Elseworld.  Silly.  Short.  That's all you need to know.
Disclaimer (well, you have to know _this_ too...): Marvel.


Another Day, Another Debate
by Northlight


        Charles Xavier rubbed at his smooth scalp with one hand, a nervous
gesture  carried over from the days when hair had crowned his head.  He
ignored the chortling of the man across from him, concentrating on the
cards held in his other hand.  He squinted at the squiggling figures and
wished that he'd snagged his glasses before heading out.


        "Seven, you said?" Charles finally said.  When his opponent nodded,
Charles triumphantly proclaimed "Go Fish!".  Satisfied, he grinned
toothily and settled back into his chair.  In days past, the chair had
been of the cheap wooden variety, but advancing years and ages had made
it necessary to invest in padding for them.  It was a comfort that Eric
had scoffed at, but Charles suspected that the man's behind appreciated
it as much as his own did.


        Eric grunted and pulled a card from the pile, adding it to the several
splayed between his fingers.  "I still say that your a damned fool,
Charles," he stated taking up the thread of conversation dropped during
their midday snack.


        It had been cheese and crackers, as it had been since the first day
that the young Charles had invited the newly arrived Eric home to play. 
It was a routine as familiar to both men as was their daily arguments
about everything from the proper fertilizer for their gardens to
discussions of the global economy.


        "We can't take over the government!" Charles protested in amiable
disagreement.  "You think to big, Eric.  The day will be won by small,
meaningful steps."


        Eric shook his head stubbornly, using his cards to fan himself.  Go
fish really wasn't his game, but they'd already exhausted Checkers and
Chess during their years meeting on his porch.  So they'd decided that
it was time to move on to something new.  


        "And you think to small!  A quick takeover would show the country that
we mean business!  Nobody can walk all over us."  Eric's eyes narrowed
into the expression that had been immortalized in the nightmares of
children foolish enough to attempt to snag any of his prized tomatoes.


        "You've been reading too many military books lately, haven't you?"
Charles asked with a tolerant sigh.  Eric always had been a big thinker,
ever since the day that he'd urged the other children in their
elementary school to strike until they received a longer recess.  The
students had loved him for it.  The teacher hadn't.


        Eric huffed.  "The government obviously doesn't care about our views on
this!  We've worked without complaint for years, we've earned the right
to a generous retirement fund!"


        Charles nodded.  "That's not what I'm disagreeing about.  What I'm
saying is that we can't change this by force."  The thought of Eric and
himself gathering older people throughout the country in order to storm
the Whitehouse brought a grin to his wrinkled face. 'Seniors of the
world - unite!'


        "You _never_ want to change anything by force!" Eric protested, with
what have been called a pout on any younger and less dignified
individual.  But Eric did not pout.  Not at all.  Despite the fact that
Charles never wanted to have any fun.


        "Talking makes more sense!"


        "But my way would make for a much better novel.  Maybe even a TV
movie..."  Eric chuckled when he saw the horrified look pass over his
friends face.  The greatest bane in Charles' recent life was the arrival
of the dreaded made for tv movie special.  It was an easy way to annoy
Charles, but Eric just couldn't find the strength to resist that
particular jab.


        "I knew that Creed fellow was a bad one from the start," Charles
responded rather than digging around through his vast catalogue of
Eric-dislikes for a retort.  He shook his head sadly.  "That boy's
cutting everything in sight..."


        "Hmp," Eric responded, glaring at his cards - which had been forgotten
up to that moment.  "President or not, he's a bloody jackass."


        "No argument here," Charles answered, following Eric's example and
turning back to his cards.  "My turn, is it?"  His brow furrowed in a
familiar look of deep thought.  "How about... roses."


        "Roses?" Eric repeated blankly.  "Roses?  You must be joking!  Why
waste time on roses when it's must more useful to grow tomatoes!"


        Charles nodded slightly.  Yes, that had indeed been a good choice for
the second half of today's daily debate.  "Roses are prettier."


        "And you're a fool!"


        "Hmp!"


~End~

http://www.geocities.com/~northlight/