Doctor Maureen Robinson sat at her desk in the dimly lit quarters aboard the Jupiter 2 which she shared with her husband John, who was currently away on a reconnaissance mission.
All had been quiet lately, with her kids all occupied with their own projects- Penny was busy with a very messy yet beautiful arts and crafts project, while Will was trying to construct a pillow fort, with the help of the Robot and a surprisingly committed Doctor Smith. And Judy had set the evening aside for a romantic evening with Don West.
So Maureen thought she might as well work on a project of her own. She opened her laptop computer to her latest project, glancing wistfully at the desktop background, a picture of her family, all together back on Earth, so many years ago.
But she had to concentrate on the present, so she continued her simulation of a potential new fuel source for the Jupiter 2. Checking the laptop's built in radio receiver, she also saw a space-email from John.
Dear Maureen.
I'm on my way back to the ship in the Space Pod, I should catch up with you by tomorrow. I love you so much, Maureen, and give my love to the kids too. Oh and by the way, I have a surprise for you, I'll let you know when I get back. :). I hope everything's alright on the home front. Thank you so much, my love, for everything, and I'll see you soon.
Eternal love, John.
Maureen smiled. John was such an awkward romantic, but she loved him so very much. She was just about to reply when there was a knock at her door. "Come in?" she said. The curtain partition slid aside, and Judy Robinson entered the room. "Why, hello dear." Said Maureen.
"Hey mom. I'm sorry to have been so distant lately, but could I talk with you about something? It's kinda important."
Maureen smiled at her daughter. "Of course, darling. I understand completely, and I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
"Thanks." Judy still felt like her Mom treated her like a child, but she was also only one Judy could talk to about this, the only one who would understand. Judy started to sit down on the bed on the other side of the room, which normally belonged to John. She launched into conversation. "So, I was talking with Don about this, and-" Judy stopped, then decided to move to the other bed and sit next to her mother. She leaned back and her voice became a whisper. "I want to have kids, mom. I've wanted a family of my own for awhile now."
Maureen couldn't hide her surprise. Perhaps part of her really did still see Judy as a child. But she was still very happy for her daughter. "Oh, Judy, that's wonderful news."
Judy laughed. "I'm not pregnant or anything, Mom. Its just something I've been thinking about. But since we've been lost in space, it's just never seemed like the right time. I wanted to have kids on Earth. For me and Don to live in a house of our own, a nice cabin by the lake. And this would all be after I had successful career as a doctor, and in musical theatre, and… well, it just hurts that I can never have that. It hurts that I'll probably be stuck on a spaceship for the rest of my life. It seems almost unfair for me bring kids into the world when they'd have to live like this."
A tear rolled down Maureen's cheek. "I'm so sorry, Judy. I should never have forced you into this. You deserve so much more, and so do Penny, and Will. But at least we're together, and at least we all love each-other. I can think of worse places to be, that's for sure. I'm sure we'll make it back to Earth someday, or to Alpha Centauri. Or even to any other habitable planet. But you don't have to wait, Judy. Its your decision."
"If you could change history, Mom, would you do it?"
Maureen was shocked. "Of course not, Judy. I always wanted children too, but I never truly knew how wonderful you, and Penny, and Will would be. You're the lights of my life, and…"
"Not about that, Mom. I mean about taking us into space." There was a long silence. "I know you regret taking Will and Penny along. But what about me?"
Maureen was crying now. Judy had never really wanted to go on the mission. And now she was stuck here. She had spent her childhood on Earth, while Penny and Will were spending there's in space. But Judy was an adult now. She deserved a life of her own.
"Yes." Said Maureen. "If I had known, I wouldn't have gone through with the mission."
"Have you and dad ever thought about having more kids? There's always an empty seat at the Galley table…"
Maureen was silent now. She couldn't tell Judy. She wasn't ready. It would just bring more pain.
"Well, thanks for talking Mom." Judy stood up. "I love you." She said.
"I love you too, Judy. I'm so proud of you, and I will support you no matter what."
"You really are a great mother, Mom. You know that, right?"
"Awe, I don't know about that, dear. But I always try, and I'll try my best to be a good grandmother too."
