Nash & Claudia

Nash: I met Claudia Reston when I was out clubbing one night, upper east side. She was all lit up, in a real party mood. The next thing I knew, I was in the back of her limo drinking $300 bottles of champagne. That's how she spent money -- like it didn't even matter, and you know what? I figured, "hey, she wants to throw a little bit my way, who am I to say no?"
Tess: So you hooked up with her for loads of sex and even more money -- is that it?
Nash: Yeah, something like that. We only dated for about six months. It was nothing serious. I didn't even really like her most of the time. She was a spoiled little rich brat who needed some serious life lessons, and I needed the cash, so I figured, "you know what?" I took her for a ride, a very long and expensive ride. I just -- I had no idea how much it would actually cost her.


Claudia: (to Tess) I wanted so much for Nash to be a part of my family, for the two of us to have a family of our own. I didn't care that he was broke. He had more drive than any of the rich boys I knew and I could make his dreams come true. You know how seductive he can be talking about his plans for the future. And even with all of that ambition, he was still so caring, gentle, sweet. How could someone fake love like that? He even fooled my parents into thinking he had my best interests at heart, called my father "sir." Hmm. Daddy loved that.


Nash: Hi, Claudia. How are you?
Claudia: In recovery. That's what we addicts like to say.
Nash: Good. That's good. I want you to know that I do want what's best for you.
Claudia: And that was never you, right? Those are the exact words you said to me when you walked out. Hmm. Brings back memories.


Nash: Claudia, we shouldn't be --
Claudia: I'd like one moment of your time. Don't you owe me at least that?
Nash: I just don't really see the point in going over everything that happened with us.
Claudia: Put yourself aside for one minute and think of someone else. That would be the point.


Nash: It's not like that with Tess and I. Claudia, I love her.
Claudia: Like you loved me? "No, Claudia, not like I loved you. That was all a big joke. I was actually repulsed by you. But I sure did love your money!" Get your lying ass out of my sight.
Nash: I'm sorry for what I did. I will be sorry about what I did forever. I really hope that you find someone who can love you the way that you deserve to be loved.


Claudia: (to Antonio) I know it sounds strange, but I thought maybe Tess and I could help each other the way recovering addicts do. You know, because Nash is a dangerous drug, and I was definitely an addict.


Claudia: Since Llanview's going to be my new home --
Nash: Your what?
Claudia: I'm moving here. And since I'm going to be in the neighborhood, maybe we can finally make things right between us. It'll be nice to have a conversation with you that didn't end in accusations and insults.


Claudia: (to Antonio) Besides, my life coach told me that I need a reason to get up in the morning, one that isn’t named Nash or Vicodin.


Nash: (to Mr. Reston) You know what? I've met your daughter. I don’t want any parenting advice from you.


Nash: What are you doing?
Claudia: I just got out of the shower. Keep your pants on. Or don’t.


Nash: (to Claudia) You and I both know that you play your dad like a poker hand and a stacked deck of cards.


Claudia: I know what it’s like to have the person you love the most disappear from your life. But I made it through, and so can you. Want to know how?
Nash: Can’t wait to hear this.


Nash: Well, this just works out perfectly for you, doesn’t it? First, I lose my business, my daughter, and the woman I love.
Claudia: Why would I want all those things to happen to you?
Nash: Besides revenge? Maybe so that once Nash falls apart, you'll be there to pick up the pieces.
Claudia: I've learned a few things in A.A., you know.
Nash: Hmm. What?
Claudia: Doing the same thing over and over, always expecting it to turn out differently? That’s their definition of insanity.


Claudia: (to her father) If you think he’s going to crawl out of here with his tail between his legs because you took away everything he loved, you have seriously underestimated Nash Brennan.


Claudia: Um, I know how you operate. What makes you think I'd be naive enough to go into business with you?
Nash: Naive, never, but you're here. It's a good sign that you're curious.
Claudia: Try "curious" with a side of "suspicious."


Nash: It's a chance for us to be friends again.
Claudia: Were we ever friends?
Nash: No, not really, but we could be.


