Lucas Buck quotes from American Gothic

Caleb

What are you doing?

Lucas

Taking off a claw, you earned yourself a talisman.

Caleb

I don't want that thing.

Lucas

What do you mean? You killed it, you own it.

Caleb

You made me.

Lucas

Son, nobody makes anybody do anything they don't want to do in the first place.

Miss Coombs is not a witness. She's in my protective custody, as a matter of fact.

Lucas

She does enjoy her handcuffs.

Lucas

It's no secret Hac Weller had a thing for you.

Selena

Well so do you, when the mood strikes.

Lucas

You should be flattered.

Selena

I make the effort. So when some man doesn't come home to his little wife, he must have been with me, is that it?

Lucas

In a world of possibilities... it's a short reach.

Selena

Well then the next time the mood strikes, I suggest you reach for yourself.

Merlyn

You don't understand me either Lucas. I mean people thought I was stupid 'cause of the way I acted, but I wasn't. I just saw too much.

Lucas

I know.

Merlyn

And I know what you're trying to do now. You want me to choose to live.

Lucas

There's nothing wrong with that.

Merlyn

Except the baby dies! And then I commit the ultimate sin. And Caleb turns against me? And then you finally won. Well I'm not going to let that happen.

Merlyn

So, what did you do to him?

Lucas

Who Ray? I left him down by your grave. Crying like a baby.

Merlyn

Go ahead, come on. It's your big chance... murder me again, Lucas. Such tenderness... a mercy killing. Isn't that what you told your deputy?

Lucas

You'd had a miserable life.

Merlyn

Oh, I know I did. But I'm not going to let you ruin that for me again.

Lucas

You don't understand me Merli-ann, I'm not going to hurt you. I want you to live. You deserve it. This could be the first day of the rest of your life.

Caleb

I hate you!

Lucas

And someday we'll make that hate work for you.

Lucas

You starting to get the picture, angel face? He's his father's son.

Merlyn

He's my brother.

Lucas

A blip in the gene pool. He's my son. He carries my spirit and if you kill me, the child becomes the man.

Merlyn

I would kill him before I would let that happen.

Lucas

Do that and you kill yourself. You only exist because of that child's faith. That too will pass when he learns his full potential. He is more powerful than you can imagine.

Merlyn

You can't destroy me Lucas.

Lucas

And you won't destroy me.

Lucas

I'm...

Selena

Scared?

Lucas

Is this what scared feels like?

Selena

I wouldn't know.

Lucas

I wanna hurt somebody, with this feeling. I wanna hurt you.

Selena

As long as I get to hurt you back.

Lucas

Evening, Miss Combs. Feeling suicidal?

Selena

What?

Lucas

Care to join me in a little masochistic nihilism?

Gail

There's a lesson in everything. Isn't that what you said to Caleb? What's our lesson here? What is it that we're supposed to learn from this little adventure?

Lucas

Patience, I guess.

Gail

No. Patience is a virtue. You wouldn't be interested in that.

Lucas

No, sir, it's just that it ain't easy being me. And I imagine it ain't exactly a walk in the park being you, either.

You don't know anything about me.

Lucas

I know you've got more than your share of demons.

You don't know anything about my demons.

Lucas

Of course I do. I know you're still beating yourself up for puking on little Claire's Christmas presents when she was six.... For missing her school play three years in a row, even though you absolutely meant to be there. But you know what they say - the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Lucas

Caleb, this... romantic love thing.

Selena

What do you know about it?

Lucas

From observation, quite a bit. It's really an addiction. No different than booze or drugs or cigarettes. And when you're in its clutches you no longer see the truth. You become totally selfish.

Selena

Look who's talking.

Lucas

And selfless at the same time. It makes you... stupid. Take Miss Coombs here.

Caleb

She's not stupid.

Selena

Thank you, darling.

Lucas

In love you've got to go straight to the heart.

Selena

That's why they invented the dagger.

Lucas

You know what a conscience is?

Caleb

It's like, when you do something wrong and it bothers you?

Lucas

Well, not me.

Merlyn

Hello Caleb.

Caleb

I'm dead, ain't I?

Merlyn

God's plan works for us all.

Caleb

Always figured I'd be afraid.

Merlyn

Well you belong here.

Lucas

Couldn't agree more. Although it may just be that your timing's off a little bit. You see Caleb; your sister isn't telling you everything. You still have a choice.

Caleb

Why didn't you tell me Merli?

Lucas

Cause she's afraid Caleb. She's afraid if you live a long and healthy life, you'll make all the wrong choices. See, there's that word again, choice.

Caleb

You don't want me to go, do you?

Merlyn

I love you Caleb. It's your choice.