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It takes Don six months to become a real runner. Somehow, it escapes his notice in that time just how much Judy likes his company in the morning. Unexpectedly stuck at work one night, Don lets Judy know he won’t be able to join her the next day. Judy decides before they hang up, she won’t go either.

“It’s our thing,” she says, “and it’s not really the same without you.”

He signs up for the yoga class she’s been taking the very next day. Judy teased the idea to him a few times, but it’s not really his thing. Then again, neither was running a few months ago. Two nights a week, he manages to skip out of work a bit earlier to meet Judy at the hospital. The yoga studio is a short walk that they spend together, holding hands and catching up.

Don is the only man there and he’s terrible at yoga. Sometimes he exaggerates a bit because it brings out Judy’s possessiveness, and she comes to his aid before the instructor or a classmate. He can tell she’s grown more assured since they got together, but the way she scoots to his side after class or holds his arm just that much tighter when they are surrounded by people always warms him.

Between exercising and real dates, their life together starts taking shape. Don is still there when the Robinsons need him, but his girlfriend becomes his focus. More of Judy’s clothes end up in Don's dressers or closet, and his second room slowly turns into her home office. After a year together, Judy decides of her own volition to move in with him.

They are only ever apart when work or duty requires it. Judy's career advances at the hospital while Don transitions into repair management. As such, they drop the yoga class, but Don moves some furniture around to turn a portion of their living room into a space for Judy to continue the practice.

A few months after Judy moves in, Don finally manages to tie up all remaining loose ends with his smuggled goods. It’s taken the better part of a year to trade them on Alpha Centauri, because for once he tried to do it legally and it was unsurprisingly difficult. But it’s worth the trouble for the goal he’s had. One weekend afternoon, while repairing Debbie’s coop, Don sees a missed message from the previous day on his comm that makes him drop everything.

“Be right back, Debbie,” he says and quickly hurries inside the house to find Judy. “Babe, get up. We gotta get somewhere.”

Judy lounges under a blanket on the couch, her curly hair in a messy bun with locks framing her face. Her eyes focus on the TV screen as she says, “No, thank you.”

“Come on, it’s going to be worth it.” He comes to the couch and pulls off the blanket. “C’mon. Up, up, up.”

“Dooon.” Judy pouts mightily. “I thought we had no plans until Mom and Penny get here.”

“We didn’t, but I really need to show you something.”

Judy yanks the blanket back and pulls it up to her chin. “Can it wait until tomorrow? I’m tired…”

Don has been waiting more than a year for this moment. He cannot delay it any further and so he leans down, picks up Judy, and throws her on his shoulder. “Go put on some pants. It’ll be quick alright?”

“Don, you caveman!” Judy protests half-heartedly, knocking fists into his back as he takes her upstairs. “Pants were supposed to be optional today. Now I’m being abducted.”

It takes about ten minutes to get in the Chariot. Judy is annoyed and grows even grumpier when she sees the construction site where Don parks.

“Seriously? This pile of rubble couldn’t wait?” she asks with a huff.

“Trust me, it’s been waiting.” Don exits the Chariot and checks his comm for an exact location. Judy complains the entire time, and Don thinks it’s both endearing and tragic — sometimes her behavior attests to how long she’s spent around him, and though she remains his wonderfully brilliant and fearless Judy, there’s a bit of him in her now, too.

After getting a bit lost, Don eventually locates the correct address. Scaffolding is in place, more than Don last saw the last time he was here. Yet it is clear they stand before a lovely future building.

“This is it.” Hands at his waist, Don sighs gladly and tells Judy, “They’re looking to complete it in a year or so. The same developer is in charge of the whole street. Buyers have been going crazy for a spot here in the last few months. What do you think?”

Judy looks perplexed, then searches for words as she frowns at the site. “It’s… big? Good location, but it seems like it’ll be work spaces. Why would we want to move here?”

“Who said anything about moving?”

Judy peeks curiously up at Don. He loves that she has no idea why she’s here.

He clears his throat then gestures, as if reading from an official sign: “Robinson Family Practice, or maybe Robinson Medical Practice.”

“Wait, what?” Judy takes a few steps forward. “This place…?”

“All yours,” Don says.

