaotic world around him. To freely offer to essentially give up access to it for any length of time was a daunting thought, to say the least. Nevertheless, it remained one he knew was necessary for the sake of his family. It as much to easy for Drew to lose himself in his work. Drastic measures needed to be taken.

Drew gave a slow nod as Erika spoke. It was a stark reminder of what was important, of why they both drove themselves crazy. It wasn't about them anymore. It wasn't about anything other than the bundled up, two year old boy who was reaching out to grab hold of the golden retriever he was playing with. "Do you think we're doing it right?" Drew asked, his eyes gleaming brightly as he watched Isaac romp and play with Argos. Money was never going to be a problem with the Conners. Their son would never want for anything in his life. Even then Drew knew all too well there was so much more to being a parent than that. He turned, glancing toward Erika for a brief moment before lowering his gaze. "Is it bad that I'm worried I'll turn into my parents?"