A/N - Okay, definitely need another hobby.

Tig sulked as he sullenly slunk behind Jax to the clearing. Nero had made it very clear that he wanted Tig alone but Jax had insisted on supervising, even if that meant scooping Tig's gooey and broken form into the back of the van to take back to the clubhouse. Neither of them felt particularly empowered in that moment, jumping down from the van instead of getting off their bikes. With a handful of loaners, getting around at the moment was going to be difficult.

Nero was already waiting, leaning on the bonnet of his car as he smoked a cigarette. He had been thinking for too long on how he'd most like to hurt Tig. The idea of cutting his face up, leaving scars all over his neck and torso as a warning to other women, both were favourites but Jax had been horribly blunt about not disfiguring the guy. Nero could take out his stress, but only to the extent that - at some point - Tig would heal.

"Teller."

Nero handed him an envelope of paperwork. Jax flicked through it briefly, not really looking, and muttered, "What is this?"

"Diosa Norte ownership papers. I'll give you your money, that's not an issue, whatever you need, I just need your signature."

Jax scoffed as he rolled the envelope and stuck it in the back of his pants, he'd have Lowen go over that shit later. "And how do I know you're not just gonna disappear with the money and the ownership?"

Nero smirked as he looked between Jax and Tig. "Because I'm not like you."

Tig was feeling antsy as he stood there. The prospect of getting his ass handed to him was beginning to distress him, they were prolonging the inevitable by just chatting and he hated that. "Come on now, let's get this shit done." Tig didn't mind pain, he enjoyed it, in fact. What he didn't enjoy was the weeks of pissing blood afterwards, the bruising on his balls would hurt every time he took out his Harley for the next few months. He didn't doubt for a second that Nero was going to go straight in with a cock shot.

"No weapons," Jax reiterated, looking at Nero. "You already used a bat, this is one-on-one now."

"I don't need a bat, mano," Nero muttered. He didn't wear many rings but the ones that he did, he slipped off and kissed as he rested them on his seat in the car. He flexed his fingers and pulled off his shirt, stripping down to his white vest and cargo pants, before saying a quiet prayer to his crucifix and taking it off with his other jewellery.

Jax leaned against the van and closed his eyes at the first sickening crunch. He was used to the pain, they went through it all the time, but knowing it had to be done was always difficult. Nero's knuckles slammed hard into Tig's jaw, it was already pretty sore but Tig grunted as he took the blow. He was pretty sure that was broken, loosened by that first impact earlier. He staggered back but drew himself up again and took a breath, flaring his nostrils as he breathed through the pain and righted himself for the next punch.

Nero pummelled him furiously, sending Tig sprawling against the side of the van as he gasped to breathe. Tig gave Jax a hopeless look, he wasn't enjoying this but Jax knew the punishment was just and Tig's acceptance of it made him sure that he was as guilty as Chibs had suspected him to be. Jax motioned for Tig to get up and get back in there, he muttered something indecipherable as he walked back to Nero. His head was already dizzy as Nero slammed his elbow into Tig's temple, sending him sprawling to the floor as he kicked him, again and again, in the ribs and stomach and groin. Fuck, this was going to hurt for months.

"That how you SAMCRO boys get your kicks?" Nero snarled as his boot slammed up into Tig's jaw. Yep, that was definitely broken, if not earlier, certainly now. "You rape girls who come to you for protection?"

"Don't tar us with the same brush," Jax called out, irritated. "We all make our own decisions."

"Men follow the direction of their leader," Nero argued as he pressed the tip of his boot against Tig's throat. He could see Tig's eyelids fluttering, he was on the border of passing out but it seemed too early to let him fall unconscious yet. Instead, Nero grabbed his hair and pulled him up to his knees before slamming his foot into his back and sending Tig sprawling into the dirt. "Men challenge bad leadership."

"You got a problem with me, Nero?" Jax narrowed his eyes, stepping up now. "You can beat on me all you want, buddy, but I'll fight you back."

Ignoring Tig for a moment and allowing him to recover, even just a little bit, Nero paced towards Jax. He stopped short of him and spat at his feet, looking at him with a sneer.

"You have no right to wear that patch," he muttered, poking it hard on his chest. "Men like Marcus Alvarez? They know what they're doing. They know who they are. You, you're in this for the wrong reasons, mano. You want glory, you want control. Being President ain't about that."

