- Dr. Ivo Steadman: So, where is he?
- [Silence from Isabel, Ivo glances towards the kitchen]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: Oh...
- [whispers]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: Open this fucking 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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 fucking 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: I love you.
- 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: Was it you? Love at first sight, Romeo and fucking Juliet?
- [Throws Isabel on the bed and pins her as she struggles]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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]
- Isabel: I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!
- Tim Cornish: Without me, without me, every day is a misery. With me, with me... no night is too long.
- 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.
- [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: 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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]
- Tim Cornish: 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.
- 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: 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]
- Dr. Ivo Steadman: ... 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: [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]
- Tim Cornish: 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.