[ Sadly, Carl has mistaken Rick's anger at the situation as his anger directed at Carl. Carl's voice is becoming even more heated, raising his voice. ]
And there are consequences for going after us! We didn't do anything to anyone, but when someone goes off and hurt us, they need to know just who the fuck they are dealing with!
I faced Jesse right and demanded what we need for peace out of him. What I needed for peace: an apology for hurting us in the first place, but he won't do it. He never cared about me, he never had! It's Ron all over again, and I'll be damned to give anyone any second chances ever again!
[ Rick protests. How could Carl understand, though, when Rick hadn't told him? He draws in a shaky breath. He doesn't want to relive this, but he has no real choice. ]
Someone is dead back home. Beaten to death right in front me of -- in front of the group all 'cause we were all about showin' 'em who the fuck they're dealin' with. For all I know, it could be you. He threatened to do it to get to me, to teach me a lesson.
All of us. The whole group, on our knees at his mercy. An' all I was tryin' to do was get Maggie some help. There's somethin' wrong with her baby. But they intercepted us, they got us where they wanted an' for the first time, we got no escape, Carl.
You can't go bringin' trouble onto us. Who knows who Jesse's allies are. Who knows what someone's gonna do to us to retaliate for what you did. But I guarantee someone's gonna do somethin'. An' you can't think we're gonna always make it out jus' fine.
[ What the hell is Dad talking about? That is the first thought. Maggie's pregnant? Who are they fighting? Dad is talking, but Carl can only get one word out of five from Dad, a lot of good as Dad is explaining what has happened back home.
But he did get the general idea of what Dad is trying to say to Carl . . . and is unmoved. Knowing his potential death or someone else's doesn't change anything. It only means one thing - that if they don't want to die, they have to dig themselves out of the grave they dug for themselves, and shove their tormentors' bodies in the holes in the ground.
If they feel charitable afterwards, anyway. ]
And even then, if I die, or anyone who had - that doesn't change anything, does it? Another dead body to bury. It's still something we have to fight.
And you know what? What ever happened back home is not going to count to what happened here. This is different, because I know Jesse. I know him. He's not going to go after me or you because to him, I'm just some misguided kid. He talks down to me like I'm stupid, like I don't know the gray area we were all stuck in that the Soviets forced on us. He knew he betrayed our friendship. He won't even say sorry for killing you, even if he knew about how much it hurt me.
He known what was coming, and he deserves every single stab.
[ That was the last thing Rick wanted to hear. Dismissing Carl's life like he's just another dead body. He isn't. He is everything to Rick. He is the reason Rick does what he does, fights as hard as he does -- him and Judith. So hearing that, and hearing Carl go off further to argue his points just causes Rick to shut down. He gives up, defeated. There's no point in arguing or putting his foot down. The damage is done. And it's all out of his control. Everything is out of his control. ]
He doesn't matter in the end. It's the people he's friends with, his group, that're gonna make the move. You might not believe it, but it will happen.
[ The moment those ugly, terrible words came out of Carl's mouth, he immediately regretted them. He wished he had Max's power of changing time. Of changing those five seconds and maybe saying something less terrible. As if what Dad faced didn't mattered - it did mattered. It did - but it changes nothing of the fact that terrible things exist, and if they have to become worse in order to make their people survive, in order to give people like Judith a change to become better than they are -
- then damn the consequences. You fight or you die.
Jesse won't go after Carl. His stupid sentimentality stops him from going after Carl. His people will certainly want to, but Jesse will not let them. But if they don't listen, well. . .
Jesse will listen to Carl, one way or the other.
But more importantly: ]
I'm sorry, Dad.
[ Carl knows where to take more priority. More than his pride, more than his rage. He's sorry that Dad is so broken, and Carl has only broken him more with words alone.
no subject
And there are consequences for going after us! We didn't do anything to anyone, but when someone goes off and hurt us, they need to know just who the fuck they are dealing with!
I faced Jesse right and demanded what we need for peace out of him. What I needed for peace: an apology for hurting us in the first place, but he won't do it. He never cared about me, he never had! It's Ron all over again, and I'll be damned to give anyone any second chances ever again!
no subject
[ Rick protests. How could Carl understand, though, when Rick hadn't told him? He draws in a shaky breath. He doesn't want to relive this, but he has no real choice. ]
Someone is dead back home. Beaten to death right in front me of -- in front of the group all 'cause we were all about showin' 'em who the fuck they're dealin' with. For all I know, it could be you. He threatened to do it to get to me, to teach me a lesson.
All of us. The whole group, on our knees at his mercy. An' all I was tryin' to do was get Maggie some help. There's somethin' wrong with her baby. But they intercepted us, they got us where they wanted an' for the first time, we got no escape, Carl.
You can't go bringin' trouble onto us. Who knows who Jesse's allies are. Who knows what someone's gonna do to us to retaliate for what you did. But I guarantee someone's gonna do somethin'. An' you can't think we're gonna always make it out jus' fine.
'Cause we aren't.
no subject
But he did get the general idea of what Dad is trying to say to Carl . . . and is unmoved. Knowing his potential death or someone else's doesn't change anything. It only means one thing - that if they don't want to die, they have to dig themselves out of the grave they dug for themselves, and shove their tormentors' bodies in the holes in the ground.
If they feel charitable afterwards, anyway. ]
And even then, if I die, or anyone who had - that doesn't change anything, does it? Another dead body to bury. It's still something we have to fight.
And you know what? What ever happened back home is not going to count to what happened here. This is different, because I know Jesse. I know him. He's not going to go after me or you because to him, I'm just some misguided kid. He talks down to me like I'm stupid, like I don't know the gray area we were all stuck in that the Soviets forced on us.
He knew he betrayed our friendship. He won't even say sorry for killing you, even if he knew about how much it hurt me.
He known what was coming, and he deserves every single stab.
no subject
He doesn't matter in the end. It's the people he's friends with, his group, that're gonna make the move. You might not believe it, but it will happen.
no subject
- then damn the consequences. You fight or you die.
Jesse won't go after Carl. His stupid sentimentality stops him from going after Carl. His people will certainly want to, but Jesse will not let them. But if they don't listen, well. . .
Jesse will listen to Carl, one way or the other.
But more importantly: ]
I'm sorry, Dad.
[ Carl knows where to take more priority. More than his pride, more than his rage. He's sorry that Dad is so broken, and Carl has only broken him more with words alone.
But he's not sorry for stabbing Jesse Pinkman. ]