Author's note: So I got into Lost in Space, a bit late. Like around sixty years. Anyway, the one character I wanted to see more of was Judy. They could have done so much with her character, showed her insecurities at not being as smart as her siblings, explored how she wasn't as enthused about going into space, giving up on her career. And of course, there was the Don/Judy relationship that I desperately need more of.

Judy Robinson was not having a good day. She woke up early in the morning feeling nauseous, running to the bathroom to throw up, nearly knocking over Will as she did so. She slammed the door shut and emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Judy?" Will called, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, wiping her mouth. This was the fourth morning in a row that she was throwing up. Maybe she was coming down with something. But that couldn't be it. The nausea seemed to come and go.

The oldest Robinson daughter decided that she would worry about it later. Mother would expect her to help with breakfast so she should brush her teeth and take a shower while she still had the bathroom.

She felt a bit better afterwards, making her way to the galley where her mother was already preparing the meal. Maureen turned when she entered, fixing her eldest with a searching look.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? Will said you threw up this morning," the matriarch of the Robinson clan questioned.

"I am fine, Mother," Judy affirmed, feeling rather annoyed that Will was telling everyone she had thrown up. It sometimes felt like there was no privacy on this ship. Everyone had to know everyone else's business. "Why don't I fetch some herbs from the garden?"

The planet the Jupiter 2 had landed on was filled with plant life that was close to Earth. Not only did it mean that they could feast on an assortment of fruits and vegetables, they also could add some seasoning to their meals.

It was also a nice change from the barren worlds they usually landed on. The landscape was simply breathtaking, covered with green grass, mountains dotting the horizon, a crystal-clear river was nearby. It would make for a nice romantic stroll if someone could tear himself away for an hour.

Whenever I think we are making progress, we just fall back into old habits, Judy lamented. Sometimes she wondered if Don even wanted to be in a relationship. Perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but she was so frustrated. It felt like for every romantic moment they had, it was followed by weeks of barely talking unless it had to do with their safety or the ship. The last time they had any alone time was nearly three months ago.

"Judy?" Maureen's voice brought her back to the present. She beheld her daughter, searching her appearance for a sign of something.

"Sorry, Mother, I drifted." Judy shook her head. "I'll head to the hydroponic garden and get some herbs."

With that, she strolled out of the galley, not wanting her mother to start fussing over her. She had a tendency to treat every cold like it were the flu. As she made her way outside, she ran into just the person she wanted to see.

"Good morning, Don," she greeted him with a bright smile.

"It is now," Don replied cheekily, grinning at her. "Waking up to see your beautiful face is the best part of the day."

"You are a shameless flatter," Judy pretended to admonish him. "Speaking of beauty, I was thinking of taking a walk later, explore a bit. Maybe I'll pack a picnic lunch."

Don raised an eyebrow, picking up on what she was suggesting. "That sounds lovely. I don't suppose you might want some company."

"I wouldn't mind it at all," she affirmed, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "In fact, I would be pretty happy to have some companionship. Do you think Penny or Will are free?"

Don gave her a nonplussed look before deciding to play along. "I am fairly certain they are busy doing their own exploring with the Robot and Dr. Smith."

"Hmm. Then I guess you'll have to do," Judy giggled, reaching up to kiss his cheek before sweeping away, her earlier doubts vanishing. She had been a little unfair. They all had work to do, everyone had their part to play in their survival. She should be grateful for what she could get.

She was feeling giddy as she strolled to the hydroponic garden, already planning on what to bring on their date when she stopped in her tracks, her mouth dropping open in horror.

Her plants were a sickly yellow and lifeless. They were all dead. How was that possible? Judy rushed over to the table, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. They had had been growing fine last night when she checked on them. Or at least she thought they were. Had she checked on them last night? She didn't even remember. She had been so distracted the last couple of weeks, even before they had landed here.

Frustrated and angry with herself, she began ripping up the dead plants and herbs, throwing them behind her.

"The one thing I can do," she muttered. "The one thing that makes me even remotely useful and I mess it up."

