"Smith?!" West called out.

The figure commanded the large feline creature to return to him and it dutifully obeyed, bounding up the hillside to join him at his side. The voice left no doubt in the Major's mind.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?!" the Major complained.

Smith stood overlooking the two men, trying to process the mix of emotions overwhelming him. He was glad to see they'd come back for him, but anger at being left still simmered below the surface.

That is Major West, Smith explained.

Ah. The irritating one.

Yes, Smith smirked.

Smith bounded as gracefully and quickly down the hill as the beast who accompanied him, having done it hundreds of times. He grasped the spear with both hands and removed it from the soft sand. He leveled it menacingly near the Major's throat. "If I had wanted to kill you, Major, you would be dead. I was keeping you from making a dangerous mistake." He sat the butt of the spear on the ground and stroked the head of the beast beside him. "Artemis is hungry. Unless you wish to be her dinner, I suggest you not threaten her again."

"Threaten HER?! She..."

"Smith, we were hoping to find you alive and well," the Professor interrupted, attempting to soften the doctor's attitude and defuse the situation.

"Ah, hoping to assuage your guilt for abandoning me here in the first place?" Smith said as he brushed past the Professor and entered his dwelling, tossing the vegetation in the storage container in the corner. Artemis followed closely behind and the Professor gave her a wide berth. When he tried to enter, Artemis turned and growled a warning. Smith called her off and allowed the Professor and Major entrance. He was still angry with them, but not unreasonable. He'd hear what they had to say.

Artemis jumped up on to the bed and made herself comfortable while she watched these unfamiliar people talk with Smith. They seemed friendly enough, but she'd keep her eye on them.

"You built this yourself?" the Major marveled.

"Do you find that hard to believe, Major?" Smith asked.

"Well..." he thought a moment and decided now was not the time to insult the man. He'd been through enough already. He still couldn't believe the man had survived. "No, it's just you were never all that industrious before."

"Perhaps, Major, we should leave you on this planet for a few years by yourself and see how industrious you become in your attempts to survive."

Rather than escalate the discussion, the Major decided to bow out gracefully. "Point taken."

Curiosity got the better of the Professor and he decided to ask a few questions. He nodded towards Artemis. "Uh, Smith, where'd you get the..."

"Cat?" Smith interrupted. "I found Artemis as a newborn cub. Kai… ate her mother..." Smith wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Is Artemis responsible for that?" the Professor pointed to the faded scars on Smith's tanned chest.

Smith looked down and briefly relived the memories of that horrible encounter. He shook his head. "No, no. She saved me from the creature responsible for that." Smith sat down next to Artemis on the bed. Her tail flopped lazily back and forth as Smith stroked her back.

"You had some close calls then?" the Professor asked.

"You have no idea," Smith answered, his voice tinged with anger. "Professor, you didn't come all this way to play twenty questions. What is it that you want?"

The Professor was a little taken aback by Smith's attitude, but he could certainly understand why the man was angry. "We want you to come back. We want you to leave here with us."

That was precisely what Smith was expecting the Professor to say, but even though he was prepared for it, even though it was what he had wanted for the past two years, he found himself conflicted. Joining the Robinsons again meant leaving Artemis. He needed time to become comfortable with the idea, if that were possible. And if he did go back, would they get rid of him again the next time it became convenient? He couldn't be sure.

"I see," Smith began. He paused for a moment and then added, "I will need to take some time to give the idea some thought."

"What?! We came almost a light year back here to rescue you from this hellhole and you have to give the idea some thought?!" the Major fumed.

The Professor tried to quiet the man. Artemis did it for him with a mighty roar that rattled both men to their cores.

Hearing their mother's angry roar piqued the cubs' interest and they came bounding into the room. They jumped up on to the bed and climbed all over her.

Smith smiled. "Artemis isn't fond of loud noises, Major. Especially around her cubs. You'd best keep your volume under control."

The Professor shot the Major a look that reinforced that sentiment. The Major relented and let the Professor continue.

"I know you're angry with us, Smith. You have every right to be. You warned us about Kai, but we dismissed you and did so rather lightly. We let ourselves be fooled and you had to pay the consequences. For that, we're truly sorry. We're also very relieved that you survived. When we discovered Kai's true intentions, we were sure he had killed you before we left this planet because you were able to see what he really was. Despite the very real possibility you were already dead, we came back anyway. We couldn't, in good conscience, be uncertain about your fate and if there was any possibility, no matter how slim, that you were alive, we had to come back for you."

Smith listened to the Professor, stone-faced. Truth be told, he was moved by the man's words, but the anger that had percolated in him so long would not be easily quelled. It would take time, which is what he had asked for before the Major's outburst.

"I appreciate your efforts, Professor, but as I told you before, I need some time."

"We understand," the Professor acknowledged. "Take as much time as you need. If you need us or would just like to visit, the Jupiter 2 is due north of here. The kids and Maureen would love to see you."

Smith nodded, but said nothing more. The Professor took that as his cue to leave and the Major followed closely behind.

As the two men trekked back to the ship, the Major continued the rant that Artemis had cut short. "I can't believe, after we came all this way, Smith resorts to playing these games with us."

"It's not a game."

"What do you mean? Of course it's a game. It's just like Smith to..."

"It's a matter of trust. In his mind, we abandoned him here, Don. That isn't far from the truth. We knew full well his chances were slim without us and without the ship. His trust in us has been shattered. It won't be rebuilt overnight. I take it as a good sign he's asking for time and not asking us to leave instead."

The Major mulled the Professor's words quietly for a moment. "You're right," he conceded. "Look, I'm sorry about that outburst back there. I suppose I was expecting him to be happy to see us."

"Oh, he's happy to see us. He's just not letting us know that," the Professor concluded.

Don smiled. "He always did like to be contrary."

"That he did," John agreed.

As soon as the two men left, Smith could no longer contain his emotions. The dam burst and he wept. Artemis, confused at the conflicting signals, rubbed her head underneath his chin in an attempt to console him. He sank his face into her soft fur and whispered, "They came back for me. They came back..."