Don had been awake all night, jotting down ideas and plans. He was anxious but excited at the same. This was possibly the greatest advert he would ever do – convincing Betty that he was ready to raise his own children, that he was in love with Peggy, that everything would be fine. He had finally fallen asleep around 4am and woken up at 8. Patiently, had made himself coffee and fried himself some eggs, bacon and toast, and waited until about 10 to finally dial her number.
"Francis residence." Her voice had it's usual pleasant monotonous tone, but underneath it was a layer of exhaustion and irritation.
"Hello Birdie." He said. She sighed.
"Hello Don. Settling back into the city?" He heard the sound of her taking a drag on the phone, and frowned.
"Bets, don't smoke."
"What difference does it make now?" She demanded, and she took another inhale to annoy him. He knew this battle was lost.
"How are the kids?" He asked.
"Like always." She replied curtly.
"Do the boys know that..." A lump rose in his throat, and he couldn't finish his thought. This too annoyed Betty.
"I told you, they won't know until the very end."
"OK." Don could feel Betty tapping her foot impatiently on the other end of the line.
"Is there some reason you called?" She finally asked.
"Well, Betty." He said slowly. "I've met someone." He heard her sigh again.
"Jesus Christ Don. Who is she now? Another secretary?"
"No. Actually, you've met her before. It's Peggy Olson, from the office." There was a moment of silence while Betty racked her mind.
"Wait, that secretary of yours that I met that one time I came to the office? She's still a goddamn secretary, Don." He felt angrier than he should have.
"No, she's not. I made her a copywriter. She has been for almost 10 years. She's incredibly creative, and intelligent, and funny."
"She's certainly outside the parameters you usually go for." Betty replied coolly. Don felt his temper flair.
"I'm sorry that I can't be happy because she doesn't meet your expectations." This was completely off the script Don had created in his mind, but then again Betty had a way of rail roading his entire life when she wanted to. "Just meet her. You'll see. She's wonderful in every way. And she'll be a great role model for Sally." Betty laughed sardonically.
"If I hadn't met her before, I'd assume you just found the nearest woman who would have you as a ploy to get the kids when I die. From what I've seen of her, she's a very interesting choice for you, Don. How long have you two been... doing whatever you've been doing?" Don summoned up his back story, which was based on just enough of the truth as to not be a complete lie. It was easier keeping secrets that way.
"I called her from California a month ago. We talked, and she..." Don swallowed back a knot in his throat. He had planned this, written the conversation down to the finest minutiae, but he hadn't realized how much truth he had put into it. "She told me to come home." He swallowed again, and tried to breath normally. "And then it hit me: she was my home. You don't need me anymore, Sally doesn't want me in her life, but Peggy did. And I realized that she was my home. Everything was always so... uncomplicated with her. We worked together, we did a little drinking together, and that was it. And it was beautiful."
"And you want to ruin that by marrying her?" Betty asked.
"I want more of that in my life. I've made a lot of bad decisions in the past, and she knows them all, but here we are." Silence enveloped them briefly for a second.
"Sally needs you, even if she doesn't want you." She finally said. "You know teenage girls – they hate everyone, including themselves. But she's so much like you. She and William really don't get along." Don chuckled into the receiver.
"That's because she's so much like you." He couldn't see her, but he could imagine Betty smiling.
"Perhaps that's true."
"Look, I just want you to meet Peggy. She's incredible, and I think you'll see that in her too." Betty sighed, and he could hear her smoking in the background. He held his tongue and waited.
"Fine. But don't think this means that I am going to hand the children over to you in a basket." She warned, and then devolved into a violent coughing fit. Don waited it out, clutching the phone as he felt death grip its icy fingers around her.
"I know Birdie. I know."
Peggy stood outside of Tiffany's, feeling awkward. It wasn't that she hadn't been in nice stores before, but old shame from her past had still made her feel like the broke Catholic from Brooklyn that she had been for so long. Self-consciously she checked every passer-by, hoping that Don could rescue her from herself. Finally she saw his road figure approaching, and she felt oddly comforted as he nodded to her.