Nash: We should have a more amicable relationship and not -- not just because I don’t want you to clip-clop away with your money. Sometimes I forget who I'm dealing with now.
Claudia: You mean the new-and-improved, fresher and scratch-resistant Claudia Reston?
Nash: "Scratch-proof." Something like that, yeah.
Claudia: Hmm. The new Claudia doesn’t pull on daddy’s shirt sleeve anymore. I want to be independent and this is a good start for me.
Nash: I hope so.
Claudia: I understand why you'd be hesitant -- because sometimes I forget that you're the new-and-improved and fresher Nash Brennan.
Nash: "Fresher"? You suggesting I wasn’t always as -- fresh?


Claudia: (to Nash) I am going to prove to you that we can be in the same room without some sort of ugly incident.


[Nash is shirtless]
Claudia: Looking good, Nash.
Nash: Oh, yeah? Well, it's nothing you've never seen before.
Claudia: Oh, yes, it's all too familiar.
Nash: Mm-hmm.
Claudia: And no longer effective.


Claudia: I can’t be played like that anymore.
Nash: I am not trying to play you.
Claudia: No? But that would be so out of character, Nash. I don’t know if you can pull that off.


Claudia: You think my father's thugs followed me here.
Nash: Yeah.
Claudia: Well, they didn’t. I said I would take care of the problem, and I did. In fact, I braved it here into this dump all by myself. I mean, this lovely cottage. Sorry.


Nash: (to Claudia) Tell you what -- look, why don’t I go get dressed? And then I'll take you for a tour of the winery. I'm sure you want to see what you're going to be investing all your hard-inherited money on.


Nash: Do you really think that I would walk away and abandon my own daughter?
Claudia: You abandoned me!
Nash: You're not my daughter.


Nash: You know what? I am going to hit the sack. I haven’t slept in nights.
Claudia: Good idea.
Nash: Whoa! Hold on there, princess. I gave you the bed last night, but I should have told you not to get used to it. I just had some work to do.
Claudia: Where am I supposed to sleep?
Nash: Pull up a piece of floor.


[Nash is furious after Claudia climbed into bed with him and pretended to be Tess]
Nash: Listen to me! I do not love you. Maybe you should have that tattooed somewhere nice and prominent, so the next time you want to pretend to be somebody else, you'll see it there.
Claudia: Well, I -- I thought you liked girls who pretend to be someone else.


Nash: I want to make something clear. You ever talk about Tess like that or pull another move like that, and you'll be sleeping out on the porch with the other critters in the night.
Claudia: Deal. And just remember, your girlfriend is a figment of Jessica Buchanan's imagination.


Claudia: I am right here, right now, with a no-strings-attached offer. 3,000 miles away from anyone who would care what we did tonight.
Nash: I care.


Claudia: Suppose your plan against my father works. Suppose you get to raise your kid. Do you honestly think you can do it alone?
Nash: And what are you planning, on dressing up and playing mommy?
Claudia: At least I'm real.
Nash: Good night, Claudia.


Claudia: I couldn't sleep, so I was just doing my favorite online hobby. Online shopping.
[Nash sees that she's on a website about DID]
Nash: A new personality?
Claudia: Funny.


Nash: Tess and Brennan and I are going to be a family -- the three of us.
Claudia: Right. And you'll let Antonio baby-sit --
Nash: Oh, "An-phonio" can go to hell.


Nash: The only reason I'm here with you is so that you can help me to do what I need to do, to get Tess and my baby back.
Claudia: Right, that's why you need me. And I need you why, exactly?
Nash: Because you've made mistakes, too. You've used people. You've misled people. And I'm giving you a chance to do something good for somebody else for once.
Claudia: Oh, yes, good karma. So, you get the vineyard, the love, cash, and I get closer to God.


Claudia: How badly do you want my father out of your life?
Nash: Claudia, stop playing games. Come on, who am I going to have to sleep with to get you to do this?
Claudia: Me.


Claudia: I need a drink. That can’t have been the only bottle. Where is the booze in this place?
Nash: I don’t have any more booze.
Claudia: Bull. It’s an old winery.


Nash: Claudia, I'm not giving you a drink.
Claudia: Why not? Seems like a reasonable thing to do after you just clubbed your father to death.


Claudia: Daddy’s dead because of me. And all I wanted was a little relief. One lousy shot. But you just couldn’t give it to me.
Nash: Claudia, there’s no such thing as one shot with you.


