Like A River

2. Off the Cliff (Chris)

I'm left dazed and confused as Scarlett sets a giant book in my hands, looking quite proud of herself and a bit concerned all at the same time. I'm mostly okay until I see the words "Script First Draft" scrawled across the front in Joe Russo's handwriting in Sharpie.

"What is this, Scar?" I ask, flipping through the pages, fascinated by how heavy the document is.

"I found this on my last day of filming for Endgame," she explains, "It's the original script."

"What do you mean?"

"What we filmed and what was released, it's not what should have been," she tells me, "That book is filled with secrets. But, it's also filled with truth. I know, this is a lot to just throw at you, but I've marked some of the most important pages."

"What on earth am I supposed to do with this?" I ask her, holding the script up for emphasis. "It's huge. Gotta be at least a few hundred pages."

"Read the marked pages," she says matter-of-factly, "Take a walk with the man you are, the man you want to be, and the man you will be."

What?

"Scarlett, I don't understand," I plead, "Please, speak English. I'm lost in all of the riddles and metaphors. What the hell is going on?"

"I can take our Captain off your hands, if that'll help?" A voice says.

Who?

Hello?

Robert Downey Jr. steps into view from around the corner, grinning.

"Robert? The hell did I miss?" I ask, barely managing to speak.

"Hey, Evans," Robert grins, "Ready to figure this thing out?"

"Could someone please tell me what is going on?"

"Not a chance. This is all you, Cap."

"Scarlett, where are you going?"

"I have something to do while you're with Robert," Scarlett says as she turns and disappears up the stairs, "Don't worry though, I'll be here when it's all over."

"Son of a bitch. Okay. Robert, you better start explaining before I turn into an angry Bostonian."

"I'm not here to make this easy on you. I'm here to walk you through some of the particulars of the script in your hands."

"Can you not speak in riddles?"

"Chris, shut up."

"Fine."

"Come on, you've got some reading to do."

Robert takes me into my own house, stopping me just inside. Here, I find myself surrounded by props and memorabilia from CATFA. The one thing that stands out to me the most is that blue coat, the one Bucky wore. I reach a hand out to the coat, fingers searching for that familiar fabric. I relax as I take the coat in my hands, memories rushing back to me. I sees Seb's big ocean blue eyes, his smile, his passion for acting, his passion for his role. My heart skips a few beats.

"What's on your mind?" Robert asks innocently.

Without hesitation, I softly say, "Seb is...this was the coat he wore through the last part of the movie, up until Bucky fell from the train."

"Why don't you open up the script? Turn to the first page that Scarlett marked for you. Take a minute and read it."

I open the script to the first sticky tab, maybe a hundred pages in, and my heart stops as I read the carefully-typed words.