Maureen Robinson awoke in the early hours of the simulated morning aboard the Jupiter 2. She checked the space calendar- back on Earth, today would be Valentine's day.
Her husband was already out of bed. Still wearing her fancy nightgown, she crept silently out of her cabin and walked around the dimly lit lower deck, ignoring the galley as she glanced around. Penny and Will were still asleep, but Judy was up and about, heading for Don's cabin and trying not to be seen, wearing an unusually fancy dress. She stopped when she saw her mom was awake.
"Oh, it's alright Judy, go on ahead." Maureen said in a loving conspiratorial whisper." Happy Valentines day- we'll have the FAMILY celebration later, but I might as well give you this now. "
Maureen went back into her cabin and gave a card to Judy. When she opened it, she almost cried about what was inside.
"Thank you mother- I…I love you." She hugged her mom tightly, then went back in the direction of Don's cabin. Maureen smiled, then turned away, heading for the elevator and up to the Upper Level.
She found the control room of the Jupiter 2 candlelit romantically, with John leaning against the Astrogator holding flowers- flowers which he presented to her. There were heart shaped decorations on the walls, and romantic music played softly. She beamed at her husband, at a loss for words over his beautiful gesture.
"You know darling, today is Valentines day." Said John. "I figured I should give you these."
The flowers were real, and in water. Maureen remembered challenging John to try gardening a few weeks back, she never dreamed that the alien seeds would grow into such beautiful twin flowers. John had really gone overboard this year, but she loved it.
"Why John Robinson, you hopeless romantic. Thank you so much! I actually was preparing something for you too."
From her bag, Maureen pulled out an ornate book and handed it to John. He opened it, and nearly cried tears of joy himself. It was a photo album of sorts, filled with art and images from lost times, both on Earth and off it. A time that John thought had been lost forever, preserved on paper, with excerpts of diary entries too. John smiled warmly.
"I love you Maureen. I will always love you."
Looking through the book, John found a very old picture of him and Maureen in very fancy Earth outfits- it brought back a surge of happy memories for both of them.
"Remember our first Valentine's day together back on Earth?" He asked her.
"Oh, I certainly do- all the big family gatherings… my how things have changed since then. " Maureen stared off at the viewport. The Jupiter 2 was on course for a vaguely heart shaped red nebula.
"Well we can still celebrate, even in space." Said John " And now we have kids of our own."
"Of course- the holiday is about love, and I can't think of anyone more loving than this family- all of us. I've prepared a special something for the kids too- well, there are valentines cards of course, but I'll be giving them a book, sort of like the one I gave you, but filled with drawings they made when they were younger."
"Awe, that's wonderful, and I have something for them too. But I still worry…"John trailed off.
"Worried about the strain on the replicator generator? Don't worry, a lot of these are handmade." But Maureen sensed that John was worried about something else too. After a moment of deep thought, he spoke. Maureen sensed that he was about to start one of his long lectures about family, but this one was a little different.
"Well, I love it, and the kids will too. They were just asking if we were doing something for Valentines day yesterday. The ingenuity and caring this family maintains, even through such hardship, never ceases to amaze me. But I still worry that soon, it won't be enough. Our kids are growing up, Maureen; Penny and Will are just about at 'that' age. Judy has Don of course, but our kids- they won't be able to ever have relationships like us for the foreseeable future, they won't even be able to have friends their own age. We'll give them Valentines, and I know they make them for us, but I think they're starting to realize what they've missed. I want to do something special for them, but how can I ever recreate that magic? I'm almost hoping some 'space cupids' will show up, just to make things interesting for them!"
"Well, John, let me tell you a story. When I was young, I didn't have very many friends either- I started dating as a teen, of course, but it wasn't the same. I never really got to know my parents. My grandmother loved me, but she was always more interested in 'practical things'. And my sister was always busy. One year, I even made Valentines for all the animals on our farm, and for all my stuffed animals. Now, that was very fun, but I still felt lonely… until I met you, and had our kids. That was when I discovered the true meaning of love… the true meaning of family."
She leaned in and kissed her husband. She shared his concern, but she knew it would be okay. Just being together was magical already…
At the same time, on the Lower Level, Judy had entered Don's quarters.
"Hello Don." said Judy.
"Oh hey, Judy. Oh, Happy Valentines day! I'm sorry, I almost forgot."
"Well, I didn't" She handed Don a valentine she had made him. For once, Don West didn't know what to say. It was a painting, an actual painting of the two of them, standing on a golden meadow with a giant red heart sun. Judy waited for Don's reaction. She really hoped he loved it. She hoped she hadn't gone too far.
"It's beautiful Judy. You know, when I was growing up, I never celebrated this holiday much. Sure, I had relationships, maybe a few too many relationships back in the day, but I never knew true love until I met this family. And you." Judy and Don kissed for a long, romantic few moments, then she said. "Did you make anything for me?"
"Oh, just a card, I'm making these for everyone, even Smith. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more."
"It's okay, Don. YOU are my Valentine."
"I feel the same way Judy. I love you. And maybe next Valentines day, we'll be married. But just being with you is the best thing I could ever ask for. Every day is like Valentine's day when you're around."