“What? We don’t have that kind of money yet. How could you—”

“Afford it?” Don finishes, as he can’t wait to tell her. He casually slides beside her. “Remember all the remaining goods for my retirement?”

“They were worth a building under construction?!”

“Well, the first and second floor. And after selling the goods I may have also put half my savings in here,” Don rapidly explains, “then taken out a loan—”

“Don!”

“And pulled some strings with a former client who knows the developer. The point is, the paperwork came through.”

Judy looks around in disbelief. Her gaze settles on advertising signs nearby for the vision of these buildings. “You leased it?”

“I bought it. For you.”

Judy’s jaw drops and Don has to admit, her reaction is worth it. She seems truly impressed. She steps forth to take another stunned look at the building, then squeals and runs back to tackle him. Arms and legs weave around his frame, pushing him back a few steps, though he hoists Judy up with ease and holds her close.

“I can’t believe you really did this,” Judy says close to his ear. She then pulls away, bright eyed, her hands in his hair. “You didn’t forget.”

“I never would.”

Judy lays a deep kiss onto his lips. Then, reality sinks into her features. “Don, I’m not ready…”

He looks around. “Neither is the building.”

“No, I mean I’m not ready to do this alone. I still have exams to take, licenses to earn. And then…” Judy gets back down to her feet. “This place is going to need to be set up. Equipment, paint, and furniture.”

“You let me worry about that.” Don holds Judy by the waist. He hasn’t come this far to let her work through this dream without help. “Focus on the book-smart stuff. I’ll handle the rest.”

“And if I change my mind or something happens?”

“Then we figure something else out. Mechanic shop? Bar?” Don proposes with a shrug. “I have your back, Judy. And you have plenty of time.”

Judy looks like she can't decide if she’ll smile or cry. “I love you so much.”

Don loves her more than anything. He claims her lips in a kiss before she can shed a tear. “Me too, princess. Always,” Don says, then shows her around.

A handful of days later, Don hitches a ride on a Jupiter up in Orbit. Maureen and John are surprisingly hard to catch together. Now that the Solidarity is nearly finished, they both happen to be working on the build of a new, smaller model. Don volunteers to help that day, then sits them down to present his intentions for their daughter. The time feels right. With their blessing, he gets back on land and asks Judy to marry him.

They meet down the aisle several months later in a wedding attended by all Robinsons, even Will and Robot, who have come back. Clad in a suit, Don is clean shaven, feeling a nervous excitement at the prospect of this major celebration. All of his nerves vanish when he sees Judy in her dress and the vision becomes stamped in his memory, because it’s at that moment it really sinks in. He gets to walk by her side for life.

After the wedding, Don tries not to look at the photos too often. Some of them decorate their home, others hang in their respective offices, or at her parents’ house. The one time he watches their wedding video at home alone, his eyes mist over.

Judy makes him a dad a year and half later. Their adorable child bears his shock of black hair with Judy’s curls. Don thinks the baby takes after Judy. All Robinsons claim the baby resembles Don. Having never seen a photo of himself before a certain age, Don can’t tell who’s right and he realizes it doesn’t matter. He has a happy wife and a healthy child and the three of them make a little family.

Don’s new life now consists of a night shift, up at odd hours with the baby so Judy can rest. It brings his stint as a runner to a halt but Judy easily gets back into her early jogs. Don hopes to rejoin her one day, likely with their kid strapped in a stroller. For now, it’s a baby carrier for Don, and morning walks.

It’s just after seven o’clock one morning when father and six-month-old baby are ready for their outing. Don leaves the house and greets his new neighbors from Earth, who ask after Judy, his in-laws, or Debbie when they’re not fawning over his kid. As he escapes onto the sidewalk, Don spots the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on jogging toward them. Seeing her feels like falling in love again. She slows down and beams, her attention drawn to the cute human hanging over Don's chest and facing outward. On instinct, the baby coos happily and kicks.

“Good morning, ma’am!” Don says. “Today is your lucky day. Sexy Mechanic Space Dad, baby included, on sale for $8.99. Limited offer, act now.”

Judy grins at his pitch and shakes her head as if she can’t believe this is who she married. She leans forward to dote lovingly on their child. “You can’t sell our baby, Don,” she says, and then spares his jaw a peck as well. “Can’t sell my handsome husband either.”

