"Don, come home."

"I messed everything up. I'm not the man you think I am." Don said sadly.

"Don, listen to me." Peggy said with urgency. "What did you ever do that was so bad?"

Don took a deep breath and sighed. "I broke all my vows. I scandalized my child. I took another man's name and made...nothing of it."

"That's not true." Peggy said emphatically.

"I only called because I...realized that I never said goodbye to you." Don said, his voice steeped in emotion.

Peggy grew alarmed at the desperation in Don's voice. "I don't think you should be alone right now."

"I'm in a crowd." Don said quickly. "I just wanted to hear your voice. I'll see you soon."

"Wait!" Peggy exclaimed. There was no response, but she could still hear Don's labored breathing on the line. After a few moments of silence, Don sighed. "What, Peggy?" he asked wearily.

Peggy sighed with relief. "Don, you need to listen to me. I don't know what is going on in that head of yours, but you have a lot of people here who care about you...Roger, Meredith your kids and me just to name a few. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you."

Don scoffed, "And where is that? Stuck being a mid-level cog at McCann?"

"It's really not that bad. I'm just going to use this place to make a name for myself and then who knows? Maybe I'll start my own agency. Anyway, the point is you have a life here in New York that is waiting for you, and there are many people who have been worried sick about you ever since you left. So you need to get in your car and come home!"

Don sighed, "I can't do that Peggy."

"Why not?"

Don laughed bitterly, "Because I gave my car away to some kid. I can't leave."

Peggy rolled her eyes at the absurdity of Don's situation. "Where are you?"

"Some retreat center on the coast, several hours north of LA."

Peggy sighed, "I'll find you."

"What?" Don exclaimed, "No, Peggy that's ridiculous. You don't need to do that. I'll be fine."

"Don, I'm bringing you home and that's final! Stay where you are and don't do anything stupid. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Don was silent on the other end of the line as he became overcome with emotion again. "Peggy..." Don said hoarsely, "I..." Don's voice broke and he couldn't finish his thought. Peggy knew he was falling apart once more.

"I know, Don." Peggy said softly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I love you too."

Several minutes later, after calling directory assistance to locate Don's whereabouts, Peggy was scrambling around her office so that she could go to the airport. As she was covering up her typewriter, she looked up and saw Stan standing in her doorway.

"Leaving early? I hope you realize that tidying up your office is the universal sign that you are done for the day."

"I have to go to the airport."

Stan furrowed his brow in confusion. "What's going on?"

"I just got off the phone with Don."

"Are you kidding? Where the hell is he?"

"California, some retreat center. Have you ever heard of Big Sur?"

"Sure. It's between San Francisco and Los Angeles...near Monterey. Why do you need to go there."

"Because Don needs help. I'm really worried about him."

"Come on." Stan said dismissively. "He always does this and he always comes back. He's a survivor, he's going to be okay."

Peggy shook her head vehemently. "You didn't hear him. He wasn't making any sense. I'm really worried he's going to do something stupid."

Stan stepped closer to Peggy and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You've got to let him go. It doesn't mean you stop caring about him."

Peggy's eyes filled with tears. "I can't do that. He's a part of me. I can't explain it, but he's like family. He's in trouble, I can feel it, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him and I could've prevented it."

Stan sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. "Okay. Grab your things. Let's get you home so you can pack and then I'll take you to the airport."

Peggy shot him a grateful look and smiled. "Thank you Stan."

"I'm sorry I said those shitty things to you the other day. I don't believe them. I was just being a bitch." Peggy said in the car on the way to the LaGuardia.

"Yes, you were." Stan said lightly, and Peggy laughed.

"I don't know what I bring out in you when we're face to face, but it's not good. We are much better over the phone."

Peggy grimaced, "That's probably true."

"If I knew what was good for me, I would I would stay away from you altogether, but I can't do that. All I ever want to do is be with you." Stan sighed and mustered up the courage to continue. "I'm in love with you Peggy, and I have been for a long time."

