March of the year 2000 brought an unprecedented, suffocating level of madness to the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles.
It had been exactly one month since the premiere of the *Teen Wolf* pilot. The cultural impact of the show had completely shattered all of the network's expectations, transforming the young cast from working actors into absolute global phenomenons overnight.
For the pack, a normal, quiet life had vanished completely.
Scarlett Johansson realized this harsh new reality on a bright Tuesday afternoon. She had just wanted a simple iced coffee from a small, usually quiet café in West Hollywood. She was wearing dark sunglasses, a plain black baseball cap pulled low, and an oversized denim jacket, trying her absolute best to blend in with the normal afternoon crowd.
It didn't work at all.
The exact moment she stepped out of the glass doors of the café, holding her plastic cup, a blinding flash of white light hit her directly in the eyes.
"Scarlett! Scarlett, over here!" a loud, aggressive voice yelled from the sidewalk.
She blinked, temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of light, only to realize that she was suddenly surrounded. A dozen paparazzi photographers had seemingly materialized out of thin air. They were actively blocking the narrow sidewalk, holding massive, heavy cameras with long lenses, completely trapping her against the brick wall of the coffee shop.
The sound of the camera shutters clicking rapidly was deafening. It sounded like a swarm of angry mechanical insects buzzing right next to her ears.
"Scarlett, is it true you and Donovan Blackwood are officially dating?" one photographer shouted, aggressively pushing a recording microphone dangerously close to her face.
"Look this way, Lydia! Give us a smile for the cover!" another yelled, stepping directly in front of her to block her path to the street.
Scarlett felt a sudden, sharp spike of genuine panic in her chest. She tried to push past the men, keeping her head down to hide her face, but the crowd of photographers aggressively shifted to block her every move. She was trapped, entirely overwhelmed by the aggressive shouting and the relentless, blinding flashes that were giving her an instant headache.
Then, the loud, ferocious roar of a high-performance engine echoed down the busy street.
A sleek, pitch-black Porsche 911 Turbo swerved sharply toward the curb, its wide tires screeching loudly against the asphalt. The luxury sports car stopped inches away from the paparazzi mob, forcing several photographers to jump back onto the sidewalk in pure surprise.
The tinted passenger door popped open immediately.
"Get in," Donovan's voice ordered smoothly from the driver's seat.
Scarlett didn't hesitate for a single second. She practically dove into the low leather seat of the sports car, pulling her legs in quickly and slamming the heavy door shut behind her.
Donovan didn't wait for the photographers to recover from the shock. He shifted gears with a fluid motion, his foot pressing down heavily on the gas pedal. The Porsche roared to life, leaving the flashing cameras and the shouting mob completely behind in a thick cloud of exhaust.
Scarlett leaned her head back against the expensive leather headrest, letting out a long, shaky breath. She took off her dark sunglasses and looked over at Donovan.
He was driving with one hand casually resting on the steering wheel, wearing a dark fitted t-shirt and a pair of classic aviator sunglasses. He navigated the heavy Los Angeles traffic with effortless precision, checking his mirrors smoothly as if rescuing people from angry mobs was just a normal Tuesday afternoon activity.
"You have terrible timing for coffee runs, New York," Donovan joked, glancing at her with a highly amused smirk.
"How did you even know I was there?" Scarlett asked, her heart still beating rapidly against her ribcage.
"I was leaving a meeting at the studio and saw a mob of grown men yelling at a girl holding an iced latte," Donovan replied casually, turning the steering wheel sharply. "I figured it was either you or Chris. And Chris has been hiding inside his house playing video games for three straight weeks because he is terrified of his own teenage fans."
Scarlett laughed, the adrenaline finally leaving her system. "I just wanted a coffee. I didn't think I would need a tactical extraction team just to walk down the street."
"You are the female lead of the biggest show in the world right now, Scarlett. You can't just walk down Sunset Boulevard in a baseball cap anymore," Donovan explained, taking a sharp turn toward the Hollywood Hills. "Your days of buying your own coffee are officially over."
"It's insane," Scarlett admitted, looking out the tinted window as the busy city began to blur past them. "I knew the show was going to be popular, but I didn't expect this. People are absolutely obsessed."
"It comes with the territory," Donovan shrugged easily.
He drove the Porsche higher into the hills, leaving the noise of the city behind. He eventually pulled over at a quiet, secluded scenic overlook. The panoramic view of Los Angeles stretched out below them, a sprawling ocean of buildings and palm trees resting peacefully under the bright California sun.
Donovan turned the heavy engine off, letting the quiet, rhythmic hum of the radio fill the cabin.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face her, resting his arm casually on the center console. The playful, fast-paced atmosphere between them settled into something much more focused.
"I actually needed to talk to you," Donovan said, reaching into the small space behind the leather seats.
He pulled out a thick, heavily bound script with a highly confidential watermark stamped across the front cover. He tossed it lightly onto Scarlett's lap.
Scarlett looked down. The title printed in bold, black letters across the white page made her breath catch in her throat.
*STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES.*
"You're doing the sequel," Scarlett said softly, looking up at him in genuine awe.
She knew Donovan had played the young Anakin Skywalker in the first movie. It was the role that had cemented him as a global superstar before the studio empire had even fully expanded.