"Oh, Don!" Within a few moments, they were dancing in slow motion in the main room of the Lower Deck. Maureen and John descended from the Upper Level, and, without a word, joined in on the dancing. But soon, it was time to wake up the kids for the family celebration. The adults all rushed to decorate the Lower Deck with hastily 3D printed banners and decorations.
An hour later, everyone, well, almost everyone was in the spirit of the holiday as they exchanged Valentines. Judy had made cards for everyone that were somewhat less detailed than the giant painting she had made for Don, but still very loving. Penny made drawings for everyone, and Will made some very creative, homemade electronic valentines.
"This Does Not Compute!" said the Robot, but he replicated Valentines for the others anyway. Amusingly though, the Robot's valentines were shaped like Diode Timers, his version of a heart.
"I really don't see what all of this festivity is about." Said Doctor Smith. "Around here, we discover the 'true meaning of love' every other week, but I always associate Valentine's day with romantic love, champagne, caviar, etcetera. Without those delicacies and delights, it really isn't Valentine's day, is it? Indeed, oh the pain, the pain." The doctor heaved a long sigh and grimaced through the party.
But even Smith couldn't help but be happy when he received valentines from the kids, and even from Don. "Here you go, Doctor". Said Will, and Smith was very touched to see that Will had drawn a picture of the two of them, and the Robot, together. It may not have been as detailed as that hideous thing Judy had painted for Don, Smith thought, but he rather preferred Will's version, which seemed to depict him as some sort of cartoon space hero, which the doctor found to be very fitting. Penny gave him one of her old notebooks, which she hoped he would use to write his memoirs, and a big slice of cake, just like the one he had stolen from her birthday party two years ago. Smith smiled again. They were too kind to him. But he appreciated it, although he had always thought Valentines day was just about the cards. Then it was Don's turn, and Smith prepared for catastrophe.
"You know, I felt just like you once, Smith. " said Don, in a rare moment of understanding for the doctor. "But the Robinsons, they changed my mind. I hope they've done the same for you. Still, I thought it was about time I give you something too, since you're 'such a credit to this expedition' and all"
Don then handed a MASSIVE fluffy heart shaped card to Smith. It was intended as more of a joke, Penny and Will couldn't help but giggle. Judy was also amused, but perhaps also a bit jealous. And deep down, the doctor appreciated it anyway.
This actually wasn't the first time he had celebrated the holiday, and not just because of its bloody history with his family. But all of Smith's romantic relationships so far had ended in tragedy, and this occasion always reminded him of that. Was there anyone out there who could truly love him, faults and all, he wondered. But the Robinsons, and even Don, were those people. Not all love had to be romantic, Smith saw them more like a family- more of a family than he had ever had. Like all families, they had their disagreements, but they put all of that aside for this holiday, and Smith thought that was beautiful.
But eventually, he had enough and retired to his cabin. He lit a candle there too, and sat down to work on some writing. On his bed, he found a strange card. "To Doctor Smith, from your secret admirer." It said. He couldn't recognize the handwriting. Secret admirer? Was this some alien trick? He would suspect the Major, but he had already given Smith a ridiculous card. As ominous as it was, Smith did find the thought of having a secret admirer somewhat pleasing. "Lovely.." he said to himself. Outside of his cabin, the Robot laughed happily with his robotic laugh, but Smith didn't notice.
As the day went on and on, with no space cupids or other dangers yet to spoil the fun, two other members of the family began to get sad. Maureen glanced knowingly at her husband, then walked over to sit next to Penny and Will, who had snuck off to the upper deck, away from the party, and were staring sadly into space beyond.
"That nebula is so beautiful" said Penny. "I wonder if anyone lives there."
"Probably not," said Will. "It may look like a heart, but its probably just a big cloud of fire gas from a supernova or a space volcano. And anyway, I'm sure we won't go there anyway, it's not on our flight plan."
"Not on our flight plan…" Penny repeated sadly, longingly. She closed her eyes and imagined happier times.
"Are you thinking about Earth?" their mom asked, settling in beside them. "I miss those days too. But I would say we've had a pretty good valentines day up here in space, too. And I don't see the harm in stopping by that nebula." She smiled. "Maybe we can even take a tour of it in the space pod."
"The pod's sort of shaped like a heart." Said Penny. "Yeah, right" said Will, shaking his head.
"Ooo, can we name it the Valentine Nebula?" Penny asked. Will couldn't help but laugh, but Maureen said "Sure, I think that's perfect." After a moment, she said. "I just want you kids to know that I love you more than anything. You mean the world, no, the universe, to me. You're more beautiful and inspiring than any nebula in space."
"Gee thanks mom- we love you too." said Will. The three kids got up from their seats and gave their mom a tight, loving hug. Maureen had a sudden flash of Earth, of her own childhood. She was so grateful for her kids, for her family. Then she remembered something. "Hold on kids, I'll be right back." She said. "I have something else for you."