Peggy was stunned, "What did you just say?"

"I said that I love you."

Peggy felt her stomach flutter as she considered Stan's words. "I-I don't know what to say." she stammered. "I mean, I've never really thought about you that way. You're like my brother."

Stan smirked, "You don't have a brother."

"I know." Peggy said softly and she looked down and studied her hands.

Stan was silent for a moment before he asked the question that he wasn't sure that he wanted to hear the answer to.

"Are you in love with him?"

"Who, Don? I don't know. Our relationship is weird. I mean, I love him like you love a wayward family member, but am I in love with him? I can't say."

"Hrmph." Stan grunted.

Peggy looked over at Stan's face and she could tell through his beard that he was clenching his jaw in frustration. "You both are so important to me, Stan. I love you...I just don't know if I have romantic feelings for you."

Stan sighed and glanced in Peggy's direction. "Listen Peggy, I'm not going to make you choose between us. I know you have a lot on your mind. Just think about what I said while you're gone. I'll be here when you get back no matter what. I'm not going anywhere."

Peggy leaned over and kissed Stan's cheek. "Thank you."

Stan soon arrived at the airport. He put the car in park and they both looked at each other nervously.

"Thanks again, Stan, you know, for the ride."

Stan smiled at her. "You're welcome." He drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Have a safe trip. Call me when you get there."

"I will." Peggy opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk and waved goodbye to Stan as he drove away."

As luck would have it, Peggy was able to catch a non-stop flight to San Jose, California very soon after she arrived at LaGuardia, and she arrived at her destination six hours later. She rented a car and was a nervous wreck as she drove along the Pacific Coast Highway. She arrived at the retreat center at dusk, just as the sun was setting. Peggy slammed the car door shut and looked around frantically in order to get her bearings. Her eye was drawn to a lone figure standing near the edge of a cliff in the setting sun. The man was wearing blue jeans and a plaid flannel shirt...something Don would never wear, but something told her that it was him. She walked briskly over to where the man was standing and when she drew closer she saw his familiar profile and her suspicions were indeed confirmed. She approached him slowly and once she reached his side, she gently placed her hand on his arm to gain his attention.

"Don?" Peggy said softly.

Don flinched as he was startled out of his solitary reverie. He looked to his left and saw Peggy standing right beside him, looking up at him with her big blue eyes full of concern for him. Don's face, which had a day's growth of beard and which had been set in a grim line softened considerably. Don immediately put his arm around Peggy's shoulders and drew her close, kissing her temple. Peggy wrapped both arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. Don rest his chin on the top of her head and neither of them said a word as they held onto each other for several minutes.

"I can't believe that you came all this way just for me." Don said finally, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Of course I did Don. That's what friends do. They are there for each other during their time of need."

Don sighed, "I guess I didn't realize that that's what we are to each other."

Peggy chuckled. "Face it Don. You and I, we're the same. We're family, and who else but family would drop everything and come to your rescue? You did the same for me once, and now it's my turn. Now we're even."

Don laughed and he smiled for the first time in days. Peggy pulled away from him so that she could see his face.

"Jesus Don, you look like shit!" Peggy exclaimed as she touched his scruffy face.

Don chuckled. "I know. I've had a rough couple of days."

"Are you feeling better than you were earlier today?"

"Yes, actually I am. Thank you for being the voice of reason. I don't even want to think about what could've happened if I hadn't been able to reach you."

Peggy grimaced, "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Don shook his head, "Not today. I will tell you everything, I promise. Now though, all I really want to do is sleep."

As if on cue, Peggy yawned. "That sounds perfect actually."

Don led Peggy to the office and registered her as a guest for the night. He then led her to the guest cabin and Peggy changed into her nightgown and gratefully laid down on one of the beds and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep almost immediately. Don changed out of his clothes and laid down on the bed right next to hers in his underwear and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over at Peggy's now sleeping form and felt at peace for the first time in months.

