Fic: The Month Of Melancholy (1/1)
Title: The Month Of Melancholy (1/1)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: Jim Donovan, Robert Kennedy
Fandom: Bridge Of Spies (2015)
Genres: Drama, Historical
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: For Bridge Of Spies (2015)
Summary: The Kennedy brothers have a new mission for Jim.
Date Of Completion: June 14, 2022
Date Of Posting: 2022
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment do, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1275
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author's Note: Jim Donovan not only successfully negotiated the Rudolf Abel/Gary Powers swap with the Soviet Union in 1962, bur he also was the negotiator to free the Bay of Pigs prisoners from Castro that same year.
Foreshadowing
Our lives,
Are the clues
To what
Will be.
Rain,
Rain,
Go away,
You will have
Another day
To weep.
Elliot Chandler
"Sodden Poems"
1952 C.E.
Autumn in Washington was not like in the rest of the country: it was damp, dreary and dull. To the fair, it was the month of November, thought Jim Donovan as he headed to the Department of Justice building located on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was an impressive building completed in 1935 by Philadelphia architect Milton Bennett Medary.
Jim paused before entering the building. The sky was a leaden gray. He shivered as he turned the collar of his raincoat up. He privately called this the Month of Melancholy. A favorite uncle of his had died in this month when Jim was a child, and one of his closest friends had died during the war in November of 1943. He shook his head. Talk about Irish fatalism! He shrugged as he went up the steps.
It was quiet inside the lobby, but people were bustling around carrying out their business. There were plenty of that in this place. He went to the elevators and up to the proper floor. Walking down the hall, he found the door labeled Attorney General of the United States. He turned the knob and entered the reception area.
Bobby Kennedy popped his head out of the office. "Hey, Jim! Come on in!"
Jim nodded to the pretty secretary and went to join Bobby. He closed the door behind him. "Nice digs."
The office was spacious, befitting the Attorney General of the United States. The desk was cluttered with papers and pens. A triptych carried the pictures of Bobby's wife and children. Childish drawings were pinned to a bulletin board, and the window slowed a splendid view of the Washington Monument.
"Just toss your raincoat anywhere," Bobby said. He sat in his chair behind his desk and waved Jim to a chair in front. He was in shirtsleeves and loose tie, his reddish-brown hair looking as if restless fingers had run through it.
"So, everyone recovered from the events of last month?" Jim asked as he got comfortable in the chair.
"We got a few gray hairs out of that one," Bobby admitted.
"Well, let's just say that I was glad that Jack was in charge instead of the military."
"Amen to that."
Jim remembered the recent hair-raising events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The fear had been bone-deep. Nuclear war was the stuff of nightmares.
"So, why was I asked to come down to this lovely city on the banks of the Potomac?"
Bobby grinned. "We've got another job for you."
"Oh? More spies in Berlin? Maybe political maneuvering in Laos? Peace brokering in the Congo?"
"All noble endeavors, but not what the President is thinking about."
"I'm flattered by the trust the President has in me." Jim stretched his legs. "You know, when I met him at Harvard, he would've been lucky to have been Class President."
"What, Jack wasn't popular?"
"Very popular, but also lazy. Too much work to campaign."
Bobby laughed. "How times change."
"Tell me about it. When I caught up with him during the war, he was the skinny Skipper of a plywood coffin."
"While you were a brass hat."
"True." Jim smirked. "How times change." He crossed his legs. "You know, he still owes me a coat."
"If you weren't such a wuss you could've taken it back from those East German toughs."
"Oh, right, just me against the East German equivalent of the Sharks and Jets hanging out on the street corner."
"Sharks and Jets? That's New York."
"Okay, so it's the Murphys and O'Houlihans in Southie."
Bobby grinned. "Okay, now, let's get to it."
Jim waited in eager anticipation. What had the Kennedy brothers cooked up now?
Bobby tugged on his loose tie. "The Bay of Pigs weighs heavily, Jim."
Jim laced his fingers in his lap. "I know." The Bay of Pigs debacle had been the low point of the Kennedy Administration.
"The President wants the survivors out of Cuban prisons and back here in the United States."
Jim lifted an eyebrow. "Castro won't give them up easily."
"No doubt." Bobby pointed his finger at Jim. "That's why the President wants you to go to Havana and negotiate the prisoners' release."
Jim blew out his breath. "Huh."
"Do you think you can pull it off?"
"Damnit."
"I know."
Jim thought of all the challenges such a mission would entail. It would be a rough road.
"Of course, the biggest risk you take is those long-winded speeches of Castro's you'll have to sit through."
"Oof, I didn't think of that."
Bobby smirked. "Well, every mission has its risks."
Jim leaned forward. "So what's the President prepared to give up to get these guys?"
Bobby picked up a sheaf of papers from his desk and handed them to Jim. Jim scanned them and said, "I take it I shouldn't offer all of these at once."
"No, I'd say not."
