This was a war of a different sort, the kind martyrs fought. To not meet violence with violence, but with courage and conviction.

To say, no matter how many times you knock me down, I will get back up.

Bo allowed his hands to be tied by Sutter's men, he knew that what was coming was going to hurt and the only part of that he regretted was that the girl he was magically connected to would hurt too.

"I want you all to see what happens when people cross me." Sutter smirked at the frightened people, after this they'd hand everything over to him and he'd own it all, then he'd sell it to the railroad and live like a king. He pushed Bo on the ground.

"No! No!" Isabel protested, that was her little brother, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"Don't!" Xander warned. "He knows what he's doing."

Bo regained his feet and deliberately turned his back on Sutter, hands tied in front of him, presenting his back and silently apologizing to Phoebe, who screamed as the whip left bloody welts on both of their backs and red marks on Cordelia's.

"What's happening?" Margaret demanded, holding her daughter as Victor was terrified of making things worse for Phoebe.

"He's beating Bo." Cordelia replied. "I can feel him, Bo, he's determined to not give in, to not let that...person win."

"What's the matter, boy? You too stupid to scream? I want you to beg for mercy." He used the whip again

"No." Bo answered. "I won't feed you."

"What are you people doing? Look at him. He has the courage to fight Sutter for all of you. You can't just stand there and watch him die. You have to do something!" Natalie insisted. A war of words, the Elders might have wanted her to be a pacifist and not encourage violence, but for once, she was not going to adhere to the party line.

"Is this how you want your children to see you?" Xander asked. "As someone too afraid to do what's right? Too afraid to stand up to evil? To let a friend suffer right in front of you?"

He saw several of them with conflicted looks on their faces and others turn away. "He deserves the courtesy of witnesses." Xander snarled at them. "Just because you're blinding yourself to what's happening in front of you doesn't change the fact that it's happening. He's fighting for all of you! He's standing up for your town. You look at what you're allowing to happen! What you're teaching your children to allow. Is this something you want them thinking is acceptable, a bully stealing everything from your land to your pride from you?"

"No one crosses me and gets away with it." Sutter insisted as he struck Bo again and his knees buckled from the pain and Phoebe screamed. "I'm sorry." Bo whispered down through the connection. "I never meant to involve you, but you're strong too and your strength is helping me to fight him." Phoebe heard him and understood, she was his voice so he could stand up again. And he did, he levered himself back to his feet again.

"You cannot just stand by and let this happen. Stand up to him! Don't give in to fear!" Natalie encouraged. "Or you'll be ruled and defined by it."

"You really are too stupid to just lay down and die, aren't you?" Sutter glared at the man with the bloody back still daring to stand up to him. Without saying a word, Bo was defying him, every time he stood up again. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to make you." He drew his gun from his holster and aimed it at the back of Bo's head. And dropped it when a gunshot rang out and his hand went bloody as it was shot. He turned an incredulous stare on the bartender of the saloon.

"I think you should just leave Bo alone, Sutter." He growled to the stuptified man.

"You just signed your own death certificate." Sutter threatened as Cal drew his own gun and aimed it at Sutter too. He'd had enough.

"If you wanna kill Bo, you're gonna have to kill me too." Cal informed him. The sound of multiple guns being drawn and cocked was the only sound heard in the street. Sutter looked around wildly and realized they were all pointed at him. Isabel, thinking maybe it was over and Sutter had been stopped, ran to her brother. But Sutter refused to acknowledge he'd lost and grabbed her by her hair and held his other gun, in his other hand, to her head.

"This town is mine!" He insisted. "Just give me what I want or she dies."

"No." Xander spoke, his eyes glowing. "Let her go!" Sutter let go of Isabel's hair, staring at the man with the strange colored eyes. "Uncock the gun and drop it!" He ordered and Sutter found himself obeying. "Order your men to drop their guns and surrender!"

"Drop your guns and surrender!"

"Kneel!" Sutter dropped to his knees. Xander walked over to him. "If you were a demon," he whispered. "I'd destroy you physically. Poof, no more. But see, as much as I don't want to be a human monster, revenge is something I find it difficult to pass up. You're going to confess every crime you've ever committed to a judge and you're going to go to prison. However long you manage to survive will serve for revenge, I think. Or maybe the judge will just order you hanged, it's what you intended to do to Bo, isn't it?"

"Yes." The frightened man answered, staring at the glowing, golden brown eyes.

"This is over, you lost." Xander spoke loudly as Natalie moved passed him and let her hands glow as she openly healed Bo and by extension, Phoebe and Cordelia. "What's that expression? Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. I'm not an angel, but she is." Hoping Natalie didn't get in trouble with the Elders for actively helping and publicly using her powers. 'Oh well, I'll just have to have a word with them again.'

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A/N Hebrews 13.2.