a chuisle mo chroí ♡ JFK ✔️

𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈; 𝐌𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧 ☘️

The whole world exhaled a breath of relief when both the US and the Soviet Union removed their corresponding missiles from Turkey and Cuba respectively.

It happened barely two days after Alice and Jack reconciled, so she was there to witness it first hand. The missile crisis was no more. It had been a terrible ordeal. But, in retrospect, they had gained each other again thanks to it.

The will to live and not miss any moment had affected them to the point that they could barely spend a minute without each other.

When Alice managed to arrange and balance her college hours with work hours, she was able to return to the White House.

The only option was part-time, naturally. But she gained a new title; Chief of Presidential Proceedings. It was similar to what she did before, but the title gave her even more access, more visibility, and therefore more reputation. In charge of setting up some meetings, speeches, events, and diplomatic forums, Alice enjoyed every minute of it. She still acted as his assistant no matter what, though.

Another one of her jobs was still picking out interns. The candidates that year did not impress her very much either, but at least one of them made up for it.

Matthew Dubois. A twenty-five year old from New Orleans who'd just gotten his Juris Doctor and needed high-pressure experience to shape him into the indomitable man he wished to be.

Charlie and Alice welcomed him into the White House one day in November, the month Alice was finally able to return. But it was up to Charlie, who had been an intern before, to show him the ropes.

Apparently, some people found Matthew's presence a surprise, from the looks he received.

"I guess I'm the first black intern here," Matthew commented when he noticed them too.

"It's not that, you're just a lot more handsome than Charlie here," Alice joked.

Matthew burst in laughter, which only escalated when he saw Charlie's expression.

"Damn! And I thought you seemed like a quiet one," Matthew told Alice, who smirked sideways and shrugged.

"I'm full of surprises."

"As you can see, Alice isn't going to give you a hard time at all, Matthew," Charlie said with irony, still pretending to be hurt by her joke.

"Please, call me Matt. I don't like the fact that my name ends in 'ew'."

Alice chuckled, knowing she was going to get along with him.

After leaving Matt to fend for himself for a while, Alice had dingo on her way, but Charlie seemed to first have something to say to her.

"Hey, Alice. Can you stay back for a minute?"

"Sure! What's up?"

Charlie looked over his shoulder and from side to side.

"It's just... I think that you're gonna be needing this back."

He reached inside his pocket, then revealed what was in his hand.

Alice gasped.

"My Claddagh?! How did you-wait, how much do you know?" Her face went pale waiting for him to answer.

"I was there that day. Your last day in the White House."

Alice leaned closer to him, not wanting any words to fall in other ears.

"Did you hear what Jack and I were talking about?"

"Some of it. I left before I could hear more, it was none of my business. But then I saw you run out and throw something into the lawn. Figured I had to retrieve it, just in case."