Begin Again: A "What If" Black Widow Screenplay

Scene 4A: Forgive Them

AN HOUR LATER

LOCATION: CEMETERY IN OHIO

(FADE IN. ABOUT AN HOUR HAS PASSED SINCE YELENA FLED THE OG6 DINNER FROM HELL. SHE DROVE TO THE CEMETERY IN OHIO, WHERE NATASHA WAS SUPPOSEDLY BURIED. AS SHE WALKS THROUGH THE CEMETERY, SHE SINGS "WISHING YOU WERE SOMEHOW HERE AGAIN" FROM PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.)

(YELENA GOES AND SITS BY NATASHA'S HEADSTONE, HER BACK PRESSED UP AGAINST IT)

YELENA:    Oh Natty. Too many years, fighting back tears, why can't the pass just die? Wishing you were somehow here again, knowing we must say goodbye. Try to forgive, teach me to live, give me the strength to try. No more memories, no more silent tears, no more gazing across the wasted years. Help me say goodbye. Help me say . . . goodbye. (STARTS CRYING QUIETLY)

(TIME PASSES AND SOON LIGHT FOOTSTEPS CAN BE HEARD APPROACHING. SELENE APPEARS AND WALKS OVER TO YELENA.)

SELENE:    I thought I'd find you here.

YELENA:    Am I really that predictable?

SELENE:    (SITS BESIDE HER) Not really. We're a lot alike, you know. I would and have done the same thing.

YELENA:    (PASSES HER THE VODKA BOTTLE. SELENE TAKES A SIP.)
Thanks for backing me up in there.

SELENE:    You're welcome. That's what a good second in command would do.

(THERE IS A PAUSE BETWEEN THE GIRLS. THE BOTTLE IS PASSED BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM)

SELENE:    Did I ever tell you that my whole family was murdered.

YELENA:    (LOOKS AT HER, WIDE EYED) Really? I'm so sorry.

SELENE:    How much do you know about me? About my story?

YELENA:    Not much, other than what you've told me.

SELENE:    Well, I was born in Hungary and lived just an hour north of Budapest. Before I became a vampire, the Lycan's were the daylight guardians of the vampires. Slaves. There were three Elders. Viktor, Markus and Amelia. Markus was technically the first vampire even though we were always taught that Viktor was. Markus had a brother, William, the first ever Lycan. Lycan's hadn't evolved back then so they could not change back into a man.

YELENA:    Sounds chaotic.

SELENE:    That's an understatement. (THERE IS A PAUSE AS SELENE THINKS OF WHAT TO SHARE NEXT.)

SELENE:    My father was a locksmith and was hired by Viktor to build a tomb for William, the first ever Lycan who was out of control. Lucian, a Lycan that was raised by Viktor and then tortured for falling in love with his daughter, Sonja, started a riot and escaped. That is when the war between Lycans and Vampires started. By this time, my father knew too much about everything going on so one day Viktor came and killed my whole family. My parents, my sister and my twin nieces. Their screams woke me.

YELENA:    (LOOKS SAD AND HORRIFIED, UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY.)

SELENE:    Viktor blamed it on the Lycans. That night he turned me into a vampire and gave me the strength to avenge my family against the Lycans. I didn't look back. I spent over 300 years hunting the Lycans down and killing them off, one by one. One day I came across a human, Michael, who was a direct descendant of Alexander Corvinus, the first ever immortal. Michael became the first ever vampire-lycan hybrid. After defeating more enemies, including both Viktor and Markus, we were going to leave Budapest and run away together, but then came The Purge. Humans found out about us and we became the enemy they had been waiting for. Michael and I were hunted down and trapped in an ice cage for 12 years. Our DNA was used to try to find a cure, to prevent another Vampire/Lycan "outbreak." I even had a daughter during that time and had no clue. She freed Michael but he ran off, was hunted down and killed by Marius, who wanted my daughter's blood so he could create a new species of vampire-lycan hybrids. Marius almost killed me but I was able to defeat him. All that to say, I've dealt with a lot too.

YELENA:    Da ladno. (no shit).

SELENE:    After leaving Hungary entirely and traveling on my own, sometimes with friends, I've had a lot of time to reflect. Over the past 300 years I've learned that living in a constant state of hatred is no way to live. The hatred makes you cold and hardens your heart. I haven't known you for long but I do know that you have the greatest capacity to love that I've ever seen. You're a shining light, Yelena- and I fear that all this anger and hatred you have will dim that light. Forgive Clint and Natty. I know they deeply hurt you, and that is okay, to be mad at them for all that has happened. But forgive them anyway. If not for them, do it for yourself.

YELENA:    I don't want to forgive Clint. He supposedly killed my sister and now, knowing that she was alive and being held hostage by him makes my blood boil. I want to kill him for what he's done to me and my family. Some friend. (ROLLS HER EYES)

SELENE:    I understand and your feelings are totally valid. But you do have Nat now. She's here and she's never going to leave you. Lean into the fact that she is not dead.

YELENA:    I know she's not. I just can't let her fully in right now. I don't want good things to happen between us only for her to be taken away from me again.

SELENE:    She's not going to leave you. And nor will I.

YELENA:    (LOOKS OVER AT SELENE. SIDE EYE) Thanks. (PAUSE) Being in DKA and getting a type 1 diabetes diagnosis was one of the hardest days of my life. No one took me to the hospital, no one came to visit me...I've had to figure it out all by myself. I came into this world alone and I'm going to die alone. I'm just better off by myself because at least I will show up for myself every day.

SELENE:     I get that. You don't have to let Natty in right away. But at least let me in. How can I help you? Do you want me to be on Dexcom share so I can text you if you go too high or too low? Do you want me to help you with carb counting insulin dosing?

YELENA:    Yeah, actually. I would like that.

SELENE:    I gotchu girl. Come on. (GETS UP AND OFFERS A HAND TO YELENA. YELENA ACCEPTS AND SELENE PULLS HER UP.)

YELENA:     Where are we going?

SELENE:    We're going back to my house, and we're going to sleep. We can decide where to go from here when we wake up.

(THEY GET UP AND START WALKING AWAY. THEY ARE HOLDING HANDS)

YELENA:    Since when did you become so wise, Selene.?

SELENE:    (POINTS TO HERSELF) Vampire. I am 826 years old. I've had a lot of life experiences.

(THERE IS A COMFORTABLE SILENCE BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM.)

YELENA:    Selene?

SELENE:    Yeah?

YELENA:    Thank you.

SELENE:    Don't mention it.

(BOTH EXIT THE CEMETERY)

FADE OUT

END OF SCENE #4A.