Author's Note:

Welcome to my first foray into this universe. I don't have a beta in this fandom, so I did my best to catch any errors by using the 'read-aloud' feature in Word. A bit creepy, but useful. Those who have read other things I have written know I have a love/hate relationship with the comma. This time I placed them where it sounded good when the male-robotic voice read aloud. Proper English, probably not. Understandable? Hope so.

This is the first chapter of an envisioned longer piece. I decided to post it and see how it floats. All the standard cops-outs apply. Just playing with the characters, no infringement intended, etc. And if anyone is interested in being a beta, PM me. I like working with betas and have worked with great ones in other fandoms.

He stood on the ramp of the Wantanabe's Jupiter surveying the scenery. His backpack was slung over his shoulder and Debbie's head poked out of the top of it. Only he, Don West, would crash land on a family friendly planet; so not his environment. With a low growl, he continued down the ramp, walking away from the ship into the forest.

When the Resolute was being attacked and the integrity of the hull breeched, hitching a ride on that Jupiter had seemed like their best option. But Tam had died because of his suggestion. People might think of him as a lowly mechanic, but he was also a damn good pilot thanks to Space Command, otherwise known as SpaCom a rather unfortunate nickname. No one could have landed that Jupiter any better than he did, given the conditions of the flight. And still, Tam died. She might still be alive if they had stayed onboard the Resolute and taken their chances.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Don swiftly walked through the sparse forest towards Jupiter 2, the home of the ever-disapproving Robinson's. When it came to him, he could do no right in their eyes. They were so family-centric. Everyone on this god-forsaken planet was and he was a mongrel that flit around the edge of their world, trying to pretend he fit in…or not.

He had been judged all his life by people for his choices, people who had no idea what it was like to live in his world. There was no home. No parents who paid for things…or loved you. There was the streets or the orphanages. Jail or the military. Mechanic or pot-head. Smuggler or drug dealer. He thought he had made pretty good choices, so far, except when it came to the Robinsons. But damn it, there was something about them he liked…even admired. How they were there for each other, no matter what. He wondered what that kind of life was like…a fairy-tale his cynical soul told him. Look after yourself baby cause no one else will do it.

Take his living and dining arrangements since he had been rescued by the Wantanabe's. They had offered him shelter from the storm, a place to crash, food. But it was very clear he didn't belong there…fit into their family structure. And he felt it was like that everywhere he went. He was another set of helping hands, but he really didn't have a place in their rank and structure. So, he did what he always did, survived. He showed up at meal time to get fed and moved around to find places to sleep in whatever Jupiter would have him. Barged in uninvited whenever necessary because if he didn't, he was sure they'd simply leave him aside, or behind, like everyone else had done in his life.

Don West belonged nowhere unless he made himself a place. So, given his current options, the Robinson's seemed like a cool place. However, he knew they weren't going to fling open their arms and if he didn't try to claw his way in, he'd be abandoned. Literally and figuratively. Even if they got off this planet and back to the Resolute, they'd eventually go on to their mythical Alpha Centauri and he'd go back to scratching out a living by coloring outside the lines and dreaming of a life where he belonged.

As he trudged along, he thought more about the Robinsons. Mrs. Robinson, what a tough lady. Smart, strong, opinionated, she was nobody's fool. He knew where he ranked with her…nowhere. On a scale of 1 to 10, he didn't even register. If he ever said something right to her, it was followed by ten more remarks in her mind that were moronic…or just plain wrong. Yet, like a moth to a flame, he was attracted to her, though not sexually. But for some reason he couldn't quite fathom, he wanted her to see he wasn't the scum she thought he was…not really.

Then there was Mr. Robinson, John. He could think of him having a first name, John. The thought of calling Mrs. Robinson Maureen, left Don shivering in terror. But John was someone he at least understood on the surface. A tough guy that would do anything to protect his family, to include killing any handsome smuggler who let his chocolate brown eyes linger too long on his eldest daughter. More on her later. But John. Ex-Marine. Strong as they come. Not a stupid man unless he was standing amongst his prodigy children and wife. Still, he was no dumb-bunny. Don felt that John kind of got him, at least on some levels. He got the impression John had been around the block once or twice and knew more of the real world than the fairy-tale one his wife lived in. He'd bet Mrs. Robinson never lacked for any material thing in her life. John, however, he felt did understand how the real world operated and probably could relate, at some level, to Don's life.

Judy Robinson. Doctor Robinson. Eighteen-years-old. At that age he had already experienced a lot of life, most of which he wished he could forget. He might have teased her about not going to prom, but he didn't go either, though his excuse was no way as noble as studying for MCATS. He found Judy too serious for his liking and it had become a challenge to not only get her to lighten up but also become a little more realistic about the world. He was afraid she was too sheltered and some day that was going to come crashing down around her. But then again, look at how well she defended herself when she came to some rash conclusion, he was an axe-murderer. That elbow to the nose had been quite effective and her comments, as she patched him up were perceptive. So, maybe she wasn't quite the Princess she appeared to be on the outside.

She was an enigma, he decided. But if he was not sure about who she really was, he was sure that if he didn't keep his admiration within bounds, he had no doubt her father would eradicate him. Honestly, he didn't know what he wanted from Judy, though the thought of having a friend, someone to talk to was appealing. He missed Tam, who was just a good friend despite what people sometimes thought. But, wanting a friend kind of went against the rule that had kept him alive since his parents abandoned him before the age of five. Who the hell does that! Here kid. You're potty-trained, can sort of read, can almost tie your shoes…the world is your oyster. Go forth and conquer. Or die. But, do it out of our sight, please.

Don mentally shook himself to get off that path. That was a long time ago. A box stored away he needed to stay out of to survive. Damn the Robinsons for making him go there. He retrained his focus to the last two Robinsons. Penny. Cool kid. Loved the mouth on her. He had a feeling he could verbally spar with her and have a great time. She could truly be his kid sister. Yes, she was sheltered and way too much of a nerd, but she had gumption. He liked that about Penny.

Will, on the other hand, just made him feel plain stupid. The kid, at eleven, sometimes seemed more mature than Don felt. Again, like a lot of the Robinson's he was a bit doe-eyed, but whereas Don was sure Penny would be able to see reality, as well as Judy, he wondered about Will. Would reality break the kid's innocence or make him insane? He supposed it really didn't matter because the safety net called 'The Robinsons' would be there to catch him, always. Don's mind drifted off the path again wondering what it would be like to have that sort of safety net.

He broke out of the forest by the Jupiter 2 to find Mrs. Robinson outside the ship, doing something of an engineering sort way beyond his years of education. She looked up at him with that stare she had…the one that made him feel like a flasher in a park full of children.

But this was Don West. Not to be deterred. So, he flashed his pearly-whites at her. "Hey. What's for lunch? I'm starving."

While it was a good opening line, meant to deflect, it was the truth. As he wasn't from one of the surviving Jupiters, he literally had to find a place to eat every day. It wasn't like the people on this planet wouldn't be charitable and share their rations with him, but it was the way they did it. It was like, 'Oh yeah. You're still here. Guess we'd better feed you too.'

But hey, that was the life he was used to…fending for himself. So, he walked up to her, still grinning, and waited expectantly as if he really thought she was going to go make him a P&J, or at least find the MRE version of one for him.

He nearly fell over when she said, "I need your help."

TBD