“What if I lower the price to $7.99?” he calls after Judy. A busy day at her medical practice awaits so she heads in to get ready. “$6.99?!”

“Not for sale!”

The door shuts behind Judy. Don pretends to be disappointed and then carries on with his walk. It’s a pleasant morning and he has nowhere urgent to be, aside from a coffee shop for his morning boost, then work later. Don has time to live and to be a dad, lots of it.

Hunting for a place to live is just as hard as Don remembers it on earth. It’s one reason he prefers being on the road, never staying in the same place too long. The places he’s called home have always been transitory: a shared room in an orphanage, small temporary laborer units, work locations, sometimes even modes of transportation.

Now he wants a place to call his own. Somewhere to settle down, with a yard Debbie can roam freely. A place he can retire to after a long day, where Judy might want to come over, maybe for a night, longer if he’s lucky. He knows it will take a while but family life is on his mind lately, in a way it hasn’t been before, and he wants to be viewed as a provider.

Naturally his first choice is the house next door to the Robinsons, but another family already lives there. Another barrier is the way housing is allocated on Alpha Centauri. A single man and his chicken don’t stand a chance to have a big house, so Don is shown mostly small apartments that don’t quite match his vision.

Eventually, the housing agent he works with yields by agreeing to show Don some new constructions that are yet to be occupied due to the Resolute’s accidents and the ongoing Solidarity builds. It’ll be another couple of years before new colonists arrive and Don points out it’d be a shame to let the units gather dust.

Debbie in tow, Don meets the agent at the location, about twenty minutes by Chariot from the Robinson home. It is a bit too far from them for his liking, but on paper it meets his requirements. The unit feels homey as soon as he walks in. Two stories high, with a quaint front yard, and a medium-sized backyard. Living areas are downstairs and the two bedrooms are upstairs.

Don likes what he sees. It drives home that his desire is to share the space someday. He wouldn’t have nearly enough stuff to fill this unit. The master bedroom feels a little too big, and his only idea for the second bedroom is for it to serve someone else’s needs.

“As you can see, these units are designed for working couples or new parents,” the agent tells him. “Even if you’re approved, when the new colonies arrive they would be prioritized if you lived here alone.”

“So, you’re saying you would evict me and Debbie. But if I was married could I stay?” Don asks.

“If you were married, you would have the right to a bigger housing allocation.”

“Huh.” Just when Don thinks the tour is over, he learns the units here have private roof decks. He doesn’t think much of this until he sees the way the sky goes on forever. The view is remarkable. He thinks Judy would like it.

“Wow… Check it out,” Don says to Debbie, as he strolls the length of the deck. “I know I’m getting ahead of myself but hear me out: we get some lights strung up, little decor furniture, some single malt scotch, nice dinner. Invite Judy over, work my magic. She'll be your mommy before you know it. What d'you think?”

The chicken blinks and does not utter so much as a cluck. Despite the idyllic picture Don paints, Debbie’s not impressed.

“Okay, fine.” Don raises Debbie up to his face. “How about just tellin’ her we like her up here?”

Debbie turns one eye toward him, then lightly twitches in his grasp.

“Yeah,” sighs Don. “Let’s start here.” To the agent, he yells, “I’ll take it! Put me on your list, let’s get the ball rolling.”

Don hopes he’ll get approved for the unit. His backup is a small apartment in the city, that is at least close to the hospital. After parting ways with the agent, Don takes Debbie back to the Robinsons’ to feed her before heading back to work. He’s been burning through his breaks looking for a place in the last couple of days which has been tough.

Three days and quite a bit of back and forth later, Don is conditionally approved for the place. Unfortunately his schedule doesn’t overlap with the Robinsons’, so he doesn’t get to share the good news until the night of Will’s departure. The young Robinson will be off on an expedition with Robot. John has been helping them get all set up for the voyage these last few weeks but the mood at dinner is bittersweet.

“If you’re gonna come back any taller,” Don says to Will, “make sure it’s more than your old man. You’ll be missed y’know.”

“I’ll try to stay the same height,” replies Will. “There’s still time if you want to come. Might be more exciting than crashing in my room.”

“Don’t bother, Will,” Maureen says. “I failed to persuade him to come work in orbit with me.”

