"With the rate of shit we have to make, my math says that we have two months to spend on Afterstep."

The family cheered loudly as Locksmith poked at his food at first then looked up toward the stars, notably silent, then took a bite out of the fish with the fork. B-9 had his back toward the Robinsons facing the direction of the forest around them with his advanced sensors up and running.

And Judy noticed.

"Are you feeling alright, Doctor Locksmith?" Judy asked as Locksmith was about to enter the expanded craft.

Locksmith paused before answering.

"Fine given the circumstance," Locksmith said. "A few more months away from them . . . Is simply too long."

Judy followed him in then watched as he tucked Debbie the Bloop into the closet and put a orange uniform jacket over her figure.

"You are the most heartsick person that I have met," Judy said.

Locksmith chuckled then looked up noticing that the door behind her was hanging open.

"Very."

He turned his back toward her.

"I am making some muffins for tomorrow," Locksmith said. "Strawberry muffins. Like some in the morning?"

"It has been a while since I have had muffins," Judy said.

"First thing in the morning before they are all gone." Locksmith said. "I hadn't had these special muffins longer than you had."

"I bet you haven't." Judy chuckled then went out.

Locksmith watched her trail down the steps to the craft then the door close behind her then took out the necessary ingredients, the necessary eggs, then began the preparation, stirring, then was startled by a deep voice.

"Hello."

Locksmith jumped back then clenched on to his tunic.

"Oh, my dear boy." Locksmith looked down upon the boy. "It is just you."

"What are you doing?"

"Making muffins."

"Did mom ask you to make these?"

"More sweets that can be flushed out of your body with the fluid the sooner that we can leave this paradise!" Locksmith exclaimed as he continued to stirr in his arm. "A tasty snack that benefits our fuel."

"Hm, I can see that." Will nodded then tilted his head quickly raising his brows. "Have you made muffins before?"

"Several." Locksmith said. "Please, get the muffin platter out."

"Sure." Will knelt down, slid the door open, moved the lazy susan aside, then slid the platter and slid up to his feet and came to Locksmith's side putting the muffin platter on the stove. "Those aren't blueberry."

"It is perfect," Locksmith said. "And they aren't."

"That will be nice." Will said. "Did you do this often with your family?"

"Not often with certain hardship." Locksmith admitted. "Not often enough as I should have."

He waited a good five minutes before exiting the craft and peeking his head out, noticing Don, Penny, and Will running around trying to catch what appeared to be fireflies with B-9's assistance carrying a glass bottle. In fact, as the bulbs of light went past certain parts, all of the family members were holding glass bottles. Locksmith began to smile, widely, at the amusing sight listening to their laughter.

Not entirely focused on surviving against the very welcoming planet. A planet, that would have been uncharacteristically hostile in other terms, quickly becoming boring and mundane with little to enjoy. The grass was covered in a layer of night moisture with insects chirping about beneath the family.

Don abruptly stopped then turned toward the man.

"You!" Don pointed toward Locksmith. "Whatever you are planning, I am in!"

Locksmith stared at him, at first, then proceeded to laugh.

"I hate to be a bother, but, I have a bowl ready to be licked very soon that is full of raw strawberry and certain muffin ingredients."

"How much is left?" Penny asked.

"A lot to go around." Locksmith said.

"I am still in!" Don insisted.

"Hold on, my dears, I will get the spoons and detach the mixers." Locksmith vanished then returned to the outside carrying a yellow bowl.

It was morning when Judy came into the widened spacecraft with everything rearranged and moved that it had been the night before. The kitchen was further away from the door than it had been before. The kitchen had further distance from the front half of the ship and the back end bore more resemblance to a corridor at a house.

She walked down the corridor then spotted in the other end were on submarine styled beds that had been set up over night, were Will, Penny, and Don respectively. There were large holes divided by layers of metal that made up other berths to rest in. Judy smiled then came back the corridor that she had entered then spotted Locksmith at the table polishing off what appeared to be a beagle. Across from him was a impressive sight; muffins, well decorated cookies, beagles, and fudge brownies.

"We need to discuss about your time being paralyzed in ice," Locksmith said. "More so, you need to talk."

"I have already discussed this with Harris." Judy said.

"But, she is not a doctor," Locksmith argued back. "She may have left more wounds than necessary. More wounds that . . ." he slid aside the plate of crumbs then leaned forward locking his hands together in a fist on the table. "simple love, comfort, and time cannot heal without having discussed it into detail."

"According to her file, she is a physicist."

"Not a family psychologist. She used you. She made you talk about it but she did not once reassure you that everything is okay in acceptable way. Did she not?"

Judy was silent.

"You need to discuss this." he slid out of the seat then approached the younger woman. "If you don't, you will never regard ice the same." he shook his head. "Let alone. . ." he winced, looking aside, grimacing then his eyes returned on to her. "swimming for that matter."

"I haven't seen it the same." Judy admitted.

"Please, sit down." Smith gesture toward the seat across from him and she did as instructed. "I won't use this information against you."

Judy looked up toward him.

"I won't use it as a weapon and I will never sow seeds of discord in the minds of your family." Judy tilted her head. "Are we clear?"

"Yes. . . why?"

