No Night Is Too Long

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
So, where is he? [Silence from Isabel, Ivo glances towards the kitchen] Oh... [whispers] Where is he?

Kit Winwood:
[Walking in from the kitchen] Where's who?

Isabel:
[to Ivo] I thought you might have known?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Well, if I knew I wouldn't be asking, would I?

Kit Winwood:
Who are we talking about here?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
We're talking about Tim Cornish, a friend of mine from England. Well, he was a... a lover.

Kit Winwood:
Ahh...

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
He'd come with me on one of my lecture cruises, and we stopped off at this island, and we ended up having a fight. And, uh... well, I fell against a rock, I was out cold and... [pause] He left me there. Dead, as far as he knows.

Kit Winwood:
Jesus! How long were you there?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Two or three days. One of my colleagues got suspicious. So, the next cruise stopped off and uh... here I am.

Kit Winwood:
Oh my God... this guy really wanted to kill you?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
He wanted me out of the way because he's got another lover.

Kit Winwood:
Is that who he's with now?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Looks at Isabel]... I don't know.

Kit Winwood:
[Getting suspicious] What's going on here?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
But what I do know is that when he tried to kill me, he had every intention of resuming the affair.

Kit Winwood:
[Angry] So who the hell is the affair with?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Looking accusingly at Isabel]... My sister.

[Isabel flees up the stairs, Ivo jumps off the couch and goes after her]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Isabel. ISABEL! [Slamming on her bedroom door] Open this f***ing door! How could you do this to me?

Isabel:
You shouldn't have asked me!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
I thought I could trust you?

Isabel:
I didn't want anything to do with it! Asking me to spy on him while you were away, making sure that he didn't misbehave, it was... it was ridiculous!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Near tears] But you knew! You knew what I felt for him! [Slams on the door] You knew what I felt for him!

Tim Cornish:
[about accompanying Ivo to Alaska] Just this once?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
No, I can't.

Tim Cornish:
Why not?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Because I can't afford to.

Tim Cornish:
Just this summer, I mean... I mean, surely that won't bankrupt you!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Look, it's too late, I'd be letting people down.

Tim Cornish:
But letting me down's alright, is it?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Will you give it a rest, Tim?

Tim Cornish:
What the hell am I supposed to do by myself all summer?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
You'll find something!

Tim Cornish:
[Takes the book Ivo is reading and throws it] You can't just leave me!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Retrieving the book] For God's sake!

Tim Cornish:
It's just not fair!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Do you have any idea what you sound like?

Tim Cornish:
Jesus Christ, some f***ing fossil in Alaska is more important than me-!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Grabs Tim's face, cutting him off] Nothing is more important than you! I wouldn't be without you for a second if I could help it. I want you to come! [pauses to look fondly at Tim] I love you.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Plopping next to Tim on the couch] I'll miss you.

Tim Cornish:
It's only one night.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
What will you do?

Tim Cornish:
I don't know, um... [laughs] The usual. Revision... more revision.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Why don't I cancel? I could... tell them that I'm sick.

Tim Cornish:
Ivo, it's only one night. Now go, you'll be late.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Kisses Tim's shoulder] I'll call you tonight.

Tim Cornish:
Have a good time!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Sarcastically] A conference about SEAgel solids. I can't wait.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Why didn't you write?

Tim Cornish:
Sorry...

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Not a single letter!

Tim Cornish:
I should have written, I know...

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Not one!

Tim Cornish:
[Snapping] Yeah, I'm sorry!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Remorseful] It's my fault, having to go off like that. It hasn't been much of a holiday for you, has it? [Takes Tim's hand] Look, it will get better, I promise.

Tim Cornish:
Yeah...

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Fondly] Tim... I've really missed you.

[Ivo is getting dressed after making love with Tim]

Tim Cornish:
Where are you off to?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
A lecture on ancient sedimentary rocks.

Tim Cornish:
In a leather jacket?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
'Bye. Be good.

Tim Cornish:
I actually met someone who's actually very... enthusiastic about Alaska.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Oh yeah? Who was it?

Tim Cornish:
Some cute little first-year. He came onto me in the library. You don't mind, do you?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Sorting through items in a shopping bag, deliberately ignoring Tim] Iodine...

Tim Cornish:
...Do you?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Plasters...

Tim Cornish:
See, the opportunity presented itself and... well, anyway, I thought I'd mention it, you know? [Kisses his neck] I know you'd like us to be honest with each other.

[Ivo punches Tim in the face]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
We *are* going to behave ourselves, aren't we?

Tim Cornish:
Of course.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Still, it shouldn't be too difficult. There aren't any cute little first years skipping around, they're all about seventy. But then again... [Ivo leaves, locking Tim in their stateroom]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
If you'd like to take a rubbing as a souvenir you can always get some tracing paper and crayons off of Connie.

Tim Cornish:
Why do you still want to be with me?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Because I don't believe you know what you want.

Tim Cornish:
"I love you." I wish to God he hadn't said it. I should have said, "I love you, too." I didn't. Because as soon as he said it, I... I felt nothing. And that's how it'd always been for me.

[repeated line]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Be good.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Bursting into Isabel's room, knocking her to the floor] Get up! When did you seduce him? Get up!

Isabel:
[Struggling to crawl away] Of course I didn't-!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
GET UP! Who made the first move? Was it him? [Pins Isabel against the wall] Was it you? Love at first sight, Romeo and f***ing Juliet? [Throws Isabel on the bed and pins her as she struggles] COME HERE! Did you read all the letters I wrote?

Isabel:
No!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Maybe you read them yourself, did you-!

Isabel:
No, I wouldn't do s-!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Did you read my letters?

Isabel:
I wouldn't-!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Grabs Isabel's face] Did you read them?

Isabel:
I didn't! What sort of an explanation do you want? He may be a bit selfish and spoiled, but he's... he's also...

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
And what? What? What is he?

Isabel:
You know what I mean. I suppose like you, I fell a little in love with him. [a heartbroken Ivo lets her go, and she begins to cry] I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!

[Last lines]

James Gilman:
God help anybody who tries to love you.

Tim Cornish:
Isabel is the only person that I've loved.

James Gilman:
God help her then!

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
[Talking to Tim in his office]... So how can I help you? Have you decided to take up paleontology?

Tim Cornish:
Why were you spying me the other night?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
I wasn't.

Tim Cornish:
Yes you were. You were standing at the window and you were watching me with my girlfriend.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Your girlfriend?

Tim Cornish:
One of them, yeah.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Why how many have you got?

Tim Cornish:
Why did you do that?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
...Why did you follow me into the lift?

Tim Cornish:
[sighs, sits on Ivo's desk and toys with a fossil] Is this the kind of thing that you study?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Well done. [Takes the fossil from Tim] That's about two hundred and fifty million years old.

Tim Cornish:
Where did you get it?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Alaska.

Tim Cornish:
Wow, Alaska. What were you doing there?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Lecturing. They have cruises there for people who are interested in that sort of thing. [Shares a gaze with Tim]... Anyway. I've got a stack of work, so if there's nothing I can do for you...

Tim Cornish:
...Right. Well, I'll be off then.

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Yeah...

Tim Cornish:
[Awkward pause]... Yeah. [Turns to leave]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
By the way...

Tim Cornish:
What?

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
...Happy Christmas. [Smirks]

Dr. Ivo Steadman:
Happy New Year.

Tim Cornish:
Without me, without me, every day is a misery. With me, with me... no night is too long.