Wesley was waiting for Will to come out from his session with Counselor Troi.

Will walked out looking more frustrated than usual. Once he saw Wesley, his expression softened a bit and he walked over. "Hi Wesley."

"Hey Will. I take it that the session wasn't as therapeutic as desired."

Will motioned for both of them to start walking. Once they started toward Will's living quarters, he sighed and said "It's just so frustrating because he knows when I'm talking with Counselor Troi. I mean of course he knows. I haven't told him the time of the sessions. I tell him to contact me during the session, and he never does! Of course he's gunna skip some because of who cares why, but how on earth does he always miss 100% of them? If he would just open up the connection for a split second while counselor Troi is looking, then she would have proof. But he doesn't, so it still appears to be my mind messing with me. It's so frustrating because I see her. I know she wants to think it's real too. But it all just seems too… improbable to her."

"I'm sorry Will. That's infuriating."

"Thank you." He sighed. "Do you know what I wish? If he was actually in my brain instead of just talking to it, then all of this would be so much easier. Counselor Troi could sense him. You all have probably figured out how to separate two entities from one body right? That would be so much simpler."

"…Would it?"

Will thought a moment more, then he smiled at Wesley. "No. No I suppose it wouldn't."

Wesley smiled back, glad he could help even if it was fractionally and in the form of two words. He lightly shoved Will's shoulder. "Hey. I came here to tell you something exciting. Two exciting things actually."

"Great. I could use some excitement."

"Well listen to this, Lieutenant Data has requested a meeting with you and your robot!"

Will stopped in his steps. Will's smile grew, his dreary demeanor decreasing tenfold. "Surely, you're joking. I didn't mean that much excitement." He started lightly laughing.

"I'm not joking. He asked me to ask you."

Now the only two emotions on Will's face were fear and concern. "Why?"

"He only said he wants to chat with Robot."

"…Robot's just a program. He's not even comparable with Data."

"Well I guess that hasn't deterred Data. I think you should do it. It would make Robot so happy."

Will sighed "I suppose you're right." He started walking again. "Please be there Wesley."

"Of course I will. But I think you'll like Data. Once you meet him."

"It's not a matter of not liking him. He's just so important. I mean he's third in command here. That feels quite high!"

"Ok, I can understand being nervous. Don't worry, I'll be there and help set everything up."

"Great. Then what's my second exciting news?"

"Oh you know what, that's my news actually. I'll tell you later."

"You can tell me now."

"I know. But I thought of a better way to tell you."

Will smiled at Wesley. "Then when will you tell me?"

"I know, Lets meet at the arboretum."

"Isn't that where everyone goes on dates?"

"That's not its designated purpose." Wesley protested.

"And yet that's how you used it with Suzanne Dumont."

Wesley blushed remembering. That date didn't really go anywhere, but it wasn't because of what Geordy said. Wesley often made that clear in his mind.

"It's just good for conversing. I know! I'll tell Data to meet us there as well. That'll be Perfect."

Will's body stiffened for a moment. Then he said "Ok yeah. Let's do that."

As the two decided on a date and time to meet, they had made it to where their paths diverged.

"Ok. I'll run it by Data."

"Swell. Then I'll see you later Wesley." Will said.

"Oh wait, can I ask you one quick question?"

"Always."

"There's just this old wives' tale. Nothing really. It says you did actually come back to earth, specifically in Vermont, soon after you left but you were alone and never went anywhere else. That's just ridiculous, so it's obviously not true, right?"

Will thought. "Oh yeah! I was so young then." Will started reminiscing.

"That source was reliable!? Ok. How?" There was an urgency to his tone.

"We found a matter-transfer machine on Priplanus, so using Robot as the reference point for earth, I had him send me there using the machine, and at a set time he beamed me back. No one believed what I said, so I wasn't able to contact alpha control and I had to go back before I could get help. Gosh. What times."

"Ok. I'll archive that somewhere. See yeah." Wesley started walking away munbling "Amazing."

Will was walking though the arboretum, Robot in hand, mentally trying to name all the types of trees he saw.

Once he got to their meeting destination, he started staring at the recently formed crack on Robot's head. He was lost in thought when Wesley tapped him on the shoulder. Will startled. "Holy- Oh. Wesley. You can't be that silent." He turned around and was astounded by what he saw. Wesley in a red Ensign uniform. "Wesley! You didn't! You got into the academy!"

"No actually."

"Huh? But you passed the written exam. And you," Will ended that sentence by gesturing at Wesley's shirt.

"I did. But Captain Picard gave me a field promotion to official ensign so I could still remain on the enterprise."

Will was ecstatic. "Are you serious! That's perfect! This couldn't have had a better outcome. Congratulations Wesley!"

"Thank you Will." Wesley's face was beaming with pride, but then his smile faltered.

Will asked the moment he clocked this shift "Was there a better outcome?"

Wesley shook his head and tried to bring back his previous smile. "No. I think this was the best for me. I guess I just couldn't get what another ensign said out of my head. But I'll stop mulling over it soon, so don't worry about it."

"Tell me anyways?"

"Well," Wesley was hesitant to bring up something so trivial, but Will asked, so he wanted to answer. "Two others were just gossiping, saying that I got the field promotion to ensign not because of merit, but because of nepotism."

"Ok, yeah. You're right. It should be both." Will said. Captain Picard works closely with Wesley's mother after all.