"That is a line that a survivor should never cross if they intend to survive in space and make it back home." Smith said. "Survivors have to get along with who they got. Not try and get them killed intentionally. She had no reason to. She didn't sabotage a single thing, she wasn't hired to perform the sabotage, become trapped in her assignment, become desperate to return home-" he closed his eyes, his fingers tapping on his knuckles, then exhaled. "She had a clean slate."

"You don't?"

He looked up with his bright blue eyes flashing open.

"I have done things that I deeply regret and wish it didn't have to happen to make sure that they lived. I am not sure. . . I am not sure my family can forgive me for things I did in the beginning. Things I did to make ensure their survival. Would they even see me as the same man?" He looked down. "I wonder on lone nights; would they abandon me on a alien planet to die? If I confessed to everything?"

Locksmith looked aside, sorrowfully, making himself look smaller to her as Judy reached her hand out.

"They consider you one of their own."

Judy put her hands on to his smaller hand then smiled back at him as he bobbed his head up in alarm and his gaze shifted up toward her.

"You don't know them."

"It was Debbie the Bloop who made Don go after you," Judy said. "They wouldn't leave you behind. Back on Earth, we have a phrase for that. And we use it as Robinson quote. It's a rule that is written in stone."

"What is it, my dear?"

"Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." Judy said. Locksmith was visibly touched by her reply. "They wouldn't just take you along to remind themselves they are being human. No, Doctor Locksmith. That is called forgiveness and acceptance." She paused. "One that Harris has rejected."

"That she has,"

"She does one good thing then she does three bad things to make up for it."

"Your family knew how she came about the name Doctor Smith and yet, she tried to off them time and time and time again. More than I did. I spaced my activities out. She didn't." Locksmith said. "If your family were anything like mine; I am sure that they would have talked her out of being airlocked out before this costly mistake. If I had done what she had done; the major would have jetted me out in the first opportunity that he had in the third year on our first night shift together."

He snickered looking aside then turned his attention upon Judy. In her brown eyes, he could see the kindness that belonged to her counterpart. A counterpart that forgave so easily and was innocent as a flower. Forgiveness was a Robinson trait. A trait that carried from universe to universe of the Robinsons being lost in space. There was warmth, hope, comfort in those eyes that he saw in the most bleak of times in space.

"Don't try to change the subject, Doctor Robinson." Locksmith glared at her. "It is not I who is supposed to talk. It is you."

Judy smiled, nervously, realizing that she had been caught.

"I don't want to go back there."

"Then do you wish for it to define you?"

"No!"

"Hold your hand out."

"Okay."

"Close your eyes."

She closed her eyes.

"Imagine you are back there."

Her heart raced as certain parts of the nightmare came back, sharpened; heart racing, terror, fear-then those feelings were gone as a hand took hers and her heart ceased to be racing the way that she had. She wasn't afraid but the trapped feeling was still there. Restriction to movement became little more of a hindrance. It was difficult to look around but she found him beside her in a Jupiter 2 spacesuit that was labeled Doctor Smith. The word 'lock' had been worn away by time. Her heart stopped racing as it began to go down to a preferable level.

"I need you to imagine you are not alone."

"I am."

"I need you to tell me what sea creatures we are seeing traveling in the ice."

"Eels."

"And?"

"Strange penguins."

"Hm, oddity they are."

"They got the head of a bear,"

"Fur and all,"

"Uh huh." She started to smile. "I see the eels are running away from them." She frowned, her features knitting together, then tilted her head puzzled but disturbed. "And a strange elk. It is staring at me . . ."

"And?"

"Creepy."

"Elks can go underwater," Locksmith said. "It is natural for them. Had to find that part out the hard way."

Judy laughed.

"What ate them?" Judy asked.

"A killer whale." Locksmith said. "Nearly frightened my entire life span away!"

"I can't find a killer whale." Judy said.

"Don't be disappointed, my dear. Can't have it all." Locksmith said. "What else do you see?"

"Seals. Strange one. They have lion heads." Judy said. "But, they are flying around me, carefree, moving through ice, as if it is another dimension. That shouldn't be possible."

"Anything is possible, my dear." Locksmith replied. "Space has a different set of rules for every planet."

"They are so cute." She began to laugh. "I never seen anything like it before. I. . . I. . I might have."

"But, you didn't notice. You were scared to death and that is okay." Locksmith said. "This is what your mind is holding from you. I am not going to let you go until you have withdrawn from the memory." his voice grew gentler before her ears. "Admire what your mind has hidden from you. You won't see another like it."

Judy smiled, her heart felt lighter, the memory of being alone - trapped - in the ice beginning to lose its sharpened edge.

"Have a egg beagle for breakfast," Locksmith said. And she hadn't noticed that he had left. "Lord knows that you need it."

"Did you just leave me?" Judy frowned.

"No, I used a tool to do that. Pretty handy equipment." Locksmith said. "I am very serious about this, my dear. And mean it when I say, I won't let go until you let go."

From outside of the session, Don was leaned against the corridor watching it happen with fascination.

"If you see a megalodon," Locksmith said. "Treasure it." He looked toward the mechanic then back to Judy. "Deeply. You will not find another like it."

And Judy's smile widened.