[Nash has just told the detective that he, not Claudia, killed Mr. Reston]
Claudia: Why did you lie to him?
Nash: I didn’t lie to him, I told him what really happened. I just -- recast the roles.


Claudia: You came back.
Nash: No one to go home to.
Claudia: Still, plenty of bars. You choose the one where I work. Makes a girl wonder.


Claudia: (to Nash) I don’t have a father anymore. I don’t have you. And I can’t even drink, thanks to you. I can’t even drown my sorrows. God.


Nash: Claudia? I need your help.
Claudia: I don’t like being used, Nash.
Nash: Don’t think of it that way. Think of it more as helping out a friend -- you know, like I did, keeping that secret about how your daddy died.
Claudia: Here I thought you did that out of the goodness of your heart.


Claudia: Let’s face it, Nash -- it served your purpose to have my father die.
Nash: Oh, for God’s sakes.
Claudia: If you think I'm going to hand my money over to you, you're a jerk.
Nash: Well, there’s nothing new there, is there?
Claudia: Oh. So, the old Nash has come out to play -- the one who would lie, cheat, or extort to get what he wants?


Claudia: What’s wrong?
Nash: What’s wrong? Somehow Antonio used his "psychic abilities" to find Jessica and me and our baby in New York City.
Claudia: I don’t know how he found you.
Nash: Oh, cut the crap. Who else besides you knew that’s where we were?
Claudia: Um -- Bruce?
Nash: Bruce did not tell him where we were.
Claudia: Well, I didn’t tell him where you were, either. Wasn’t Antonio a cop or a detective or something?
Nash: Yeah, and you're a bitch.


Claudia: Nash, think about it. I distracted Antonio so you could run off with Jessica. I didn’t have to do that.
Nash: What do you want, a medal?


Claudia: I tried to help you, but it didn’t work out the way you wanted and now you're wallowing in self-pity. Take it from an expert -- that is a road full of potholes.
Nash: There’s no self-pity. It’s disappointment.
Claudia: Well, welcome to the disappointment clubhouse.


Claudia: (to Antonio about Nash) I've learned how to handle his little temper tantrums.


[Claudia is surprised to see Nash at the hospital gala]
Claudia: I didn’t expect you to come. Huh.
Nash: Huh.
Claudia: Not unless Jessica/Tess was here.


[Claudia wants to go back into business with Nash]
Claudia: Hmm. It would be strictly business. We'd be partners.
Nash: Well, thanks, but no thanks. I'd always feel that there were strings attached.


Claudia: I'm trying to convince myself that everything that happened wasn’t for nothing.
Nash: Well, stop it. God, how many times do I got to tell you that --
Claudia: If you tell me your heart belongs to Tess one more me, I will scream so loud, they will shut this place down.


[Claudia is watching Nash drink at Capricorn]
Claudia: I know you don't think I'm capable of telling the truth.
Nash: That's right.
Claudia: But can you believe me when I tell you I hate to see you like this?
Nash: Oh, of all the gin joints in all the world, I had to walk into hers.
Claudia: You need to talk to somebody, and you don't really have any other friends in town.
Nash: That is true.


Nash: I just spent the afternoon watching Tess disappear.
Claudia: What?
Nash: Yeah. They kind of put Jessica and Tess together. The shrink term is "integration."
Claudia: You watched that?
Nash: Oh, yeah -- me, Mr. Buchanan, Mrs. Davidson, Antonio. We all had ringside tickets.
Claudia: What was it like?
Nash: Great show, no popcorn.


Claudia: A drink sounds so good right now.
Nash: Mm-hmm. Aren't you supposed to avoid people, places, and things that would make you want to drink?
Claudia: Yeah.
Nash: So what are you doing working here?
Claudia: I wanted to perform in front of people, and most of those jobs are at bars. I just have to accept the fact that other people can try and numb their pain with alcohol without ruining their lives.
Nash: You can't ruin what's already rotten.


Claudia: I'm starving. Want to get something to eat?
Nash: Uh-uh. Food would take up valuable space I have specifically put aside for alcohol.
Claudia: Look, I know we have a long history and some of it bad.
Nash: Look, you don't like seeing me drink?
Claudia: Not really.


