All characters which are Joss’ are not mine, all that are mine are not his. I have gleaned no remuneration for my efforts herein.

*****

Scene 1:

(Long shot, moving fast, past nursery where newborns seem to track the passing, down hallway we hear babies, coaching, women in labor, staff conversing. Turn into a room with a woman in hard labor, she looks up as if to say “I’m busy, who are you?”, turn around and try again several doors down and across hall where we see Jazmine and a nurse with a clipboard standing over someone in a bed, move in to reveal Zoe resting and beaming at two small bundles.)

NURSE: Little angels. My gramma always said their eyes were still seeing into Heaven. ‘Course she also said aliens were going to put me in a pickle jar.

ZOE: Then they’re talking with their Daddy, pickles or no. Wish he was here right now.

JAZ: (rubs her arm) He is.

NURSE: You had a hard morning Mrs. Washburne. I hate to disturb your rest, but I need to get their names for the records if you’ve decided.

ZOE: Hoban and Matilda Washburne.

NURSE: Matilda?

ZOE: Something wrong with Matilda?

NURSE: No, no. I just wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. The name bank doesn’t know how to spell it.

ZOE: But it knows Hoban?

NURSE: Apparently so. H-O-B-A-N?

ZOE: That’s right. Matilda: M-A-T-I-L-D-A.

JAZ: It’s pretty. So where does Matilda come from?

ZOE: Me.

JAZ: Funny. Really, why did you pick that one?

ZOE: I didn’t. Wash loved that name. Said he wanted to name a little girl that if we ever had one.

He used to walk around singing this silly song over and over. Something about Dancing Matilda. He’d change the dance every time he sang it. Tangoing Matilda, whatever came into his head.

You remember when the Ska-bu promenade came out? That one gave him trouble. He walked around for a week trying to make that one fit, then sang it for another after he did. Something about a ghost in there too, as I recall.

JAZ: I’ve heard it. Waltzing was the original version. It’s ancient. Sounds