Part 2: Three Women and One Sheriff

by Natalie H

Sorry about the delay. Very naughty of me to have neglected the Sheriff like this but better late than never, right? :-)

Let's go on with it shall we? Okay we seem to learn more about Lucas and the type of man he is when we watch the relationships.(Relationship? *g*) he has with the other characters. Sometimes it appears he is genuine and other times. well let's just say we don't need a whack on the head with a shovel to know that this man is just letting us see what he wants us to see. But whether we are seeing the truth or an illusion, we do learn something about the man behind the star.

First up has to be the most interesting relationship in the entire series. And that is Lucas and Selena.

Does Lucas love Selena? I wouldn't say so, at least not in the romantic sense and probably not love as in love love. There is definitely passion and strong attraction for her. Selena is his sounding board, his partner in crime, lover and companion. I remember Craig saying that Brenda Bakke saw Selena as Lucas's 'familiar'. Out in public Lucas appears to not need anyone. But I firmly believe that he does need Selena. When we see him with Selena in DTTW and Inhumanitas, for the first time we actually see a Lucas who isn't so self-assured. Any other time, it appears as if Lucas is always in control and never needs someone to talk to when he has a personal problem. But he does. even Lucas needs a friend, someone who won't judge and condemn him for his actions, (like Gail) or be his conscience (like Ben). Selena supports him without saying, "Well maybe you should change and stop doing what you are doing" Until late in the series she supports and helps him. When Lucas is with Selena he is more who he really his, he doesn't pretend to be something he isn't. Outside in the public eye he has one face, that of the benevolent Sheriff who does whatever he can to help out his people. He puts on that charming, friendly, suave face that, for the most part, hides the darkness beneath. That comes out in front of others only when they have displeased him. But with Selena he is pure unadulterated Lucas. (whimper) At times like in Inhumanitus, we see a very different side to Lucas; who would have thought Lucas Buck would ever get scared? But he does, and who does he go to? Selena. always loved the scene in the kitchen. (No and not just for THAT reason *g*) Merlyn has gotten to him, scared him and Selena is the one he turns to with that alien feeling. Lucas shows that he can be afraid, even unsure.and it seems that he needs Selena to tell him and assure him that's not what he's really feeling. ".You're just congested".

We also see how he deals with feeling afraid, like many men he acts out in anger. Wanting to hurt someone with that feeling, and Selena is more the happy to be the one he hurts . as long as she gets to hurt him back.

In general Lucas shows more emotions in front of Selena then he does in front of anyone else. Can you imagine Lucas allowing Ben to see him afraid? Lucas is comfortable to let his guard down in front of Selena. In front of her he shows his feeling of fear and his uncertainties about his son (DTTW.candle scene and Inhumanitus). He also trusts her, getting her in to help him screw someone over (literally with Ben and figuratively with the guy in Resurrector) Unfortunately, with the interaction between these two, we also see the nastier and truer sides of Lucas, coldness, cruelty, ruthlessness and jealousy. Cruelty in how he treats a visibly vulnerable and hurt Selena in Potato Boy. Yes Lucas was warning her off Caleb, but she was opening herself up to him, looking to him to give her the love she desperately needed, and instead he rips out her heart and steps all over it. (Gee and I actually love this character? *g*) Ruthlessness and jealousy in how he deals with her growing relationship with Billy. It's clear that he will never return the love Selena feels for him (anyone disagree that Selena was in love with Lucas?). Although I have said he needs her as a friend, sadly Lucas I think sees her akin to a possession, there for his benefit and satisfaction only. Fine if she has the occasional fling as long as it doesn't mean anything and/or because he wants it. But when she starts having genuine feelings for Billy, Lucas sees himself losing his control over her and he quickly takes strong measures to bring her back into the fold (Triangle).

An interesting couple of questions to ask here. First, did Lucas know that Billy had asked Selena to go with him to Africa? What would he have done if she had gone to the airport with Billy that night? And after making Selena sick, would he ever have actually let Selena die? Or did he never intend it to go that far, but simply to put Billy in his place and prove to Selena who she really belonged to? Was it just Lucas grand standing, showing his power to make a point? Basically what I am asking is was Lucas tempted enough to let Selena die? She was rebelling more and more against him after all.

The relationship we see between Selena and Lucas shows many sides to Lucas. Things we don't see with other characters. He proves that he can actually feel vulnerable, (and I do believe that is what he was feeling in Inhumanitas) and that he needs someone to assure him and boost him up after a hard day. We see him all but pouting like a little boy who hasn't gotten his own way in front of Selena after Caleb deliberately looses the archery contest in DTTW. He was feeling sorry for himself and moaning; who else but Selena would he do that with? I think that on some levels Selena is the one person he trusts above anyone else in Trinity. He trusts her to deal with Raphael (ATGIT), to deal with the coroner in covering-up the real cause of Merlyn's death (ATGIT) and also in setting up ??? (Resurrector). I'm sure ya'll have some opinions and thoughts that I have missed?