Peggy awoke the next morning feeling a little disoriented. The feeling subsided when she took in her surroundings and heard the ocean outside the window. She rolled over onto her side and noticed in the light of day that her cot was practically touching Don's. She was startled to see that Don was watching her. She was even more surprised when he leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead.

"Good morning." Don said warmly.

"Good morning, Don. How are you doing?"

"Good-great actually. Thank you, Peggy." Don said sincerely.

"For what?"

"You know very well. You saved my life yesterday."

"I don't know about that." Peggy scoffed nervously.

Don nodded emphatically. "Yes, you did sweetheart and I will never forget what you did for me."

Peggy smiled. "I'm just relieved that you're okay."

Don smiled and leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. Feeling bold, Peggy bridged the gap between the two of them them and she scooted over onto Don's bed, laying close to him. Peggy could feel Don's warm breath on her face as they gazed into each other's eyes and she felt an unfamiliar pull towards him. His eyes showed none of the hardness she was accustomed to...they were soft and kind. She could never recall Don looking this way before. He seemed so vulnerable and lost, nothing at all like the confident business man she had known all these years. She realized then that the veneer had been completely stripped away and that she was seeing the real man for the first time.

"What's your real name?" Peggy asked quietly.

"Dick Whitman." Don answered without hesitation.

Peggy smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Dick. My name is Margaret, but everybody calls me Peggy."

And that was all it took. That simple gesture of acceptance opened the floodgates and Don's look of heartfelt admiration took Peggy's breath away. She was then caught completely off guard when he leaned in and kissed her soundly on the lips. A feeling of excitement shot through her and Peggy reached over and put her hand on Don's neck, running her fingers through his hair. Don pulled Peggy closer, wrapping his arms around her and rolling onto his back, pulling her on top of him so her petite form was pressed against his. Don ran his hands down around Peggy's lower back, feeling the smooth curves of her backside through her thin nightgown and she could feel his body responding to her. Peggy surprised him by abruptly stopping the kiss so that she could sit up on her knees and straddle him and pull her nightgown over her head, revealing her full breasts. She quickly reached down and pulled Don's undershirt over his head, and before he could protest, Peggy kissed him hard and laid back on top of him, pressing her bare skin against his.

Rationally, Don knew that proceeding would be irresponsible and that they could very easily get caught by one of the other guests, but he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to what they were doing. There was an unspoken understanding between them...this was something that they both wanted. Respect and admiration had long existed between the two of them, but there was also a mutual attraction that had for the longest time gone unacknowledged. They were well aware of each other's imperfections, but none of that mattered. They were completely caught up in the moment, and the years of pent up love and affection that they had for each other came pouring out. They both knew that what they felt for each other was more profound than what either of them had ever experienced with another person, and that neither of them would ever be able to put those feelings into words.

Any reservations that Don had about continuing were soon forgotten and he slid his hands down over her buttocks, deftly removing her panties and in the process feeling the smooth flesh of her shapely legs and ass. He then slid his hands back up over her waist and rib cage, and then up to her neck. He grabbed her face with both of his hands and deepened their kiss.

Wordlessly, Don slid his hands back down around her back, pulling her closer in order to roll them back over onto Peggy's bed, enabling him to be on top. Don then ran his hand down her inner thigh and slid his fingers into her wet folds. Peggy bucked up against his hand and parted her lips. Don thrust his tongue deep into her mouth which elicited a moan from Peggy. Don stopped kissing her briefly and held a finger up to his lips and shushed her, reminding her that even though their cabin was empty, they were far from alone. Don then removed his shorts and entered her. Peggy had to suppress her need to cry out as he began thrusting back and forth into her. Peggy ran her hands over the smooth planes of his back and she wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing his body even closer to hers. Don soon began thrusting with increased speed and intensity and he continued kissing her passionately, thrusting his tongue deeply into her mouth. Don soon reached his climax, with Peggy following suit shortly thereafter. Don collapsed on top of Peggy and then quickly rolled off of her and laid down beside her. Their bodies were very close as they both struggled to catch their breath.