"Thank you, Mom." Said Judy. She left the quarters, and Maureen was alone again. Outside, she heard Penny and Will, playing together now. Judy stopped by to play with them- she really was good with her younger siblings. But Maureen still worried. What would happen when Penny and Will were Judy's age? Hopefully, the family would be home by then.
The rest of the day passed without incident. Maureen helped her kids get ready for bed, then retired to her own quarters, finishing her project, and sending a loving reply to John. But soon, Maureen found herself growing tired. She wasn't as young as she used to be. Still somewhat distraught, Maureen tried to go to sleep, but she was plagued by nightmares as usual. Nightmares about what her and her families life would have been like, if things had happened differently.
Deep into the night, she was awoken by something, a strange noise from outside her cabin. Maureen sighed. Every day seemed to bring new danger, and the night was no exception. Don was supposed to be keeping watch upstairs, but she could hear him talking with Judy in another room. But this sound was something different, unfamiliar. She grabbed her laser pistol to investigate, just in case. Penny and Will were sound asleep, and she could hear Doctor Smith snoring as well. The Robot was in low power mode in his magnetic lock. So what, or rather who, was making the noise? Debbie?
She peered into the hallway corridor between the Laboratory and the Galley, and she gasped. It wasn't some alien monster or anything. Sitting on the floor of the deck, there was a young girl- much younger than Penny or Will, alone and obviously terrified.
Usually, Maureen would have been on the lookout for any sort of alien threat, but her maternal instinct kicked in. She was still half asleep, and for all she knew, she could have been hallucinating, or still in bed dreaming. But either way, she was determined to help this child.
"There now…" whispered Maureen. "You're safe here."
"Mommy?" wondered the girl, her voice a quiver. Maureen wasn't sure how to respond to that. She had no idea where the child could possibly have come from. Was this some sort of alien trick, or her own subconscious? Or even, somehow, a real human child who had been teleported to the Jupiter 2, somehow. It didn't make sense, but perhaps that didn't matter.
She took the girl into the Galley for a bite to eat, then into her quarters to sit down for awhile. Without saying another word, or even touching the food, the child started jumping up and down on John's bed. Maureen didn't want to question the child. She didn't want to frighten her further. The young girl got off the bed and quickly opened up Maureen's laptop. This time, Maureen intervened. But the child didn't seem to have any nefarious intentions. She was just curious.
The child pointed at a picture on the screen, a schematic of the Jupiter 2's power core which Maureen had been working on. "That… does something" said the girl, with oddly stilted excitement. Then she pointed at the desktop background, the picture of the family. She pointed at the younger Judy, Penny, and Will. "What's these do? What do I do?"
So this was an alien entity, Maureen mused. She must be. But how could Maureen explain? The girl looked at her with pleading eyes. Maureen just hugged her. She felt sympathy for the child, alien illusion or not. It didn't matter why she was there, or how she had come to be. What mattered was that she was here now, and Maureen would care for her just the same.
The next morning, Maureen woke up again. She looked over at the empty bed on the other side of the room. John was still gone, and so was the mysterious young girl. Had it all been a dream?
Sighing, she got up, and headed to the Galley on the other side of the deck for her morning coffee and breakfast. But to her surprise, her family was waiting for her. "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!" said Judy, Penny and Will in unison. Maureen smiled widely. She had almost forgotten! The kids each presented her with cards, showing how much they really did love their mother. Don, Doctor Smith, and the Robot were there too, and she cared about them too. As far as Maureen was concerned, after so long together, the entire crew of the Jupiter 2 was a family. But someone wasn't there yet…
As if on cue, the Space Pod docked with the Jupiter 2, and John Robinson stepped out, still wearing his spacesuit. "Sorry it took me so long, darling, but I brought you these." He presented Maureen with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Maureen smiled and embraced him. Doctor Smith was going on and on about being allergic to the flowers, and about having been the mother of a plant once, but eventually, Maureen had the time to make a speech, about how much her family meant to her. But even with Maureen, John, Judy, Penny, Will, Don, Doctor Smith, the Robot, and Debbie all together, Maureen still felt as if someone was missing. She wondered if she would ever find out more about the young child of the night.
Returning to the embraces of her family, Maureen Robinson was lost in love.