"Judy, what happened?" Penny rounded the Jupiter exterior to find her sister tearing up her section of the garden.

"What does it look like?" she snapped. "I must have overwatered them or they didn't get enough water."

"But wouldn't you have noticed-?"

"Well clearly I didn't!" Judy exclaimed furiously, wondering why Penny had to press the issue. She immediately softened when she saw a flash of hurt cross her younger sister's face. "I'm sorry, Penny, I didn't mean to lash out. I've just been on edge lately."

"Do you want to talk about it?" her sister prompted, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Judy shook her head. "It isn't anything important. Nothing I won't get over." She smiled reassuringly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Penny looked doubtful, but thankfully did not continue to pester her. "Okay. If you change your mind, you know were to find me."

"Making friends with cosmic entities, frog aliens, monkey like creatures," Judy teased, unable to resist ruffling Penny's hair. Her hand missed the hair completely, getting Penny's face instead.

"You forgot I had a growth spurt," her younger sister guessed with a snicker.

Judy nodded numbly, realizing not for the first time that her siblings were no longer kids, but teenagers now. Their lives were passing them by as they continued to wonder through space, never reaching their destination.

"Sometimes I think you are still that annoying five-year-old who followed me everywhere," Judy confessed, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Then I got a shadow of my own," Penny recalled.

"Justice was so sweet," gushed Judy before bumping her shoulder playfully. "Would you mind getting some basil on Mom's table while I clean up this mess?"

"Sure." Penny gave her sister's shoulder a pat before collecting the herb and flouncing off to the Jupiter.

Judy returned to her work, frowning at the waste of supplies. She wondered if this was really going to be the rest of her life, spending her days stuck in an enclosed space with no privacy, always fighting for survival on hostile worlds, no future, no prospects.

Her stomach churned just thinking about it or maybe it was the strong smell of the herbs.

"Ah, Madame, a truly glorious meal," Doctor Smith complimented, tucking the napkin in his collar, eyeing the spread of pancakes, toast, and fake bacon. "Remind me, William, to see if we can locate any pig like creatures or any bovines so we can have some real meat for once."

The family minus Judy were sitting around the table, ready to partake in breakfast.

"Oh really?" Don jeered, watching the good doctor pile the food on his plate. "Let me guess, you would just point them out to us so we can do the dirty work."

"Major, I see no reason to sully my hands," Smith remarked, frowning when Maureen began to serve the others, preventing him from getting more. "Besides, it would be something that benefit us all."

"Right." Don rolled his eyes. "Because you care about anyone but yourself."

"I don't know if I could eat any creature we might encounter," Penny admitted. "I would feel so bad about it."

Will sent her a befuddled look. "What are you talking about? You used to eat hamburgers all the time when we were on Earth."

"They were already dead," Penny protested. When Will chuckled, she gave him a fierce glare. "You aren't one to talk, William Robinson. Remember what happened to the Christmas goose."

"The minute you named him, I know we were having ham for dinner," John reminisced, causing his wife and his daughter to chuckle as his son ducked his head in embarrassment.

"To be fair, Gunter did come to dinner," Judy commented as she walked up the table, having caught the tail end of it. "Just as a guest, not as our meal."

She took a seat in between Doctor Smith and Penny. She decided not to test her weak stomach and took a slice of toast.

"Not feeling very hungry, Judith?" Doctor Smith observed, studying her with a composed façade.

Judy almost groaned as this meant that all eyes were now on her. She felt like she was under a microscope sometimes.

"I think I must have overindulged last night," she replied. "I still feel stuffed after that wonderful meal mother cooked."

"As I recall, you scarcely touched your plate at dinner." It seemed that Doctor Smith was not letting this go.

"Is this true, Judy?" John asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Yes, but then later, I snuck into the kitchen and almost ate it all," she half-lied. She had gone to the kitchen last night, but she certainly wasn't the one who was stuffing his face. And unless he wanted to admit that to her father and Don, he would be keeping that big mouth of his shut.

Doctor Smith stiffened, knowing he was caught in a trap. Not wanting to confess his gluttony, he did not refute her words. Instead, he speared a pancake with his fork and placed it on Judy's plate.