"I am," Donovan confirmed, taking off his aviator sunglasses to look at her directly. "We start filming in a few months. But George Lucas and I had a very long, intense conversation about the direction of the character before I agreed to sign the contract."
Scarlett traced the bold letters on the script. "A conversation about what?"
"I refused to do the movie unless we completely changed how the action looks on screen," Donovan said, his voice filled with a quiet, absolute confidence.
"I am playing a teenage Anakin Skywalker. The supposed Chosen One of the entire galaxy. I am not going to just swing a glowing stick around like a traditional, boring monk. If this kid is supposed to eventually become the most feared villain in history, the audience needs to see exactly why everyone is so terrified of him."
Scarlett listened, completely captivated by his cinematic vision. The way he spoke wasn't just arrogant boasting; he had a clear, revolutionary idea for the character that sounded absolutely incredible.
"I told George that I want the audience to feel the raw, terrifying power of the Force," Donovan explained, leaning slightly closer.
"I'm talking about god-tier combat. In the Geonosis arena, I don't want to just deflect blaster bolts. I want to pull entire ships out of the sky. I want to crush heavy battle droids into metal spheres without even touching them. I am going to throw the lightsaber like a boomerang, use aggressive, massive waves of telekinesis, and fight with a level of raw brutality that Star Wars has never seen before."
Scarlett could already picture it perfectly in her mind.
She could see Donovan on the massive movie screen, moving with that same impossible, flawless speed he had used during the ninja kicks on the *Teen Wolf* set, but amplified by special effects.
"It sounds like you are going to play him more like a weapon of mass destruction than a Jedi," Scarlett noted intelligently.
"Exactly," Donovan smiled, highly impressed that she had caught the nuance immediately. "It sets up his eventual fall to the dark side perfectly. The action has to be breathtaking, heavy, and violent, so the audience understands the sheer temptation of his power."
"It sounds amazing, Donovan," Scarlett said genuinely, handing the heavy script back toward him. "You and Natalie Portman are going to break every single box office record in cinematic history."
Donovan took the script and tossed it back behind the seats. He looked at her, his dark eyes locking onto hers in the quiet cabin of the car.
"The filming schedule is going to be brutal," Donovan noted smoothly. "We are shooting a massive portion of the movie in Sydney, Australia, and then moving to the soundstages in London. I am going to be gone for months."
"I guess the pack is going to miss you," Scarlett smiled, trying to ignore the sudden, small drop in her stomach at the thought of him being on the other side of the planet for so long. "You better bring me back a souvenir from Australia."
"Actually, I was thinking about bringing you," Donovan replied effortlessly.
Scarlett paused, completely caught off guard. "What?"
"I want you to come with me," Donovan repeated, his voice dropping to a softer, much more intimate tone.
"Not as an actress. The cast is already locked in. But I need my anchor. Being surrounded by hundreds of crew members, dealing with George's dialogue, and coordinating the biggest action scenes in the world is going to be exhausting. I need someone around who isn't afraid to steal my pizza and tell me when I am acting like an arrogant studio boss."
Scarlett stared at him, her mind racing. He wasn't asking her to work. He was asking her to fly across the world just to be by his side during the most important filming process of his career.
"You want me to fly to Australia just to hang out on a movie set?" Scarlett asked, a nervous, excited energy flooding her chest.
"I have a massive private jet, Scarlett. The flight is incredibly comfortable," Donovan smirked, raising a single eyebrow. "And when I'm not crushing droids with my mind, we can explore Sydney. You have a few months off before we start pre-production for the second season of *Teen Wolf*. Your schedule is completely clear."
The confined space of the sports car made the sudden romantic tension thick and undeniable. Scarlett could feel the heat radiating between them. He was offering her an adventure, a chance to step out of the Hollywood chaos and share something totally unique with him.
Scarlett bit her lower lip, a habit she always had when she was trying to hide a massive smile.
She looked at the confident, incredibly handsome guy sitting next to her. He had just rescued her from a mob of photographers, driven her to the top of the world, and casually asked her to fly across the globe with him.
"So, let me get this straight," Scarlett said, her raspy voice returning to its usual playful, flirtatious tone. "You want me to travel halfway across the planet, just to watch you swing a laser sword and pretend to be an angry space wizard?"
"I promise I look very cool doing it," Donovan fired back instantly, flashing her a brilliant, knowing smile.
"I don't know," Scarlett teased, crossing her arms defensively. "I require a very high level of entertainment. If the action is boring, I am flying straight back to New York."
"I will personally ensure the explosions are up to your standards," Donovan laughed.
"Good," Scarlett smiled warmly, dropping the defensive posture. She reached over and rested her hand lightly on his arm. "Then I'm in. I'll come to Australia with you."
Donovan smiled, completely satisfied with her answer. He reached forward and turned the keys in the ignition. The Porsche roared back to life, the heavy engine vibrating comfortably through the leather seats.
"Perfect," Donovan said, shifting the car into gear. "Then we need to go buy you some sunglasses that actually work. Those cheap ones you were wearing clearly didn't fool the paparazzi at all."
"Hey, those were vintage!" Scarlett complained playfully as he pulled back onto the winding road.
As they drove back down the hills of Los Angeles together, Scarlett looked out at the sprawling city. She had survived her first real encounter with the terrifying reality of fame, but more importantly, she was about to travel the world with the most powerful guy in the industry.
The galaxy was waiting for them, and Scarlett couldn't wait to see the show.