[Nash points out that buying a new vineyard would be expensive]
Nash: It's about five times more than I was expecting to pay. It's out of my budget.
Claudia: Well, it's in mine.
Nash: No way. You are not going to buy this for me, Claudia.
Claudia: Would you just hear me out?
Nash: I did just hear you out. I just showed you the specs on a vineyard that I can't afford. Without even batting an eyelash, you offered to buy it for me, which is a bad idea on more levels than I can count.


Claudia: Not smart, Nash. Getting drunk's the last thing you need.
Nash: No, getting a lecture from Claudia Reston on drinking is the last thing I need.


Claudia: Nash, you need a friend.
Nash: I've got a friend.
Claudia: Yeah?
Nash: Yeah.
Claudia: Who? Someone you can confide in, who's there for you when times get tough?
Nash: Now, I thought I told you to go away.


[Claudia is once again watching Nash get drunk over the fact that he misses Tess]
Claudia: I hate watching you like this.
Nash: You don't want to watch me like this, you can close your eyes, or you can -- hey, leave.
Claudia: Are you trying to self-destruct?
Nash: Kaboom.


Nash: Are you suggesting that you can help me forget about Tess?
Claudia: I see where you're going, you big-headed jerk. Maybe I have something to offer other than hopping in the sack with you.
Nash: Sorry.
Claudia: You know, I did learn a few things in the program, like instead of having scotch, have water.
Nash: Hmm.
Claudia: Excercise, take a walk, talk to a friend. And, like it or not, I seem to be the only friend you have in this town.


[Claudia and Nash are out walking]
Claudia: What a beautiful night. (to Nash) Stop.
Nash: What?
Claudia: Take a deep, cleansing breath. Mmm.
Nash: What, is this some kind of rehab thing?
Claudia: Maybe.
Nash: You almost made me spill my coffee.
Claudia: I'm sorry.
Nash: No, you're not.
Claudia: Okay, maybe not.


Claudia: Hey, you know what this night reminds me of?
Nash: What?
Claudia: The first night we met, remember? That wine bar on the Upper East Side?
Nash: Of course I do.
Claudia: Huh. I was there with some friends when I heard this ass send back his wine because it was "immature." Nash: Maybe I was a little immature.
Claudia: Hmm. I didn't think so.


Claudia: When I was using, I never looked up. I never saw the stars. Half the time, I was just trying not to fall down. And the other half, I was looking for a drink or whatever. And then the other half, I was looking for you or thinking about you.
Nash: That's three halves.
Claudia: I know. That pretty much sums up my life excess across the board.


Nash: Now, you're all about moderation?
Claudia: It's one of the hazards of the 12-step program. You know, you're addicted to self-help.
Nash: I don't think you got that one -- self-help addiction. I mean --
Claudia: What? Hey, you better watch it, buster. I did you a solid tonight.


Nash: I put you into rehab last time.
Claudia: No, you didn't -- you didn't pour the liquor and the pills down my throat.
Nash: Maybe not, but I was the reason you ended up there, and I'm sorry. I haven't said that lately.
Claudia: It's -- it's not something a person forgets.
Nash: Well, you're not going back there.
Claudia: Hmm. That's not up to you.
Nash: Well, maybe not. But I am not going to drive you to it. My conscience couldn't handle that.
Claudia: Thanks.
Nash: Oh, no, don't thank me. It's merely selfish. I got enough bad karma following me around here.


Claudia: Don't be so hard on yourself, Nash. The fine citizens of Llanview will be happy enough to do that for you.
Nash: It is a weird place, isn't it?
Claudia: Yeah. We're not really in the club. But I'm not leaving.
Nash: Well, neither am I.
Claudia: Good.


Nash: Thank you for looking out for me tonight.
Claudia: Thank you for caring enough about me that you wouldn't let me take that drink. Hey, maybe we can't be business partners, but we can be friends.
Nash: Maybe.


[Claudia looks up at the night sky]
Claudia: I have never seen so many stars. How many wishes do you think are up there?
Nash: Wishing on stars is a waste of time.


[Claudia is freaked out about the idea of Vincent Jones investing in Nasy's vineyard]
Claudia: (about Vincent) The guy is trouble, Nash. He's got a bodyguard.
Nash: Your daddy had a pack!
Claudia: Why won't you take my money? At least you can trust me.
Nash: Since when?