"Your mother made basil pancakes. It might help settle your stomach," he informed her with another critical glance.

Don snorted. "Wow. I never thought there would be a day Doctor Smith would willing give up food."

"Not everyone's hearts are cold like yours, Major," Smith sniffed haughtily. "I am merely looking out for the dear girl."

"That does not compute," the Robot quipped, from his post near the entrance of the ship.

"Oh, be quiet, you obnoxious oaf," Dr. Smith groused, his head snapping around towards his silicon nemesis.

Judy sighed, trying to shut the arguing out as she nibbled at her breakfast. At least she tried to, but the Robot, Doctor Smith, and Don's insults were beginning to overlap until the point that it seemed like they were having a competition over who could speak the loudest.

"ENOUGH!" It took Judy a minute to realize she was the one who shouted. She blushed as everyone stopped to look at her. "I have a headache. I'm going to lie down."

With that, she stormed towards the Jupiter, leaving her breakfast behind. She wasn't that hungry anyway.

"What is going on with her?" John wondered. She had been acting out of sorts for a while now. He made to get up and follow her, only for Maureen to place her hand on his arm.

"Let's give her some space," she suggested. "She'll come to us when she's ready."

"Whatever it is, it is most certainly the Major's fault," Doctor Smith commented smoothly as he returned to his meal, ignoring Don's glare.

Before a fight could break out, Maureen quickly changed the subject by asking Will and Penny where they were planning to explore.

After her outburst, Judy retreated to her bedroom, flopping down on the bed, burying her face in a pillow to let out a muffled scream of frustration. She knew she had overreacted and would have to apologize eventually. But right now, she just felt like wallowing.

"Judy?" Penny stood in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

Her sister turned her head, blowing her hair out of her face. "It is your room too. Technically you don't have to ask me that."

"I'd rather not get my head bitten off," Penny told her, half-joking. She stayed where she was, an eyebrow raised.

Judy sat up and patted a spot next to her, not even refuting her sister's words. Penny smiled, darting over to her. "I'm sorry. I guess I just got up off the wrong side of the bed."

Penny cocked her head as she gave her a searching look. "I don't mean to be mean, but you've been rather irritable lately. If something is bothering you, I don't think it will make it better to keep it all bottled up."

Judy let out a heavy sigh. "A couple of weeks ago, I was making another tape for Joan." Even though she feared her cousin/best friend would never hear her messages, she still liked making them as it was the closest she would get to talking to her. "I suddenly remembered something we did as kids. We made a list of things we would do when we were twenty-five."

"Oh." Penny could see where this was going. Her sister's twenty-fifth birthday was less than a year away.

Judy continued, "By then, I was supposed to be a famous actress, have two kids, be married to Harrison Ford-"

"Isn't he already married?" Penny interjected, her brow furrowing.

"Not in my fantasy," the blonde replied, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. She then sobered. "I guess remembering all I wanted to accomplish, knowing I never will, bothered me more than I'd like to admit."

Penny made a sympathetic noise as she gave her sister a one-armed hug. "I know how you feel. This isn't exactly how I wanted things to go."

"Oh?" Judy turned her head to give her sister an apprising look.

"Don't get me wrong, I love all our adventures," the younger Robinson daughter insisted, looking down at her hands. "But I always thought that we would be at Alpha Centauri with other colonists by the time I was ready to start dating. I know that's a stupid thing to be upset about."

"No, it's not," Judy assured, grabbing her into a bear hug. "And I bet one day you are going to meet someone."

Penny snorted in derision. "Right. Because there are tons of eligible guys just wandering around out there." And the only eligible guy here is currently dating my sister, she added inwardly with a sharp pang of jealousy shooting through her.

"Hey, we have met a lot of interesting people or rather aliens," Judy amended. "I wouldn't be surprised if we meet someone who will fall desperately in love with you."

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Judy gave her a squeeze.

"You are a good sister," Penny murmured as she laid her head on Judy's shoulder.

"So are you."

Author's note: Please let me know what you think and how I am doing with the characters.