A/N this is the most bizarre story I have ever written in my writing career. So far.

Will stirred awake, with heavy eyes, his vision adjusted to his sister by his beside. He was panting as he leaned forward, his vision blurred by tears, his being feeling quite unwell. A hand handed him a tissue then he blew into it and fell back into the cot. His skin was coated in a layer of sweat as his heart-rate began to lower. His vision readjusted and the blurriness faded away replaced by his sisters sitting by his bed side.

"It's okay, Will. We're here."

"And Doctor Smith?" Will asked. "Is he alone?"

"Robot is on shift with him." Penny assured. "He is never alone."

"Long as he isn't alone. . ." Will said. "How long have I been out?"

"Ten hours." Judy said. "So far. Your fever is getting better."

"Bad dream?" Penny asked.

"Bad." Will said with a nod. "I dreamed of it, again."

"Was it worse than last time?" Penny asked.

"Not as bad," Will said. "Less." Will shook his head then lowered his gaze. "This time, he didn't die in front of me while getting my feet out of the tree roots."

"It will be okay in time," Penny said.

"Will, I don't feel so well." Robot said.

"You're going to be okay!" Will said. "It's going to be okay! Hang on there!" he looked back into the Jupiter 2 then back toward the silent machine. "Just you wait!"

"Long as it is not congestion." Robot said.

Will bolted into the Jupiter 2 then returned with the repair equipment to Robot. He dropped his equipment at the horror. Robot had fallen into pieces and rusted away in a matter of a few seconds.

"ROBOT!" Will screamed.

"I am here, Will," Robot reassured.

Will opened his eyes.

"I dreamed that I lost you. You had fallen apart, everywhere, in pieces, and ruined beyond repair. It was so-" he winced, closing his eyes, irked. "Awful."

"This does not compute," Robot said. "That would mean centuries would have to had passed."

"Sadly, nightmares are that way." Will said then held a hand out for the machine. "Thanks for being there."

Robot took the boy's outreached hand with his claw.

"I will always be there," Robot said. "Even when I am gone, I am is still there. Unable to be heard. But there."

"I am really happy to have a friend like you," Will said.

"As do I," Robot said. "As do I."

Will's hand slackened in Robot's claw then his eyes eyes closed falling back into deep asleep. The door to Will's stateroom slid open revealing Smith appearing to be slightly better with his nose not as red as it had been before and his eyes looked better. He leaned against the threshold and folded his long legs.

"I heard him scream." Smith said, his voice lowered with one hand on the door that was kept ajar. "Is he alright?"

"He had a nightmare that I died."

Smith stiffened, staring at the machine, struck by the comment.

"Did he. . ." Smith said, slowly. "mention how?"

"Negative. Why?"

"Some dreams can be precognitive when it comes to a boy with ESP levels like he."

"I had rusted away and fallen into disrepair before he could help me." The comment elicited Smith's laughter in a positive light. Smith hunched over, his hands on his knees, trembling with laughter. "I am to understand the nightmare was upsetting for Will."

"That is a silly dream." Smith said with a wave of his hand as he ceased to laugh and recomposed himself standing upright. "Very silly."

Smith leaned off the wall as his figure shook with laughter then leaned his elbow against it.

"No need to be alarmed as I am to understand." Robot stated.

"It's his concern about you, ninny," Smith said. "Somewhere in that innocent mind . . ." He didn't finish the comment for a moment as he looked aside. "he is scared of losing someone close to him." he wiggled two of his fingers. "Twice."

Robot twirled toward Will.

"This does not compute," Robot said. "He will never lose me long as he has a hand on my sensor disk."

"Physically losing you," Smith said. "Having you on tape and being unable to socialize with you for a long period of time is different." Robot lowered his helm. "To you, you would be sleeping. For a very long time while the Robinsons go through certain and very difficult hardship."

"This computes." Robot said.

"You would be the reward at the end of this perilous journey," Smith looked toward the resting young boy. "A piece of their happy ending. Then, there is losing your disk and being unable to have it on hand for the rest of the maiden voyage. You would be gone forever. And very lonely as a sensor disk."

"What is your happy ending, Doctor Smith?"

Smith was thoughtful for a moment before he replied.

"People like me don't get their happy endings," Smith said. "Terrorists get their due and so do traitors."

"In the anti-matter world." Robot said. "Correction; the badly over copied world."

"He seemed to enjoy this kind of existence with Will," Smith said. "Risking his life for them tells me that much. The kind of ending for him, ideally in this world, was living. But he died," he was troubled by it as he rubbed his chin while cupping his elbow. "And it confuses me."

"Why?"

"This world is bright but it has dark," Smith said. "Dying doesn't make sense. None of it does, I am afraid. And it irks me."

"Me too."

"At least there is a universe where none of this happened," Smith said. "and she missed."

"Or one where she killed the Robinsons at once with him watching," Robot said. "One where he lived through returning to the Jupiter 2 alone, just him and I, flying for Alpha Centauri. Landing on Tekuchi. The cackler episode happening except. . . Instead of Judy's face being burned; it was his."

Smith's fingers stroked along his cheeks right between his goatee. He grimaced at the memory of the burning sensation from the illness. He winced at the thought of his counterpart going through that with little ways to have a skin transplant. He closed his eyes taking in a small breath then exhaled.

"He would have kept those burn scars."

Robot bobbed his helm up.

"You can't be sure about that!"

Smith glared over toward Robot lowering his hand.

"I would have done the same if our timelines hadn't split apart at the seams. It would have been a lesson to him. A very valuable one that reminds him what it took to get to Alpha Centauri," Smith said. "If you were a android, you would rid of yourself the scars instead of keeping them."

"Scars are unnecessary." Robot said.

"They are necessary," Smith argued.

"They are not," Robot shot back.

"Are not," Smith said.

"Are too!" Robot bobbed his helm up as Smith began to grin. "Doctor Smith!"

AAAAHCHU!

"Good heavens, I thought I was-" Smith sneezed a second time. "Oh for the name of sweet hell. "

"You are in a never ending hell, Doctor Smith," Robot said with a chuckle.

Smith scowled looking up toward the robot.

"Nonsense!" Smith folded his arms. "This is heaven compared to how it usually goes!"

"How does it usually go?" Robot grew concerned as he wheeled toward Smith.

Smith stared back at Robot sheepishly.

"Well, erhym, uh," Smith said making a couple of silly expressions struggling to find the appropriate way of responding. "If anything-uh-ah, um-"

"You rather not talk about it." Robot said. "I am to assume it is very ugly."

"Yes." Smith nodded.

"I feel that I will be ready to talk with you tomorrow night," Robot said. "Maureen Robinson indicated his health would be better by then."

Smith began to nod as he understood what he meant.

"I will hit the hay after I have a night time snack." he licked his finger then held it up and waited a complete moment then smiled. "I will be better by tomorrow afternoon with hope allowing!"

Smith turned away then closed the door and loudly sneezed.

Robot could only have a mechanical laugh.