Nash: Whoo-hoo! We are good. You know what? I think we should challenge Antonio and Jessica to a dance-off. You know, just like that TV show.
Claudia: How drunk are you?
Nash: Oh -- not nearly drunk enough.


Nash: You know, I thought that I would have wanted more Tess in Jess. But it is like seeing Tess with Antonio. And that sucks.
Claudia: It's got to be impossible. Like -- like seeing something you're dying for and aren't allowed to touch. What's so funny?
Nash: What? Me. Myself. I am a sad case. And I know that I am a sad case. And when you know that you're a sad case, you're truly in trouble.


[Nash is drunk]
Claudia: I am not letting you behind the wheel of a lethal weapon.
Nash: What happened to "party on," huh?
Claudia: Fun is one thing, insanity is something else.
Nash: I'll walk.
Claudia: Like you even could.


[Claudia is making out with a drunk Nash]
Claudia: Nash?
Nash: Mm-hmm?
Claudia: If we're going to have passionate, mind-blowing sex, I need you to have it with me and not Schizo Girl [Tess].
Nash: Schizo Girl is gone.
Claudia: Yeah, I know that. The world knows that. But do you know that?


Nash: This is crazy.
Claudia: Yeah, so is falling in love with a woman who doesn't exist.
Nash: Tess is gone. What do you want me to say?
Claudia: That she's gone from your heart.
Nash: Can't. Sorry.


[Waking up in bed and realizing he has just slept with Claudia]
Nash: Oh, God. What the hell have I done?


Claudia: (about Jessica) I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know you moved on.
Nash: Who said I've moved on, huh?
Claudia: It's a step.
Nash: It's a step? First we're friends, now we're taking steps?


Claudia: There's life after Tess.
Nash: "There's life after Tess."
Claudia: She's gone. Wouldn't she want you to move on with your life?
Nash: No. No, she -- she would want me to build a shrine to her and spray my entire body with anti-woman spray.


Claudia: Well, I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. Because you're not the only one who needs to move on with their life.
Nash: I want that for you, too, Claudia. And I am beginning to believe that maybe we can be friends.
Claudia: We already are.


Nash: Claudia, you deserve better. You deserve love. Real love. I can't give that to you. You deserve more than than just a night of really good casual sex.
Claudia: So do you.


Claudia: Anyway, wouldn't it be better for everyone involved if Jessica and I could get along?
Nash: Because I don't think there's a prayer of that ever happening, is there?


[After Jessica punches Claudia]
Claudia: Got any ice? My jaw hurts like hell.
Nash: It's in the freezer.
Claudia: Along with your heart, perhaps?


Nash: I drank too much, I slept in, I woke up with a hangover so that when Antonio turned up for my scheduled visit with Brennan, he thought -- he was right. I was too messed up to take care of her, so he left with her.
Claudia: And here you are drinking again. Nothing like learning from your mistakes.
Nash: Please don't beat up on me.
Claudia: You deserve it. What are you thinking, Nash? Are you trying to lose your daughter altogether?


Claudia: We could go to Santa Barbara, check out the wineries, do a whole "sideways" thing.
Nash: Now, why would you want to put yourself through that, huh?
Claudia: Uh, without the tasting, for me anyway.


Claudia: You are not seriously thinking about being in Antonio and Jessica's wedding?
Nash: Already had my tux fitted.
Claudia: Oh, well, that's a signed-in-blood commitment.


Claudia: (to Nash) Do you get off on this wallowing?


Nash: I am not in love with Jessica.
Claudia: Just one of her incarnations.


Nash: It wasn't even my idea to go to the wedding. It was Antonio's. I -- I didn't even want to go at first.
Claudia: Then why are you?
Nash: You know why.
Claudia: For Bree?
Nash: Brennan.
Claudia: Who doesn't know the difference between her foot and a chew toy.
Nash: Chew toys are for pets.
Claudia: Whatever.


Nash: I'm trying to do the right thing for the first time in a long time.
Claudia: You can try, but you're a bad boy, Nash. You can't help yourself.


Jessica: I don't need to hear it from you about my wedding or my condition because it's really none of your business.
Claudia: Yeah, it is, kind of, when I see you jerking Nash around.