"Are you ready?" He asked, staring down at her curiously. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. He pushed open the door, and motioned her in.
"Ladies first."
Peggy really didn't know where to go. There were tables and tables of exquisite jewellery of all types – necklaces and earrings and cufflinks and pins. She felt horribly under dressed for the experience as she saw men in hundred-dollar suits pull out large bills for beautiful women dressed in furs and floor-length coats. She blushed as she felt Don guide her by the waist – he was obviously more familiar with the layout of the store. And she had to admit, there was something arousing and intimate about the feeling of his large hand wrapped around her delicate side. He stopped her in front of a table that was clearly full of engagement rings and glanced at Peggy, not removing his hand. He noticed she was flushed, and frowned.
"Peggy, are you alright?" She nodded, looking at the array in front of her. Every single ring that she had ever seen in an ad seemed to be laid out before her, and she was overwhelmed. She had never really thought about what kind of ring she wanted, and the options seemed never ending.
"I just... don't know where to start." He nodded, and went behind her, enveloping his arms around her waist and putting his chin on her shoulder as they both looked.
"Just... whatever catches your eye." He murmured, his warm breath tickling her ear.
"What are you doing?" She whispered furiously, her cheeks turning red as she kept her gaze firmly on the rings.
"We're a couple, Peggy." He said exasperatedly. "We're going to have to act like it."
"Not in Tiffany's." She hissed back. He sighed and removed himself, and for a moment Peggy felt a sense of loss as his body heat and cologne followed him away.
"What can I help you with today?" A friendly, impeccably dressed older gentleman asked. Don smiled charmingly.
"We're getting engaged, and we're looking for the perfect ring." The gentleman smiled and nodded at both of them.
"A modern couple, I see. It's becoming more common for the woman to pick out her own engagement and wedding rings."
"It's definitely changed from how it was growing up." Don agreed.
"Has anything caught your eye, dear?" He asked her. Peggy nodded slowly, and let her finger hover above a ring with a large stone centered with two smaller diamonds.
"Third from the front." She said, and the salesman took out the tray so she could view it. Don nodded.
"It's pretty. It would be an excellent choice."
"How much is it?" Peggy blurted out. The salesman seemed taken back, and she knew she had committed a faux paux.
"That one is $6,799." He replied. Peggy froze.
"I'll keep looking." The salesman nodded and returned the tray.
"Let me know when you wish to take a look at another ring." He said as he sauntered off to help another doting couple. Don seemed amused.
"I am good for the money, you know."
"I know." Peggy sighed, and she felt embarrassed. "But I've never had a man buy me jewellry." Don's eyes shot up in surprise.
"Never?" He asked. She shook her head.
"I don't really even know what I'm looking at." She confessed. Don watched her carefully.
"What drew you to that one?" She sighed, and looked back at the ring.
"It's silly, because I don't even go to church as much as I should, but I liked the idea of a ring with three stones for the Holy Trinity – father, son and the holy spirit. And I like the idea of three meaning the man, and woman, and God as well." She shook her head. "But really, I don't need three stones. It's just a fancy idea." Don looked at her, a small smile playing about his face. He then waved to the salesman, who bustled over.
"We'll take the ring we were looking at. Also, I saw a pair of earrings – the ones with emeralds and the stone design of peacock around them? Yes, we'll take them as well."
"Don..." Peggy kept staring at the earrings over dinner, running her fingers around the dozens of stones that were in them. "That wasn't necessary." Don smiled genuinely and sipped at his rye.
"I didn't want you to be able to say that a man had never bought you jewellery before, and a fake engagement ring doesn't count."
"Well, thank you. It is, well, incredibly generous of you." Don looked at her intensely, and Peggy felt her breath catch.
"I talked to Betty about you today." He said.
"Oh." Peggy's stomach dropped. "What did she say?"
"She remembered you from when you were my secretary. She agreed to meet with you." Peggy nodded.
"That's good. I think."