Jim's mind was already working on the knotty problems he foresaw when Bobby leaned forward.
"I know this isn't an easy task, but Jack would really appreciate it."
Jim suspected Jack Kennedy carried around a lot of guilt for the Bay of Pigs fiasco even though it was mostly the fault of the CIA and military. Getting the survivors back would alleviate some of that guilt. He was being entrusted with an important mission indeed.
"You know, I was in that East German prison mere hours. I can't imagine being stuck in a Cuban prison for well over a year."
Bobby nodded.
Jim noticed that it had begun to rain. "November sure can be dreary. Thanksgiving is its only saving grace."
"Yeah, after the glory of October and the craziness of Halloween, November can be a drag. But there's always the elections."
"Spoken like a true politician." Jim glanced at the children's photographs. "You must be on the trick-or-treating circuit indefinitely with all your kids."
Bobby laughed. "So true." His smile wavered slightly. "After our recent showdown, I made sure to go out with the kids. Little things are even more important now."
Jim nodded. He folded the paper Bobby had given him.
"We'll give you more instructions and details, before you go," Bobby said.
"Okay."
"And just think, it'll be all tropical color and sunshine down in Cuba instead of leafless trees and November drizzle."
"Hey, that's right.," Jim stood. "You sure know how to sell it, Bobby."
Bobby stood, too. "For the guy who brokered the Rudolf Abel/Gary Powers switch in Berlin? We're the ones who are sold."
They shook hands and Jim said, "If I'm stuck down there over Thanksgiving, maybe I can find a skinny chicken for Thanksgiving dinner. You'll be at Hyannisport, I suppose?"
"Yep. The clan shall gather!"
Jim chuckled. "Oh, how some of the old New England Yankees must be appalled at the Irish overrunning the White House."
"Washington, too." Bobby waved around the office.
"Yes. Just watch your back, Bobby. Both you and Jack."
Bobby nodded. He put a hand on Jim's arm. "We trust you, Jim. Auld Sod, my friend."
"Auld Sod, my friend."
Bobby escorted Jim out, and Jim went down the elevator and walked through the lobby. He stepped out into a light, steady rain and shivered slightly.
Probably the mission won't be finished this Thanksgiving, but by the next year's holiday Jack and Bobby can celebrate the return of the prisoners.
Time to bring the soldiers home.
Jim Donovan walked down the street as cold November rain spattered the sidewalk.
Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1532481.html
This story can also be read on AO3.
This entry has been cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment on either entry as you wish. :)
This story can also be read on AO3.
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: Jim Donovan, Robert Kennedy
Fandom: Bridge Of Spies (2015)
Genres: Drama, Historical
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: For Bridge Of Spies (2015)
Summary: The Kennedy brothers have a new mission for Jim.
Date Of Completion: June 14, 2022
Date Of Posting: 2022
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment do, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1275
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author's Note: Jim Donovan not only successfully negotiated the Rudolf Abel/Gary Powers swap with the Soviet Union in 1962, bur he also was the negotiator to free the Bay of Pigs prisoners from Castro that same year.
Foreshadowing
Our lives,
Are the clues
To what
Will be.
Rain,
Rain,
Go away,
You will have
Another day
To weep.
Elliot Chandler
"Sodden Poems"
1952 C.E.
Autumn in Washington was not like in the rest of the country: it was damp, dreary and dull. To the fair, it was the month of November, thought Jim Donovan as he headed to the Department of Justice building located on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was an impressive building completed in 1935 by Philadelphia architect Milton Bennett Medary.
Jim paused before entering the building. The sky was a leaden gray. He shivered as he turned the collar of his raincoat up. He privately called this the Month of Melancholy. A favorite uncle of his had died in this month when Jim was a child, and one of his closest friends had died during the war in November of 1943. He shook his head. Talk about Irish fatalism! He shrugged as he went up the steps.
It was quiet inside the lobby, but people were bustling around carrying out their business. There were plenty of that in this place. He went to the elevators and up to the proper floor. Walking down the hall, he found the door labeled Attorney General of the United States. He turned the knob and entered the reception area.
Bobby Kennedy popped his head out of the office. "Hey, Jim! Come on in!"
Jim nodded to the pretty secretary and went to join Bobby. He closed the door behind him. "Nice digs."
The office was spacious, befitting the Attorney General of the United States. The desk was cluttered with papers and pens. A triptych carried the pictures of Bobby's wife and children. Childish drawings were pinned to a bulletin board, and the window slowed a splendid view of the Washington Monument.
"Just toss your raincoat anywhere," Bobby said. He sat in his chair behind his desk and waved Jim to a chair in front. He was in shirtsleeves and loose tie, his reddish-brown hair looking as if restless fingers had run through it.
"So, everyone recovered from the events of last month?" Jim asked as he got comfortable in the chair.
"We got a few gray hairs out of that one," Bobby admitted.
"Well, let's just say that I was glad that Jack was in charge instead of the military."