[Claudia informs Antonio and Cristian that Nash took out a loan from Vincent Jones]
Cristian: Does he know what Vincent does to people that don't pay him back?
Claudia: Maybe someone should tell him. Maybe then he'd think about doing business with me. Well, at least I wouldn't break his legs if he missed a payment.
[Claudia leaves]
Cristian: (to Antonio) Maybe she wouldn't break his legs, but I'm betting you she'll find other ways to make him pay.


Claudia: Oh, it looks like you got your hands full.
Nash: Yeah. Who knew you needed six arms to take care of her? I have no idea how Jessica does this.
Claudia: (with a touch of sarcasm) Oh, yeah. Jessica deserves a medal.


Claudia: Lucky you, Antonio. You get to go away with the woman you love while I'm stuck here in love with a man who's in love someone else, someone who doesn't exist. Good times.


Roxy: Don't go fall in love with someone like that chick that you've been hanging out with, Miss Psycho-Blondie.
Nash: Claudia?
Roxy: Yeah, because she's trouble. Big trouble, with a capital B and a capital T.


Cristian: Well, there's -- there's Claudia. She's into you.
Nash: Hmm. Claudia's a little high maintenance? All right?
Cristian: Tell me what woman isn't.


Nash: Whoo-hoo! You put one on again last night, didn't you? Hmm?
Claudia: Back off, Nash. Don't judge me.
Nash: No, I'm sorry. It's just that you're hung-over, and last time I checked, that wasn't the 12th step.
Claudia: You comfy up there on the moral high ground?


[Nash has arrived at Jessica's house for his scheduled visit with Brennan]
Claudia: (to Nash) Doesn't it bother you to come here with your hat in your hand and say, "Thank you for letting me see my own daughter"?


Claudia: The Nash I used to know would do whatever it takes to win, to bring Tess out and live in this big house with her.
Nash: Yeah, except that Tess is gone and I am reminded of that fact every single time I see Jessica.


[Jessica accuses Claudia of being after Nash]
Claudia: Let me lay it out for you. When I want something or someone, games aren't necessary. And as for Nash's broken heart -- it's not you he wants, but the dormant chick inside of you. So get over yourself. Oh. You want to talk about games? How about I tell your new husband that you're in my face because you want to keep Nash on a string in case things don't work out?


[Nash is carrying a ton of packages for Brennan]
Claudia: Aw. For me? You shouldn't have.
Nash: And I didn't.


Jessica: I somehow concluded that there weren't nearly enough presents under the tree for Jamie and Bree.
Claudia: Hmm. Well, why shouldn't she get twice as many presents? I mean, she just has two daddies and two mommies, right?
[Jessica and Nash stare at her]
Claudia: (innocently) Did I say something wrong?


Nash: I'm sorry. I should've realized that this was your first Christmas without your dad.
Claudia: I -- I know he was crazy, but he was all I had.
Nash: Well, keep up like this and he's all you'll ever have.
Claudia: Huh. I know. I -- god. I'm sorry. I should just go to a meeting and take it out on a bunch of strangers.
Nash: Hmm. Here's a better idea -- how about you don't take it out on anybody and just be happy?
Claudia: Whoa.
Nash: Hmm. Something to think about.


Claudia: Hot cider -- mulled, unspiked.
Nash: Whoopee.
Claudia: Welcome to my world. Wait, wait -- what should we drink to?
Nash: Better times.
Claudia: To better times. Hmm. I don't know about you, but a couple of pulls off this and I'm suddenly filled with Christmas spirit.


[Claudia is drunk]
Nash: Why would you do this, Claudia? Why would you go back to the bottle? You were doing great.
Claudia: Who says I was doing great? My life sucks. I'm stuck in this town with no friends, no you, and -- but where else am I going to go? I mean, I have no friends anywhere, and still no you.
Nash: I thought you understood.
Claudia: I lied. I can never get over losing you to Jessica.
Nash: Tess.
Claudia: Oh, Tess. Jess/Tess, Tess/Jess -- I don't know what I'm saying, I'm so wasted. Hmm.


Claudia: Thanks for taking over for me.
Nash: No problem.
Claudia: Next year, I hope you get everything you want this year. I mean that.
Nash: Thank you.