Don grins and shoots a glance at Robot. “What do you need me for? You got this guy watchin’ your back,” he says. “But speaking of crashing — I have some good news.”

Will, John, and Maureen look curious. Judy keeps eating. She’s been withdrawn since Don came back from work, talking mostly to Will. Penny looks up and says, “Let me guess: Debbie’s chicken coop is complete. Can you and Dad stop that hammering on Saturday mornings now?”

“Good guess, but no. Casa Del Debbie to be complete tomorrow,” Don says through Penny’s groan. “I found a place!”

Judy’s head snaps up and she looks at Don for the first time. He smiles widely at her, but she does not mirror his expression.

“Isn't it great?” Don says, as he now looks around the table. He’s the only one smiling. “I’m gettin’ out of your hair. Alright, don’t all shout at once now.”

Maureen breaks the silence first. “It’s a surprise,” she says. “That was quick.”

“Congrats,” says John. “Happy for you, but I thought you liked staying with us. I mean, I know it’s a little tight but it’s only been a couple of weeks, and you have to admit this house is nothing like the Jupiter.”

“Those may have been the best seven months of my life,” Don says, “but now that I can actually stay on this planet I thought it was time to settle somewhere.”

“It’s Will’s last night with us until… who knows how long,” Maureen says. “I wasn’t expecting more than one person to leave home tonight.”

“Don’t worry, mom. He’s probably moving next door,” Penny remarks dryly.

“I tried that, actually, but some family already lives there,” Don replies. “New place is twenty minutes away. You won’t even notice I’m gone! Tell you what, we can share custody of Debbie.”

That brings out the smiles and laughter he’d hoped for, but when Don glances at Judy, he can’t read her expression. He has no idea if she’s happy for him, sad he’s leaving close proximity, or if she even cares. It’s like they’re worlds apart right now and he’ll do anything to bridge the gap between them.

“Yes, Judy,” Don calls on her, even though her hand isn’t raised. “I know you’re burning with questions.”

“When do you leave?” Judy simply asks.

“I get the access code tomorrow, then I’m all cleared to move in.” Don wants to ask if she’d like to check out the unit sometime, but Penny wants to know the place is like, leading him to describe everything including how he got the agent to show him the area, and the weird loophole with his tenancy.

Steam no longer swirls above his nearly empty cup of coffee. Don finds himself staring at Maureen’s mug, vapor dancing along to her hand gestures while she speaks. He wonders if he should have made one cup, just for himself, as it doesn’t seem like she’ll touch hers.

“I mean, think about it,” Maureen says, “the possibilities of what we can achieve with the help of the robots are endless. Even with Sally leaving, the others who stayed back have been so generous already. I really think we can accomplish a lot together. Building the Solidarity in orbit will go so much more quickly, don’t you think ?”

Don thinks Maureen produces her own inner source of energy. A bit like him. She doesn’t need that coffee. The thought of working with robots has her completely fired up.

“Don?”

“Yeah?” Don blinks at her, belatedly catching her question. “Sorry. Yeah, you’re right. It’ll go quick.”

“Why do I get the impression you’re not convinced?”

“I am. I think one of those things is at least ten Don Wests.” He takes a drink of coffee. “Can you imagine that? Ten of me… I mean the efficiency alone would—”

“Don, you’re rambling,” Maureen gently interrupts. “They each may be ten Don Wests but the point is, I could really use your help up there. Plus, it’s an amazing opportunity.”

Don finishes his lukewarm coffee. “Definitely better than my old job.” That is, if his smuggling offenses don’t mess things up for him now that everything is over. Smith got locked up for her shit, which is admittedly worse than his offenses. He knows the Robinsons wouldn’t let that happen to him, but they aren’t completely above the law, despite what their heroic events might prove.

“Then why do I feel a ‘no’ coming?” Maureen watches him kindly. “The Don West I know never shies from a chance to leave his mark.”

“He’s the unsung hero of the Robinsons' adventures,” Don replies. “Look, Maureen… I know what you’re doing. Get me a job with you, leverage my amazing skills, but at least if I’m doing something for the greater good it means I can stay outta trouble down here. Right?”

“I… No, I just…” Maureen stammers, “I thought you might want… Well, you don’t have to, but it’s a great opportunity.”

“It is, and I appreciate you looking out for me.”