Don reached over and brushed an errant lock of hair from her face and held onto her cheek and gazed adoringly at her. Looking directly into her eyes, he said the words that were coming straight from his heart.

"I wanted to wait until we got back to New York to make love to you. I wanted everything to be perfect because that's what you deserve, but I can't say that I'm at all disappointed with what just happened. I think it's a good thing that this happened while we were away from everyone and everything, so that it is just you and me with no distractions. I want us to do this for real, Peggy. I want to be with you...what we have together, it's the real thing."

Peggy looked at Don and she saw an honesty and openness in his expression that she'd never seen before. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "I want that too, Don. Very much." she said sincerely. Don smiled warmly and then Peggy saw his expression change to one of distracted concern. "What is it? Is something wrong?" Peggy asked.

Peggy's words brought him back to reality and he looked straight into her eyes. "No, not at all. I think I just had an idea...for Coke of all things."

Peggy's eyebrows shot up and she laughed, "Really?"

Don nodded and smiled broadly. "Yes. Come on, let's both get cleaned-up and I'll tell you all about it over breakfast."

The hot water that streamed down from the large shower head felt amazing on her skin and Peggy allowed herself the luxury of just standing under the spray for a few minutes. She couldn't take her mind off of what had just transpired between herself and Don. Everything had changed between them, and she found that she had absolutely no regrets. Making love to Don had felt perfectly natural, as if they had been designed for each other.

After her shower, Peggy changed into the extra dress she had brought which just happened to be the dress she had worn when they presented to Burger Chef. Don emerged from the men's locker room having showered and shaved, wearing blue jeans and a different long sleeved plaid shirt. Bemused, Peggy shook her head and laughed when she saw him.

"What?" Don asked, giving Peggy a quizzical look.

Peggy smirked, "I'm not gonna lie, I never in a million years would've expected to see you wearing blue jeans Don."

Don laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe people can change."

They went to the dining room and had breakfast together. Don explained his "big idea" and Peggy was extremely intrigued.

"If what you said is true and Jim Hobart does take me back, I want you to work with me on this. The slogan is because of you so it's only fair." Don said with an enthusiasm that he hadn't felt for his work in a very long time.

"Are you serious?" Peggy asked.

"Absolutely."

They continued discussing the idea in detail and Don realized how much he had truly missed working, specifically with Peggy. They eventually moved onto discussing her experiences with McCann and how many things had changed with some of their now former co workers. Don was saddened to hear that Pete Campbell had a accepted another job in Wichita, and he became incensed when he heard about the harassment that Joan had experienced that led to her quitting her job.

"I wish I would've been there to help out. I might have been able to do something."

"I doubt it. That place is a boy's club and they have never treated Joan, or myself for that matter with any respect. I guess I've just learned to deal with assholes like that after having put Stan in his place." Peggy said wryly. She took another sip of her coffee and allowed her mind to drift.

"Shit!" Peggy suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"I was supposed to call Stan when I got here. I need to find a phone."

"There's a payphone right outside the building."

"Okay. I'll just be a few minutes." Peggy said as she left Don sitting at the table. She hurried to the payphone and dialed the operator in order to place a person to person call to Stan at work. When she finally got a hold of him, he was more than a little irritated.

"So I take it you arrived safely."

"I'm so sorry Stan. I meant to call right away but I was so exhausted when I arrived last night that I went right to sleep."

"It's okay, Peggy. I figured no news was good news. So how is Don? Did you get to him before he jumped off a cliff?" Stan asked sardonically.

"That's not funny. And he is doing much better. We'll be coming back home soon, either today or tomorrow."

"Good. The last thing you want is to get the reputation for taking off for days without explanation like Don."

Peggy laughed weakly. "I know. Listen, about what we discussed yesterday. I want to thank you. I am incredibly flattered..."

"But you're in love with Don. I know." Stan said with a hint of resignation in his voice.