Then we come to the other woman in the story. our intrepid and annoying (Oops.Sorry Chris ;-)) resident reporter and love interest, (Why does it suddenly feel as if I have something stuck in my throat when I say love interest?) Gail Emory. Now with Gail we see the ever charming, seductive Lucas. He also doesn't hide who he is with her, he knows that she knows what he is but makes no attempt to pretend he isn't. He even asks her, "would you change me if you could?" showing that he isn't bothered at all that Gail is aware of his true nature. But of course he doesn't always show her the truth either. With Gail he is more guarded than with Selena. Although he knows that Gail knows what he is capable of, he still doesn't admit any wrong doing to her. He even lies to her about the rape of Judith. (Another question. Did Selena know about the rape?) Can't see Lucas confiding in her about certain things like he does with Selena, or asking her to help him out for that matter. Probably because he knows that Gail will not be like Selena and keep quiet about it. But could it also be that he knows that Gail is attracted to his `bad boy' charm, but that she'd be horrified if she found out the true depth of his evil. So he plays her along, letting her see just enough of his misdeeds to intrigue her but never so much as to frighten her away. Only when she discovers that she's carrying his child does she finally try to run.

Does Lucas love Gail? I wouldn't go so far as to say he does. But I do believe that there are some feelings there, and that he cares for her. He admits as much in TBW, referring to both her and Caleb, and I don't think this was a time when he was saying it to gain something. It came out in a moment when I don't think Lucas was guarding what he was saying. Also further proof of his caring can be seen in Plague Sower at the end; that kiss on the forehead and caress were gentle and his expression almost tender. Some would argue that he was doing it for a specific reason, but I would disagree, no one was there to see it, and Gail herself was asleep. Oh and it could be argued that Lucas's concern throughout that episode is not really for Gail herself, because he cared about her, but for selfish reasons, because he didn't want anything to happen to the mother of his future heir. Maybe, but that doesn't explain the tenderness of that unwitnessed kiss.

With his interaction with Gail, we see a Lucas who is capable of caring. Proving that he does have a heart, even if he would say not having one is a positive not a negative. *g* But we also see the ruthless side of Lucas as well with Gail, in that he doesn't let her leave Trinity, he lies about raping Judith and who knows, maybe even misled her about her parents death through those dreams.

Also with Gail, he isn't. how do I say this?. he isn't as colorful or kinky in the bedroom as he is with Selena. Sex with Selena was kinky, a little S&M going on (Hot candle wax for instance). Lucas's comment to Selena in MTB about loving her handcuffs, says enough about what those two get up to in the bedroom. *ng* I can't imagine Gail going in for that. then again who knows what she would have become after a couple years of being involved with Lucas. Would she adapt to the more exotic side of love? Let's admit it, that does seem more Lucas's style. No, with Gail, Lucas is more straightforward and missionary. Clearly Lucas is the master of being what a woman wants, changing his style of seduction to suit the woman he is after.

Yes and when it comes down to it, Lucas was after Gail for a specific reason. If we go with the theory of needing someone with a specific bloodline to mother his child this begs the question,if Gail didn't have that bloodline, would he have been so tolerant of her interference with Caleb, her accusing him of killing his parents, of trying to expose him? Would he have gone to the lengths he did to prove he didn't kill her parents? Or would she have done a magical disappearing act? Would he have given her a second look?

Finally we have the other lady of the story. Just what do we learn about Lucas in his interaction with Merlyn? Well let's start at the beginning with her death. We see very quickly the lengths Lucas will go to, with anyone who stands inthe way between him and Caleb. We learn that Lucas will commit cold-blooded murder, even if he calls it a mercy killing. (And in this case I have to wonder if Lucas actually believes that is what it was; that he was putting Merlyn out of her misery?) We also know that Lucas killed Gage, making it look like a suicide. Through Merlyn we see that Lucas is a killer, and let's not forget, a rapist. With Merlyn we tend to see much more of Lucas's dark side. No doubt because, on some supernatural level, they are similar and Merlyn knows all his dirty little secrets, maybe even more so than Selena. There is no romantic interest here; Merlyn is his enemy, a threat to his relationship with Caleb. So Lucas drops that mask of charm and benevolence and interacts with Merlyn as the threat she is.

It's Merlyn who is the one to make a dent in the cool-nothing-can-touch-me Lucas. She is the only one who I can remember actually ever scaring Lucas. I think that Inhumanitus is the first time that Lucas has to face the fact that Merlyn is probably more of a threat than he first thought. Not only that but she is also the one who is able to make Lucas ask for help (The Plague Sower), isn't that what he did out on that bridge?

Through Merlyn, more than anyone else, we see that Lucas is fallible, that he has his weaknesses. That is one thing I have always wondered about at the end of Inhumanitus. "See, I've already figured out your weak spot Lucas." Just what was that weak spot? (A moot point now I suppose, thanks to Les Moonves!)

Through the interaction with these three very different women, we see the multi-dimensional nature of Lucas. These relationships prove that Lucas isn' t black or white, but very much a shade of gray. As he says to Ben in he pilot, it's all perception. It would be easy to say, because of all the despicable things Lucas does, that he is pure evil. I am not saying he isn' t, but we see that he is more human than he would like anyone to know. With Selena we see a man who drops his defenses, shows his fear, even comes close to admitting it. A man who does actually need someone to talk to, who occasionally needs someone to boost his ego and give him assurances. But at the same time we also see the heartless nature in his callous treatment and use of Selena. With Gail, we see that he can actually care and with Merlyn we see that Lucas can fear. Each a different side, but with all of them we have one constant; with all of them we see just how manipulative Lucas is and how he twists things to suit him and get what he wants. Basically these three `relationships' prove that Lucas is complicated and multifaceted. A real person.

Finally at the end, well of this part anyway. *g* Still more to learn about Lucas through his interaction with the men of AG. Hope it wasn't too chaotic and that I have touched on some things that you will either agree with or disagree with, but which one way or the other will create some nice Lucas chatter. Have fun ;-)

1. August 2002