"It's very good." Don's green eyes seemed to grow more intense with every sip of his drink, and Peggy felt like she was being x-rayed. "While I was on the road, I called three people." He said. "I called Sally, I called Betty, and I called you." Peggy was surprised. She had figured that if Don had finally called her, he must have run the gamut of his Rolodex a thousand times over first. "Sally told me not to come home, and that I should convince Betty to hand over the kids to Henry. Betty told me not to bother coming back and see my kids, because that would be too... abnormal." He took another drink, and Peggy felt very naked before him. "I called you, and you were the only one who told me that I could come back. That you wanted me to come back. Everyone else seemed to be happy I was gone." He smirked and looked down suddenly. "Ironically, by the time I called you, I had no way back. I was stranded somewhere in California, and no one there could drive me to civilization for more than a week. Someone wanted me to come back, and I couldn't." Peggy swallowed, feeling emotion come to her eyes as she thought about his call to her, how terrified she was at the thought that she would be the last person Don Draper ever spoke to.
"Don, you're..." she searched for the words as his emerald eyes looked at her curiously. "You're important to me. Very important. And to be honest, I don't like working at McCann without you. I mean, you're hard to work for, you're a jackass, and often moody, and sometimes I get the feeling that you're not even there at all, even when you are physically there, but... I don't like it when you're not around." Don smiled wryly at her, and she knew that he understood what she hadn't said. He reached across the table and put his hand on hers, and squeezed.
"I like being around you too." He took his hand off of hers, and reached into his suit for his cigarettes and lighter. He held out the pack to her, and she withdrew one, and he reached over to light hers before doing the same to his. "Now, we have to discuss the parameters of what is going to happen." Peggy nodded.
"I've asked Stan to take care of the apartment while I am gone, so my responsibilities there are taken care of. Also, I'm not going to tell anyone that I work with, or my family, that we are together. This is a show for your family, and I don't want it to interrupt my actual life more than it needs to."
"We'll need to tell Roger. He still has ties to McCann, and I still see him frequently. But outside of him and Stan, no one needs to know." He agreed.
"Fine. Also, I still need to see Stan. I need at least two nights a week with him, and one day on the weekend." Don raised an eyebrow.
"As in sleeping over?" He asked. Peggy nodded. "Peggy, that is going to look odd."
"This entire thing looks weird, Don." She replied warily. "Besides, the kids won't even know."
"Kids are more perceptive than you give them credit for." Don lit a cigarette, eyeing her critically. "You can have two evenings and a day on the weekend, but only one sleepover a week."
"I don't think you're in any position to be dictating terms." Peggy said curtly. Don cocked his head.
"You may be right, but this needs to be done well, not just hackneyed together. It's going to look suspicious if Henry comes to pick up the kids to take them out, and you're never there."
"It could be the beginning of our failed engagement." Don chuckled and took another drag.
"Alright. After two months, you can have all your sleepovers." He relented.
"Fine. And I am not moving in until Betty passes."
"You don't need to move in until she passes." He agreed, and took a drag. "But your things need to be in the apartment. It needs to look like you live there when the kids come over."
"So what am I supposed to do, drop by your place every morning and get ready for work?" She snapped.
"Have a week of clothes at your apartment, and swap them out on the weekend. It's not that hard."
"Don't be a dick." She muttered sourly. Don took a sip of his drink.
"Have you ever heard the joke about the daughter who asks where babies come from?" Peggy glared dourly at him, but Don continued anyway. "Her mother responds 'Well, honey, mommy and daddy get married, and they go to bed and they hug and kiss, and the daddy puts his penis in the mommy's vagina, and that is how she gets a baby.' The little girls asks 'I saw you putting daddy's penis in your mouth last night. What do you get when you do that?' The mother replies 'Jewelry.'" He grinned mischievously at Peggy, who stared angrily.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She demanded. Don sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Jesus Peggy, it doesn't mean anything. It's just funny."
"Of course it's funny to you." Don glanced up as the waiter came by.
"Excuse me, another glass of wine for the lady. We both need it." The waiter nodded patiently.
"Of course."
Author's Note: OK, so I know this didn't have everything my short preview offered in the previous chapter. I really shouldn't offer previews unless I have the next chapter written. But I can promise you this next chapter: Betty and Peggy totally hang out.