"Amen to that."
Jim remembered the recent hair-raising events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The fear had been bone-deep. Nuclear war was the stuff of nightmares.
"So, why was I asked to come down to this lovely city on the banks of the Potomac?"
Bobby grinned. "We've got another job for you."
"Oh? More spies in Berlin? Maybe political maneuvering in Laos? Peace brokering in the Congo?"
"All noble endeavors, but not what the President is thinking about."
"I'm flattered by the trust the President has in me." Jim stretched his legs. "You know, when I met him at Harvard, he would've been lucky to have been Class President."
"What, Jack wasn't popular?"
"Very popular, but also lazy. Too much work to campaign."
Bobby laughed. "How times change."
"Tell me about it. When I caught up with him during the war, he was the skinny Skipper of a plywood coffin."
"While you were a brass hat."
"True." Jim smirked. "How times change." He crossed his legs. "You know, he still owes me a coat."
"If you weren't such a wuss you could've taken it back from those East German toughs."
"Oh, right, just me against the East German equivalent of the Sharks and Jets hanging out on the street corner."
"Sharks and Jets? That's New York."
"Okay, so it's the Murphys and O'Houlihans in Southie."
Bobby grinned. "Okay, now, let's get to it."
Jim waited in eager anticipation. What had the Kennedy brothers cooked up now?
Bobby tugged on his loose tie. "The Bay of Pigs weighs heavily, Jim."
Jim laced his fingers in his lap. "I know." The Bay of Pigs debacle had been the low point of the Kennedy Administration.
"The President wants the survivors out of Cuban prisons and back here in the United States."
Jim lifted an eyebrow. "Castro won't give them up easily."
"No doubt." Bobby pointed his finger at Jim. "That's why the President wants you to go to Havana and negotiate the prisoners' release."
Jim blew out his breath. "Huh."
"Do you think you can pull it off?"
"Damnit."
"I know."
Jim thought of all the challenges such a mission would entail. It would be a rough road.
"Of course, the biggest risk you take is those long-winded speeches of Castro's you'll have to sit through."
"Oof, I didn't think of that."
Bobby smirked. "Well, every mission has its risks."
Jim leaned forward. "So what's the President prepared to give up to get these guys?"
Bobby picked up a sheaf of papers from his desk and handed them to Jim. Jim scanned them and said, "I take it I shouldn't offer all of these at once."
"No, I'd say not."
Jim's mind was already working on the knotty problems he foresaw when Bobby leaned forward.
"I know this isn't an easy task, but Jack would really appreciate it."
Jim suspected Jack Kennedy carried around a lot of guilt for the Bay of Pigs fiasco even though it was mostly the fault of the CIA and military. Getting the survivors back would alleviate some of that guilt. He was being entrusted with an important mission indeed.
"You know, I was in that East German prison mere hours. I can't imagine being stuck in a Cuban prison for well over a year."
Bobby nodded.
Jim noticed that it had begun to rain. "November sure can be dreary. Thanksgiving is its only saving grace."
"Yeah, after the glory of October and the craziness of Halloween, November can be a drag. But there's always the elections."
"Spoken like a true politician." Jim glanced at the children's photographs. "You must be on the trick-or-treating circuit indefinitely with all your kids."
Bobby laughed. "So true." His smile wavered slightly. "After our recent showdown, I made sure to go out with the kids. Little things are even more important now."
Jim nodded. He folded the paper Bobby had given him.
"We'll give you more instructions and details, before you go," Bobby said.
"Okay."
"And just think, it'll be all tropical color and sunshine down in Cuba instead of leafless trees and November drizzle."
"Hey, that's right.," Jim stood. "You sure know how to sell it, Bobby."
Bobby stood, too. "For the guy who brokered the Rudolf Abel/Gary Powers switch in Berlin? We're the ones who are sold."
They shook hands and Jim said, "If I'm stuck down there over Thanksgiving, maybe I can find a skinny chicken for Thanksgiving dinner. You'll be at Hyannisport, I suppose?"
"Yep. The clan shall gather!"
Jim chuckled. "Oh, how some of the old New England Yankees must be appalled at the Irish overrunning the White House."
"Washington, too." Bobby waved around the office.
"Yes. Just watch your back, Bobby. Both you and Jack."
Bobby nodded. He put a hand on Jim's arm. "We trust you, Jim. Auld Sod, my friend."
"Auld Sod, my friend."
Bobby escorted Jim out, and Jim went down the elevator and walked through the lobby. He stepped out into a light, steady rain and shivered slightly.
Probably the mission won't be finished this Thanksgiving, but by the next year's holiday Jack and Bobby can celebrate the return of the prisoners.
Time to bring the soldiers home.
Jim Donovan walked down the street as cold November rain spattered the sidewalk.
Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1532481.html
This story can also be read on AO3.
This entry has been cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment on either entry as you wish. :)
This story can also be read on AO3.