Blurb: Don Draper's worst fears are realized when the FBI comes looking for him. He takes the high road and turns himself in, but his life and those of his loved ones will never be the same. AU. Don/Peggy. Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Sally Draper, Pete Campbell, Stan Rizzo. *Mild spoilers for season 7A. **Matthew Weiner and Lionsgate own everything. I own nothing.
Chapter 1
Peggy had just fallen asleep when someone had the nerve to start pounding on her door at one in the morning. She donned her housecoat and grabbed her trusty baseball bat and padded to her front door.
"Who is it?" She called out, but there was no answer.
Peggy checked the peephole and gasped when she spied a familiar figure leaning against her door frame. She opened the door and was shocked to see her friend and former mentor standing at her door looking like shit.
"Don? What are you doing here?"
"Peggy, can I please come in?"
Peggy wordlessly admitted him into her apartment.
"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this." Don said apologetically.
"What's going on Don? Where were you Friday? Two men from the FBI came looking for you at the office. They asked all kinds of questions about you and your service in Korea. They interviewed Roger, me, and Pete. I've never seen Roger so upset."
Don sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that."
"What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Yes. You should sit down."
Peggy complied and Don began to pace around Peggy's living room.
"I'm so sorry to involve you in all of this but I didn't know where else to turn. I need your help." Don said urgently.
"Okay Don, what is it?"
"I'm in trouble with the government. I did something stupid when I was a kid, and I knew sooner or later this would catch up with me. Peggy, I am not who I say I am."
Peggy looked at him in confusion. "I don't understand."
"What I mean is, my name is not really Donald Draper. It's Dick Whitman. I stole the identity of the real Donald Draper, my commanding officer after he was killed in Korea. I switched tags with him in the field so the army would think that I was him and send me home in his place. I've been living as Don Draper ever since."
"Jesus!" Peggy exclaimed.
Don continued, "Pete has known about this for years and he tried to blackmail me into promoting him when he found out. Cooper knew too, as well as Betty and Megan."
Peggy looked at Don with confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I know I can trust you. I believe that I've been flagged by the FBI and now they're looking for me. They spoke to my ex wife Betty on Thursday and she gave me a head's up that they were looking for me. They've already been to the office. Next they're going to question Megan and I can't ask her to lie for me, not after everything I've put her through. It's not fair to any of you to be put through this. I can't allow my mistakes to bring down the agency either. There are too many other people's lives to think about."
"So what are you going to do?"
Don sighed. "I've been running from this for the past twenty years and I'm just so tired of it. I've spent the last day and a half getting my affairs in order. I confessed everything to Roger late on Friday and I tendered my resignation this afternoon. I've got a fair amount of cash stored in a safe place for my kids. I felt it was only fair to call both Betty and Megan to let them know what I am planning in case they need to do some damage control. My plan is to go to the authorities tomorrow and turn myself in."
Peggy suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She had read somewhere that the penalty for desertion during a time of war could be life in prison or in some cases, death.
"What do you think will happen to you?" Peggy asked.
Don shrugged. "I honestly don't know and It scares the shit out of me. At best they'll put me in jail. For how long though I can't say."
"Jesus!" Peggy exclaimed. She felt her eyes fill with tears. Don strode towards her and folded her into his embrace, pulling her head close to his chest.
"Shhh, Peggy. Please don't cry for me. I'm not worth it."
"That's not true Don." Peggy said quietly as she began to weep. Don rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. He kissed the top of her head and rest his chin on her head.
"Peggy honey, please don't worry, I'll be fine I promise. I'm a a big boy and I can take care of myself."
Peggy continued to cry and Don simply held her in his arms protectively.
"Peggy, please listen." Don said a few minutes later, "I came here tonight because I need you to do something for me if you could."
Peggy attempted to calm herself. Don handed her his handkerchief and she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath and studied Don's face. He had a day's growth of beard on his face and he looked exhausted.
Don produced an envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Peggy.
"I need you to give this letter to my daughter Sally. It explains everything. I need for her to understand why this is happening and I want her to hear it from me."
Peggy nodded, "Sure, Don."
"There's more. I know this is asking a lot but I would really appreciate it if you could check in on her from time to time. She is away at school and she does not have the best relationship with her mother. She is in need of some direction and a positive female role model and I can't think of a person whom I would rather she emulate than you Peggy."