Maureen softens. “You’re family, Don. Robinsons stick together and you’re part of that.”

Some days it’s still hard to believe how lucky he’s been with this family who accept him as one of their own. He has gone to the ends of worlds and back for them, and he would do it again if it meant keeping any one of them safe. But for once in a very long time, nobody is in danger, lost in space, or going to die. It seems a little selfish to turn down such an offer but Don knows he must.

“I know. I just can’t go back into space,” Don says, “I wanna stay down here. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” Maureen finally drinks her coffee to fill the ensuing pause. “Do you have another plan? You’re obviously welcome with us as long as you want. Will’s room will be vacant once he and Robot leave, and you were talking about that little den for Debbie out back…”

“I still gotta build that. She’s a teenager now. As for me,” Don says thoughtfully. “I’m gonna see about getting a place near you guys. Work down here.” He lightly fingers the rim of his cup. “I’m not going back to space anytime soon.”

“If you worked with me, you’d only be up there during the day—”

“Maureen.” Don holds his hand up. “We all know it only takes a few seconds in space for shit to go sideways. I’ll figure things out down here.”

“Okay.” Maureen seems to accept that as his final answer. She drinks her coffee so slowly, Don rises to pour himself another cup so she isn’t the only one drinking. “Can I ask why you’d rather stay on Alpha Centauri?” she brings up while his back is still turned. “I imagine it's about more than wanting solid ground beneath your feet.”

“Well, it honestly is that simple.” Don rejoins her at the kitchen table. “I want to be closer to family. To you guys. Give old John a break, y’know… I could do things for you while you’re up there, like make sure Penny stays in school and out of trouble.”

Maureen chuckles, so Don comes up with a couple other ways to be useful. He doesn’t get around to the real reason he wants to stay.

Down the hall, one of the bedroom doors opens and out comes Judy. She is dressed for the day, no doubt on her way to do doctor things. Don’s attention falls away from Maureen. He catches Judy’s eye and then watches her greet her mother.

“First day at the hospital?” Maureen asks.

Judy nods. “I want to get something to eat but I don’t know any places around there yet… Yes, Don?”

His hand is up the moment he hears Judy’s minor predicament. “I know a place,” he offers like a good student. “Drive you there and then to work, if you want. And, if you promise to wake up earlier tomorrow, I might even make you breakfast.”

The offer receives an eyeroll, but Judy seems willing to humor him. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Don gladly jumps to his feet and grabs his jacket from the chair. “See Maureen?” he says, hustling backwards after Judy. “Don West is more useful down here.”

It’s a short line to the counter. The place is not too busy for mid-morning, which is both a blessing and a curse. Don knows Judy is in a rush. The quickly moving queue only lessens the time he has with her, a third of which he has completely wasted by talking about Debbie’s rebellious years on the ride over. He needs to work on the rambling, a defense mechanism that has gotten him through life up to this point, yet now fails him when it comes to saying anything relevant to Judy. Maybe he just needs to work on the backflips his stomach starts doing when he is alone with her. He thought he had that under control long ago but apparently not.

“How do you know this place?” asks Judy while they advance in line. Her arms are crossed patiently over her chest. “I haven’t seen it before.”

“I know everythin’, that’s how.” He watches the people around going about their business. “Hospital wouldn’t let me in with you guys when Will needed surgery. They said ‘family only’.” Don grunts with displeasure. “I came here to kill some time.”

Judy turns to him and when Don looks at her, he sees Maureen’s empathetic expression. “I was wondering where you were after I got something for my shoulder,” Judy says.

“How’s that feeling by the way?”

Judy rolls it to demonstrate and the motion makes her backpack sway a little. “The fracture is all better now. Motion restored.”

“Good. All that matters is you guys back in good shape.” He taps her arm when it's their turn at the counter. Don doesn’t order anything, though it’s on him, so he encourages Judy to go crazy. “First day at the hospital. You’re gonna need it.”

Judy gets a sandwich and a latte that she insists on having in the Chariot, despite Don’s attempts to prolong their time together. He drives her to work and parks a few meters from the main entrance.

“Thanks for the ride,” Judy says, then hops out of the vehicle.