"They teach you that at gangbanger school?" Jax asked with a smirk on his lips. Nero managed to hold it together, however much he wanted to wipe that smug smile of Jax's face, he'd have to wait until another time.

"I did what you're doing for too long." He shook his head. "You kill weak links."

"Then maybe I should start with your Nina," Jax muttered darkly. "She's a rat."

"She's a little girl who needed her father," Nero snapped, insulted on her behalf. "She came to me because the men you entrusted her to were liars."

"I'm responsible for my club, not my men," Jax retorted. He was hating this, he felt like he was having to say these things, Nero was backing him into the corner. "They accept culpability for what they do."

Nero backhanded Tig just as he was managing to get up to his knees again and sent him back down to the floor. Crouching beside him, he slammed Tig's head into the dirt, the crunch of his nose breaking made Jax shiver. Tig crawled up again, looking at Jax for some sort of compassion as the dark red stained his lips and teeth and chin.

"That's enough now, Nero."

Nero laughed and slammed his shoe into Tig's face. Tig fell to the ground again and Jax watched as Nero crushed poor Tig's hand beneath his foot, leaning down to painfully break each finger individually. Tig wasn't one to cry out in pain, he'd never been like that, but his stillness made Jax realise exactly how much it was really hurting him. Nero kicked him to sprawl on his back, and pushed his heel onto Tig's ribcage.

"No permanent damage," Jax reiterated quickly. Nero smirked as the first bone cracked.

"As long as he breathes shallow, he'll be fine," he muttered. "Too deep and he'll tear his lung, so, you know, that choice is on him."

This was going too far. Jax moved to get between them but Nero snatched his revolver from the back of his pants and held it, steadily aimed at Jax. He was unflinching, his whole body poised and ready to take the shot if he had to. Tig grunted, coughing blood onto the ground, and weakly muttered,

"Prez, let me take it."

Nero smiled. "Yeah, Prez. Let him take it."

Jax put his hands up and turned away, he couldn't watch this any more. All he could see, watching Tig suffer, was Opie's face staring back at him, lifeless and distraught. Knowing that Nero would eventually stop wasn't enough. Those guards had taken too long to get their fill, and Opie's body had been a wreck by the time they had called time on it. Jax slammed his fist into the van and shook his head, he hadn't realised it would make him feel so eerily reminiscent of what had already happened to one of his brothers.

"Come on, Nero."

Nero was on his knees, straddling Tig as he punched his face repeatedly. His white shirt was stained with a mixture of dirt, dried brown blood and glowing, fresh red splattered across him. His knuckles were hurting, all of him hurt from his fierce attack but he knew he would never get enough, not without cutting this asshole's dick off. He kneed Tig again, making him splutter and spew blood and bile onto the ground.

"You're a monster," Nero muttered. In the heat of the moment, he grabbed his gun from his back and shoved the barrel roughly into Tig's mouth. Tig choked as he forced the metal between his lips and Nero looked at him, his eyes glowing fiercely as he looked the man who'd raped his little girl in the goddamn face.

"Daddy, don't!"

He paused as he heard her voice. At first he thought he must be hallucinating, but Nina suddenly came skidding down the bank to the clearing. He didn't know how long she had been watching, how long she had been there but Nero slowly withdrew his gun at her instruction. He held it loosely in his hand as she ran into him, holding him tight, tears in her eyes as she buried her head in his chest.

"We're not like them," she insisted, cuddling her father close and kissing the scar on his chest as it peeked out over his torn shirt. "Don't sink to their level, you gave that up."

She looked at him so earnestly that Nero felt her goodness wash over him. He kissed her hair lovingly, proud of her for having such compassion for her attacker. He looked at Tig, he was almost motionless on the floor, and nodded to Jax. "Clear him up," he instructed. "And bring me that paperwork tonight. I want Diosa, Jax. No SAMCRO."

Jax's lip curled into a vicious snarl the second he turned his back on Nero as he tried to help his brother to stand. Tig was so weak it was nearly impossible, Jax literally had to lift him to put him in the van. As he glanced back, he could simply see Nero and Nina hugging each other close, both speaking in soft whispers to each other. Jax shook his head and laughed darkly.

"Don't worry, brother," he said softly. "We'll settle this, it's not done yet. I'll have him on his knees begging for your forgiveness, you just wait."