Wesley looked taken aback. "I like to think my merit itself was enough."

"It is enough! I'll even venture to say it's more than enough. And you could still gain an advantage through nepotism. Both things can be true at once."

Wesley nodded his head as if he agreed with Will, but still had to process the logic in his mind.

Will sighed, seeing Wesley's ideals getting the better of him. "Listen, nepotism will always exist Wesley. That's the nature of having relationships with people. Do you think I would have gotten on the Jupiter II if my parents weren't who they are? And look at that situation. What did nepotism get me? Lost. It got me a constant stream of aliens trying to kill me. Yes, it sounds like an unfair advantage, but time has a way of evening that advantage out." Will was looking deeply into the arboretum.

"…"

"Wait no. I'm not saying this promotion won't be good for you! Forget that last part. Life is random. That's what I meant to say. Remember that part."

Wesley couldn't stop thinking about that last part, but the conversation had to continue, he forced his brain to hit pause. He smiled at Will and said "Yeah. That makes sense. I knew you would get it."

"Excuse me."

Both boys turned around to see who had talked. Will's eyes bulged. Data was here.

"Lieutenant Data. Good to see you." Wesley said.

"Hello Wesley. And hello Will Robinson. It is a pleasure to meet you." Data said.

Will stood there silently, looking hesitantly at Data.

Wesley took it as him being starstruck. He swooped in to help. "Data, you wanted to chat with Robot, right?" He motioned to the head being held by Will at stomach height.

"That is correct." Data said.

"Yes, that's right." Will mumbled while lifting up Robot to conversation height.

Wesley hadn't expected Will to be faltering to such an extent.

"Nice to meet you Robot." Data said.

"Hello Lieutenant Data. Wesley has told me about you. You are a robot as well."

Will snapped out of his daze to reprimand Robot. "Don't call him that. Sorry Lieutenant Data. That was rude, wasn't it?"

"I do not have the ability to be offended by anyone's comments, but if I could, I do not currently see a reason why I would be. I am also a machine of circuitry."

"Yes. But he's a bunch of programs. You're artificial intelligence."

"My artificial intelligence is also 'a bunch of programs'."

"But you are so much more, more advanced!"

"That fact may give us differences, but those differences do not negate our similarities."

"I have taken offence to that Will Robinson." Robot cut in.

"Fascinating. What have you taken offense by?" Data asked.

"He's not better than me." Robot replied. "I am just as capable as you, Mr. Intelligence."

"To say that I am more advanced does not imply that I am strictly 'better'. I may have more complicated wiring, but we were designed for different purposes. It should not cause you distress that I can outperform you in what I am programmed to do."

"Prove you are more advanced than me." Robot said, not fully able to process what Data was saying.

"Ok. What was your original programming's purpose before Dr. Smith reprogramed you?"

"I was an environmental-control robot."

"And what did Dr. Smith first reprogram you to do before further reprogramming?"

"I was programmed to destroy the spaceship and all hands on board."

This statement hung on Wesley's mind. He had learned about that once Starfleet released Robot's datafiles, but now that information was truly sinking in.

"And what is the purpose of your current programming?"

"To protect Will Robinson."

"Now what if I told you that your purpose is to stop protecting Will Robinson?"

"…That does not compute."

"There is your proof. You need human interference to change what actions you take, whereas I decide when and what I do."

Robot remained silent.

"This has been a fascinating conversation Robot."

"My conversations are always fascinating." He replied.

Wesley smiled. He noticed that Will was more rigid than before.

"Before I go, may I ask why you have that crack on you? Your exterior is made of glass and that cut is easily reparable on our ship."

Will jumped in. "He says he doesn't want it fixed because he says it's a reminder."

"A reminder for what?" Data asked.

Robot answered, "A reminder that even if we are no longer lost, Will Robinson still needs me to protect him from danger."

Data looked to Will for answers. Will avoided eye contact.

Wesley recalled the origin of that crack. It was when Sarek was on the ship making everyone act out their emotions to an extreme level. Wesley wasn't there, but Will had told him that Dr. Smith was trying to talk to him while he was having an emotional surge. So then Dr. Smith tried to calm him down, but it just kept making him angrier and angrier until to got to such high levels that Robot started alerting Will of the danger of his anger and that made him explode, so he threw Robot as hard as he could, giving him that crack.

Data calculated the best action was to not inquire further. "It's been a pleasure meeting you both."

Will shook his head and smiled at Data. "Thank you." They shook hands. "I would love to meet again sometime to chat. Would that be ok?"

"I think that can be arranged."

Will sighed with a breath of relief. "That's great." Data went to let go of Will's hand, but Will was holding on tight.

Will released that hand once he realized what he was doing. He started rubbing his neck. "Do you think it would be possible to arrange that now?"

"Yes, it is."

Will sighed out another breath of relief. The two made arrangements, and gave their farewell's. Data walked off.

Wesley walked up to Will. "I didn't expect you to be so nervous."

"Huh? Oh yeah, well, that's what I was expecting."

"And I especially didn't expect you to arrange to see Data again!" Wesley truly hadn't seen that coming.

Will started rubbing his neck again. "Yeah well, he is third in command after all. Haha."

Wesley stared at Will, perplexed by this response.

"Thanks for staying with me through that. I don't know what I would have done without you there."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

The two smiled at each other and gave themselves another round of goodbyes.

Wesley gave him a goodbye hug, and the two went off to ruminate about what that had heard.