“You’re welcome. Hey, wait up.” Don barely manages to hustle beside her. Judy’s hands are full — how is she going to get that entrance door without his help? When they get there, he remembers it’s motion-sensor activated. “In ya go,” Don says nonetheless with flourish. “Good luck on your first day. Fix lots of broken noses.” He walks with her through the hospital as far as he can go. “What’re you doin’ for lunch?”

“I don’t know,” Judy calls over her shoulder, “I’ll figure something out. I really need to go, so see you at dinner?”

Don finally stops and lets her get on. “Sounds like a plan. Break a leg!” he calls right before she disappears. He sighs, then turns around and sees a nurse watching him disapprovingly. “Uhh, not literally break a leg. Just want her to do a good job, you know? Hey, Don West. Nice to mee—”

The nurse moves around him and walks away. With that out of the way, Don treks outside to face the day. He kicks imaginary rocks for a few minutes, trying to come up with a new plan to spend time with Judy, since this one has gone up in flames, though for an impromptu suggestion, it wasn’t bad. He remembers pulling a couple of smiles out of her during the ride, and that’s always a win in his book.

Back in the Chariot, he contacts John briefly to check if Robinsons need their vehicle. Maureen is already off to work, and John, Will, and Robot have plans at home. Don puts in his first destination, where he goes to see about a job.

It takes him longer than he would like, but he is glad to see certain people recognize his name at least. Like Maureen said, most of the really good gigs are up in the stars, but Don eventually manages to talk his way into some dam and turbine repairs. It’s a bit rough but it’ll keep him on Alpha Centaurian soil, with the potential of something more down the line.

Time gets away from him, due to being underground for so long. It’s only when Judy’s voice weaves through the comm device that he realizes he’s been here almost all day.

“Do you still have the Chariot?” asks Judy. “I’m going home soon.”

“Yeah, I have to work late. I'll come drop it off to you now,” Don replies. “Gimme ten minutes?”

“Okay!”

He sees her standing outside the hospital. It’s dark out, but her face is illuminated by surrounding lights. “Sorry to keep ya waitin’,” Don says when he comes up to her. “How was your first day?”

“It was good,” Judy replies airily. “Still getting used to how they do things at this hospital, but I jumped right into my residency and saw some patients today.”

Don raises his palm and Judy high-fives him. He smiles proudly at her. “Nice. Hey, you might be a bigger legend than Don West.”

“The one and only.” Judy scoffs. “Where were you all day, anyway?”

“I found some work repairing equipment for the turbines and dams. But I gotta get back actually, so…” He tosses her the key. “Chariot’s all yours.”

“You’re not coming for dinner?”

Don shrugs away the tickle of pleasure at what looks like disappointment on Judy’s face. He can’t stare at it too long or he knows it’ll make him blow off work. Wouldn’t be the first time puppy eyes won him over. This time Don has to resist because he needs this job so he can stay on land. He wants to be nearer Judy.

“Sorry, raincheck.” Don backs away to lead Judy to the Chariot. She follows him, just like Debbie. “Tell Maureen to let me know if she needs anything done down here. I’ll be out late.” Don opens the door so Judy can climb in, and then he watches her settle.

“I will,” Judy replies. “Hey, shouldn’t you be on the Solidarity with her? I know she really wanted your help up there.”

They are at eye-level like this, Judy boosted in the Chariot while Don stands outside. He smiles briefly at the changed perspective. It reminds him of when he’s sitting on a patient bed and she’s putting his nose back in place.

“I may be a legend but I can’t be in two places at once,” Don replies. “All of us have been separated so many times in space… I don’t want that to happen again.” He’s never been able to be anything other than completely honest with Judy. She brings that out of him so easily. All it takes is a softly spoken question and he is putty in her hands. “This time I want to stay.”

With the family, but most of all, with her.

“I thought you wanted a nice retirement on a dying planet,” Judy hums.

Don shakes his head. His future is here. “Not anymore. Go, drive safe. I’ll see you later.”

“See ya…” Judy spares him a soft smile, then starts the Chariot.

Steam no longer swirls above his nearly empty cup of coffee. Don finds himself staring at Maureen’s mug, vapor dancing along to her hand gestures while she speaks. He wonders if he should have made one cup, just for himself, as it doesn’t seem like she’ll touch hers.