Will and Penny beamed as Maureen came back up the Elevator a few minutes later, carrying large stuffed toy animals. Will and Penny may have been technically teenagers now, but they still appreciated their adorable fluffy new friends. "These are from my childhood, they don't weigh much, so I brought them from Earth when we lifted off" said Maureen. "I figured you should have them." Will and Penny were very excited and happy. "You're the best mom in the galaxy!" said Penny. Maureen still felt guilty for all the things the children had missed, but at least they were happy. And there were no dangers or drama today, so that also helped.
"You know," said Will, "This has been a real good Valentine's day." But then he thought of something. "But Penny and I were thinking, we love our family so much, but we're not alone in space either. We've made a lot of friends along the way."
"Yea!" said Penny. "Like Mr. Nobody, J5, the princesses, Kyvrya, Oggo, Verda" Penny continued to list the names of all the alien friends she had made in space. "Athena, Aunt Gamma, Carlos, Neptunya, the flouwen, Mister Hapgood, Vijay, Samantha, Mister Zeedan, 'Isabella', Maya, Zapulon, Mister Arcon, Wayvee, Klaatu, NOT Quano, Avrynn, Altaira, DayThought, Brigitta, Volaca…"
"Boy, you sure have a lot of space friends, Penny" said Will. "But yea, we were wondering if we could maybe send Valentines to some of them by radio rocket? I mean, we know their astral numbers and all."
"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea. " said Maureen. "But a lot of these friends of ours are aliens, they might not understand our Earth customs. Even on Earth, not everyone celebrates, and that's okay. What really matters is the spirit of love."
"We can spread the Valentines spirit to the stars!" said Penny. "Judy's always sending messages to her cousin Joan, why can't we do that with our space friends?" Will asked.
Maureen couldn't argue with her children's enthusiasm, and after her conversation with John earlier, she was glad that they did have friends out there, even if they were mostly unknown aliens. Sending messages to beings all across the universe wasn't exactly a traditional valentines day, but that was okay. Soon, the entire family was onboard with the idea, and radio rockets carrying message signals from every member of the family were launched from the Jupiter 2 into space.
"This is absurd" said Smith. "By sending these messages out into space, we're practically inviting aliens to attack us! What if one of these vehicular valentines inadvertently reaches a world like Dyrebeet, where love is a symbol of war?"
"That's very unlikely, Doctor Smith." Said John.
"Besides, didn't you try and do this very thing once, Smith?" Don recalled.
"Oh, well I suppose so". Said Smith. "I suppose I could send a message to Athena…"
In another dimension, within the green mist, Athena the Lorelei swam among the stars, singing silently. In her minds eye, she sensed something, a message, a green heart which she recognized as a symbol of love, bearing words she could not read, but somehow understood. "To Athena- from Handsome, Pretty Handsome Doctor Smith"
Elsewhere in space, aboard the F-12 lightship, J5 had sat down to a Valentine's day dinner with Colonel Fogey, when they were interrupted by a signal. "Why- it's from the Jupiter 2!" said Fogey. "They've called us for Valentine's day! It's just a shame they couldn't stop by to visit… "
J5 smiled as he read the message sent to him from Penny.
It had been a long time since Kyvrya received a message from the Jupiter 2, she thought for sure they were still mad at her. But then the message arrived, and she was very happy, even if she didn't understand what 'Valentine's day' was.
On a beautiful planet in another galaxy, Verda the android walked through a meadow with her companion, the former killer android IDAK, who she now loved. Suddenly she received a transmission. "Oh, IDAK, it's from the Robinsons!" she said. "They're celebrating a occasion called… Valentine's day."
"Valentines Day?" IDAK asked inquisitively.
"It has something to do with… love."
"Love- I love you, Verda."
"I Love you too, IDAK."
The Robinsons' message was broadcast to beings all over the nearby universe, bringing joy and confusion to many. None of the messages ever reached back to Earth, but that was okay. The Robinsons had celebrated the holiday just fine in space, and despite all the dangers they had faced, there were many people all across space who loved the crew of the Jupiter 2 very much.
Some time later, Maureen took the Robinson kids for their long awaited trip in the pod and through the beautiful swirling red expanse of the Valentine Nebula, as Penny called it. "This is so much better than a boring family gathering!" Will laughed. Even Maureen couldn't help but smile. But the peaceful tranquility was not to last. A message came through the pod's radio, from the Jupiter 2.
"Jupiter to Pod!" came the voice of John. "I need you to return immediately, Maureen! We're under attack!"
"Under attack? By whom?" Every day, there always seemed to be some danger, and holidays were no exception for the crew of the Jupiter 2.
"Well," came Don's voice. "They came from that nebula, they look sort of like babies, but with wings! And they're carrying weapons, bows and arrows… love arrows!"
"Why, they're space cupids!" said John with a massive sigh. It was a good thing his face wasn't visible over the pod transmitter system, because he looked like he was about to burst out laughing. "Space cupids… oh the pain, the pain" said Smith over the radio too.
Maureen sighed at the absurdity, but at least the kids were happy. She would have preferred a family gathering, but oh well… there were good things and bad things about living on the Jupiter 2, but one thing was for certain. There was hardly ever a dull moment in space, whether or not it was a holiday. She piloted the pod back to the Jupiter cautiously, but it was hard to concentrate when Penny and Will kept giggling about the whole predicament.