"How did you know? I only just figured this out for myself."

"Peggy I've known you for years, and the only man who has ever come close to occupying your heart and mind is Don. I just hope you know what the hell you're doing."

"I do Stan, and I appreciate your concern. I really should go because this call is costing a fortune."

After they hung up Peggy went back to the dining room and sat back down across from Don who had a curious look on his face.

Peggy furrowed her brow in confusion. "What?"

"How is Stan?"

"He's fine. He was annoyed that it took me so long to call him." Peggy took another sip of her coffee before continuing. "He told me that he was in love with me on the way to the airport yesterday."

Don's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? Did you tell him about us?"

"I didn't have to tell him anything, he already knew."

Don sighed, "You know, you can still change your mind if you want to be with him. I won't hold it against you."

Peggy gave him a knowing look. "You know I can't do that."

Don reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I know."

They finished their meals and then went back to the cabin to get ready to leave the retreat center. Don grabbed his jean jacket and his crumpled shopping bag and looked at Peggy expectantly. "I'm all packed. How about you?"

"That's it? That's all you have?" Peggy said incredulously.

Don grinned sheepishly. "I told you I got rid of my car, and my suit was in the back seat. This is all of the stuff I need."

Peggy shook her head in disbelief and put the last of her belongings in her small carry-on bag. "Okay, let's go."

"Hold on, there's one thing I need to do before we leave." Don rifled around in the shopping bag and unearthed a small manilla envelope. Peggy saw that it was full of cash. She was surprised when he pulled out a diamond ring and held it out toward her.

"This belonged to a dear friend of mine and I want you to have it."

Peggy furrowed her brow in confusion. "What? Don, no! Are you out of your mind? It's too soon!"

Don took Peggy's hand and placed the ring inside her palm and then closed her fingers around it. "It doesn't have to mean that, Peggy. A woman shouldn't have to be engaged to wear a diamond ring...Jesus, these ideas just keep coming to me. Anyway, this ring belonged to the wife of the real Don Draper. She was the kindest, most selfless person I have ever known. You are like her in so many ways. You both showed me unconditional love, and I was too blind and foolish to see it and accept it...until now. This ring belongs to you Peggy. Anna would've loved you."

"Don..." Peggy protested weakly.

"It should've been you anyway."

"What?" Peggy asked quietly. "What are you talking about?"

"I should've picked you years ago, not Megan." Don closed his eyes and shook his head, opening them again quickly. "Who knows, I probably wasn't ready yet but I should've just asked you out. We would've been happy." Don said quietly. "We would've fought like cats and dogs, but I know we would've been very happy." Peggy was silent and stared at him with tears forming in her eyes.

Don continued, "I would've married you, and I never would've cheated because I truly love and respect you...and I know you would beat the shit out of me." Don said wryly.

Peggy laughed in spite of herself. "You're damn right about that! I would cut your dick off and boil it in hog fat if you ever did that to me!"

Don's expression changed from one of wistfulness to one of complete and total shock. "What did you just say?"

Peggy covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry. That's an expression I heard once in the old neighborhood. A woman was going on and on about her cheating husband and how she wanted to punish him for what he'd done."

Don was astonished and he laughed. "I haven't heard that expression since I was a kid!" Peggy laughed too and then she reached up and touched Don's cheek.

"There is still time, Don. We are still young...well I am anyway, and we can still be happy together. Let's not waste our precious time on what could've been. I just want to make the most of the time we have left on this earth. I want to be with you."

Don smiled. "You're too good for me, Peggy."

Peggy shook her head. "That's not true, Don. You are a good man."

Don smiled as Peggy slid Anna Draper's ring onto the middle finger of her right hand. "I may buy a chain for this when we get home. I don't want people to get the wrong impression. We are just dating right?"

Don chuckled and pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. "If that's what you want to call it, sure. I love you, Peggy."

Peggy smiled as she heard the steady beating of his heart. "I love you too, Don."

~TO BE CONTINUED~