Peggy was touched. "Thank you for such an amazing compliment. I would be happy to."
Don exhaled and visibly relaxed. He placed his hands at the base of her neck and peered directly into her eyes.
"The smartest thing I ever did was make you a copywriter, even if at first it was only to spite Pete Campbell."
Peggy furrowed her brow in confusion, but Don held a finger up to her lips to keep her from speaking.
"You more than proved your worth early on and I am so proud to have been able to teach you and watch you grow and blossom into the talented writer you are today. I know you are going to do great things as Creative Director. If though for some reason they don't promote you, you should leave. You could start something of your own...take Pete and Stan with you and screw them good. You should never be forced to work in someone's shadow again.
Peggy was startled by Don's words but she remained silent.
Don cleared his throat before continuing, and Peggy could see that he was getting choked up.
"You have been a good friend to me for a long time and I know that I have often taken our relationship for granted. But I want you to know that my relationship with you has been one of the most meaningful of my life. I don't know how long I'm going to be gone. It may just be a short while, but it's also very possible that I may never see you again. In any case I wanted you to know that I love you Peggy, with all my heart."
Don's eyes had begun to fill with tears. Peggy was very moved by Don's words and she reached up and touched his face reassuringly. Don closed his eyes and sighed and leaned into her touch. Peggy gently stroked his cheek with her thumb and and when he opened his eyes he looked like a scared teenager.
"Oh Don," Peggy said quietly, "I love you too."
Don's face softened and he smiled sadly. "Our timing couldn't be worse could it?"
Don took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Peggy felt a thrill of excitement and desire as Don kissed her for the first time. Though she knew it was inappropriate, she put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss fervently.
A few minutes later, Peggy abruptly ended this kiss and stared at him intently.
"Make love to me Don."
"What? Now?" Don asked incredulously.
Peggy laughed and nodded emphatically, "Yes, now. You said yourself that we may never see each other again. We may never have another chance."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to have any regrets."
Peggy shook her head, "No regrets Don. I want this very much."
Don considered it for a minute, then conceded. "Okay."
After they made love they fell asleep in each other's arms. It had been a beautiful experience and the two old friends connected on a level that neither had thought possible. Don finally understood what it meant to love a person in both body and soul. When Don woke up several hours later with Peggy in his arms he felt immeasurable sadness as he thought about what might have been. It was a cruel twist of fate that brought them together that night only to separate them perhaps forever. He felt that if circumstances had been different that they could have been truly happy together.
"Peggy." Don said as he gently nudged her awake.
Peggy groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Don? What is it?"
"I need to leave soon."
Peggy's heart sank. "I know." She rolled onto her side so she could face him.
Don sighed and he reached over and touched her face. "I don't know why it took me so long to get here with you. If only this had happened sooner. Now it's too late."
"Maybe Don, but I'm so grateful to have had this time together. I will cherish these memories forever."
"I don't want you to wait for me. You're young, you deserve to find happiness and love with someone."
"I'm never going to find another man who suits me as well as you do. You're the one, Don. I would rather be alone forever than be with someone else."
Don became overwhelmed with feelings of sadness and regret. He pulled her body close to his, burying his face in her hair. He knew that leaving her would be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do.
"Don?" Peggy said suddenly, raising her head so that she could see his face.
"What?"
"This might be too much to ask, but would it be possible to...could we..."
"What sweetheart?"
"I want to feel close to you again, one last time."
Don chuckled, understanding exactly what she was asking. He smiled and he brushed a lock of hair back from her face and he kissed her forehead before kissing her lips.
"Absolutely."
Afterwards, Don got dressed and prepared to leave her apartment. Peggy pulled on her nightgown and robe and walked him to the door.
"Please don't worry about Sally, Don. I will take your letter to her today."
"Thank you. I owe you everything Peggy."
Peggy shook her head. "You don't owe me anything. Just take care of yourself. We'll all be fine."
Don felt a lump in his throat as he prepared to walk out the door of Peggy's apartment for what could very well be the last time.
Peggy stood up on her tip toes and threw her arms around him and whispered in his ear.
"I love you, Dick."
Don put his arms around her waist and he squeezed her tightly. He then pulled back so that he could look her in the eyes one last time.
"Goodbye Peggy. I love you."
Don then turned and strode out the door into an uncertain future. Peggy closed the door behind him and immediately broke down and wept.