“I mean, think about it,” Maureen says, “the possibilities of what we can achieve with the help of the robots are endless. Even with Sally leaving, the others who stayed back have been so generous already. I really think we can accomplish a lot together. Building the Solidarity in orbit will go so much more quickly, don’t you think ?”

Don thinks Maureen produces her own inner source of energy. A bit like him. She doesn’t need that coffee. The thought of working with robots has her completely fired up.

“Don?”

“Yeah?” Don blinks at her, belatedly catching her question. “Sorry. Yeah, you’re right. It’ll go quick.”

“Why do I get the impression you’re not convinced?”

“I am. I think one of those things is at least ten Don Wests.” He takes a drink of coffee. “Can you imagine that? Ten of me… I mean the efficiency alone would—”

“Don, you’re rambling,” Maureen gently interrupts. “They each may be ten Don Wests but the point is, I could really use your help up there. Plus, it’s an amazing opportunity.”

Don finishes his lukewarm coffee. “Definitely better than my old job.” That is, if his smuggling offenses don’t mess things up for him now that everything is over. Smith got locked up for her shit, which is admittedly worse than his offenses. He knows the Robinsons wouldn’t let that happen to him, but they aren’t completely above the law, despite what their heroic events might prove.

“Then why do I feel a ‘no’ coming?” Maureen watches him kindly. “The Don West I know never shies from a chance to leave his mark.”

“He’s the unsung hero of the Robinsons' adventures,” Don replies. “Look, Maureen… I know what you’re doing. Get me a job with you, leverage my amazing skills, but at least if I’m doing something for the greater good it means I can stay outta trouble down here. Right?”

“I… No, I just…” Maureen stammers, “I thought you might want… Well, you don’t have to, but it’s a great opportunity.”

“It is, and I appreciate you looking out for me.”

Maureen softens. “You’re family, Don. Robinsons stick together and you’re part of that.”

Some days it’s still hard to believe how lucky he’s been with this family who accept him as one of their own. He has gone to the ends of worlds and back for them, and he would do it again if it meant keeping any one of them safe. But for once in a very long time, nobody is in danger, lost in space, or going to die. It seems a little selfish to turn down such an offer but Don knows he must.

“I know. I just can’t go back into space,” Don says, “I wanna stay down here. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” Maureen finally drinks her coffee to fill the ensuing pause. “Do you have another plan? You’re obviously welcome with us as long as you want. Will’s room will be vacant once he and Robot leave, and you were talking about that little den for Debbie out back…”

“I still gotta build that. She’s a teenager now. As for me,” Don says thoughtfully. “I’m gonna see about getting a place near you guys. Work down here.” He lightly fingers the rim of his cup. “I’m not going back to space anytime soon.”

“If you worked with me, you’d only be up there during the day—”

“Maureen.” Don holds his hand up. “We all know it only takes a few seconds in space for shit to go sideways. I’ll figure things out down here.”

“Okay.” Maureen seems to accept that as his final answer. She drinks her coffee so slowly, Don rises to pour himself another cup so she isn’t the only one drinking. “Can I ask why you’d rather stay on Alpha Centauri?” she brings up while his back is still turned. “I imagine it's about more than wanting solid ground beneath your feet.”

“Well, it honestly is that simple.” Don rejoins her at the kitchen table. “I want to be closer to family. To you guys. Give old John a break, y’know… I could do things for you while you’re up there, like make sure Penny stays in school and out of trouble.”

Maureen chuckles, so Don comes up with a couple other ways to be useful. He doesn’t get around to the real reason he wants to stay.

Down the hall, one of the bedroom doors opens and out comes Judy. She is dressed for the day, no doubt on her way to do doctor things. Don’s attention falls away from Maureen. He catches Judy’s eye and then watches her greet her mother.

“First day at the hospital?” Maureen asks.

Judy nods. “I want to get something to eat but I don’t know any places around there yet… Yes, Don?”

His hand is up the moment he hears Judy’s minor predicament. “I know a place,” he offers like a good student. “Drive you there and then to work, if you want. And, if you promise to wake up earlier tomorrow, I might even make you breakfast.”

The offer receives an eyeroll, but Judy seems willing to humor him. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Don gladly jumps to his feet and grabs his jacket from the chair. “See Maureen?” he says, hustling backwards after Judy. “Don West is more useful down here.”