Notes: This story takes place at the ending of the movie "Omen III: The Final Conflict" and after the Brimstone episode "Mourning After"

Warnings: rape, strong profanity, extreme violence, satanic rituals, sacrifices, het/slash sex, religious overtones

Disclaimer: Damien Thorn, Kate Reynolds, Peter Reynolds, Ms. Baylock, Father De Carlo, Mark Thorn, and others are copyrights of David Seltzer and Twentieth Century Fox. Ezekiel Stone, Rosalin Stone, The Devil, Max, Father Horn, Detective Ash/Ashur Badaktu, and others are copyrights of Fox Network. I have received no money for this story.

Summary: The year is 1999. Detective Ezekiel Stone has sent 74 damned souls back to Hell. The next DSOTW(Damned Soul Of The Week)-- or of the Millenium, in this case--is Damien Thorn the Antichrist, the Devil's son. But the the Beast is not so easy to kill as the rest of the fugitives. The only thing that will work, Zeke learns from experience, is to use the same weapon(s) that brought Damien to his demise. But more is at stake here than Zeke's second chance at life: he must destroy the Antichrist, to save the world from the Apocalypse.

Okay, now here's the story. I hope you enjoy it.

FATHER AND SON

by Lord Ares

CHAPTER ONE: Genesis

----1981----
---London, England---

It's almost midnight. Kate Reynolds is driving to a deserted chapel where Damien Thorn, the Ambassador to Great Britain, is keeping her son. She knows she must save Peter, her 12-year-old son, from Damien's dark influence; and that can only happen if the Beast is slain. She had just listened to the Catholic priest Father De Carlo tell her the entire history of Damien. She clearly remembers when she and Damien were copulating at his home in Hampstead.

Everything was going great, until he pulled out of her, as if in pain. Then, without warning, he had quickly turned her over and began entering her from behind. She pleaded that this wasn't her way, that she wasn't "into" THAT kind of pleasure, but to no avail. She remembers the violent thrusts, the animal-like snarling, the nails furiously digging into her back..she recalls vividly the course words Damien had whispered into her. {"Do you want to see what I see? Pain conquers all things. Birth is pain. Death is pain. Beauty is pain. I give you MY pain, for love is also pain...} He then came in all the way, shooting his "love" into her poop-chute. He had immediately looked up at the ceiling. {"Show her true pain, Father! Not the shallow thorns of earthly torment, but the raptures of divinest anguish! Feel it, Kate! Feel the Dark Love!! FEEL IT!!!!} He had taken advantage of her..she was raped. She cursed his name, vowing that no one would abuse her in that way again..never again.

Damien is in the abandoned chapel with Peter Reynolds. They are looking at a sculpture of Christ on a cross: he was nailed backwards, facing the cross with his backside facing the viewer; a perverse form of sacrilege. Damien prayed, "O Satan, beloved father, the victory is thine. All praise to thee, for thou hast delivered this virgin child , that I may face the Nazarene at last." The Christ was reborn as an infant a couple weeks ago. Damien had ordered his followers to kill any babies that were born on the same night as the Christ-child. But they failed to find the true one. Damien now turned to face his new protege. "Here we are. Mark would have had this great oppurtunity, but he refused.."

Peter, confused, asks, "Mark who? I don't understand."

Damien shrugged. "Oh, just someone I knew a long time ago. Now, the time draws near. I want you to listen to me Peter, and listen carefully. Your mother is coming here to take you away from me."

The boy protested, "No, don't let her take me from you!"

Damien raised his left palm up to calm Peter. "Shh. Don't worry. From this moment on, you will belong to me. The Christian faith has ten commandments: I only have one. Be my follower for eternity, be MINE. Remember the secret pact I read to you? The words you had memorized?"

"Yes, Damien. I know them by heart."

"Good. Say it now and we shall both be as one. Say it.."

"I love you."

"Beyond all others.."

"Beyond life itself."

"Beyond life itself!"

Suddenly, Kate stormed into the room. "I'm here to make the deal, Damien. I know where the Nazarene is located."

Damien asks, "Well, where is he?"

Kate looked at her son. He was like a stranger, from the way he was smirking at her. This couldn't be Peter. She felt a sense of hopelessness. Perhaps if she could get him alone, she inwardly reasoned, she could return him back to his true self. She glared hatefully at Damien, demanding, "Give me back MY SON. Then I will lead you to Him."

Damien grinned, "My, my. Am I sensing some hostility here? Maybe I WAS a bit rough that night.."

That pissed her off. "GIVE ME MY SON! NOW!!"

"Lead us to the Nazarene, then you can have Peter back."

The boy shivered, "No, Lord Damien, it's a trick!"

Damien answered calmly, "Not if she wants her son back, it isn't. She has too much to lose here."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Right, I get it. If she truly wants me bad enough, she won't try anything stupid. Ha! Mother, your love has made you WEAK!"

Damien chuckled, "See, Kate? He's learning already." He looked deeply into her eyes, gazing into her soul. "LET'S GO."

PART TWO

Damien, Kate, and Peter are walking in the courtyard of a Celtic cathedral. No one else seems to be around. But accidentally sees Father De Carlo hiding behind a pillar, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at Damien. What the priest doesn't realize, however, is that there are no perfect moments in this life, as he will soon find out. The holy man looks at Damien with pure hatred, brandishing his holy knife: one of the Seven Daggers of Megiddo, the only thing that will kill the Antichrist. [Tonight you DIE, you spawn of Satan!]. He had seen enough people die because of him, and for him. De Carlo finally decided that he has seen enough--NOW is the time to act. As if in a mad frenzy, he he ran out at Damien, exposing his location. But Damien already knew his intention for several seconds beforehand, for he had the power to read minds.

Kate saw Peter trapped between De Carlo and Damien. "Father, no!!"

But it was too late, the priest had gained momentum, he was unable to stop himself in time. Damien picked up Peter and swung him in the direction of the attack. The holy blade went through the child's back, a fatal wound. Then, Damien started after the priest, strangling him against the wall.

Kate knelt by her son, who had fallen to his knees. She yelled, "NO! Peter!" Shaking with terror, she pulled the blade out. "Peter, my boy. Please, don't leave me now, you are all I have. I beg you, don't go! Please..don't die..."

Peter's eyes were blank. "I love you," he murmered softly, "I..love you."

"Peter.."

"Beyond life itself..I love you, Damien."

"No! Oh, dear God, NO!!"

His eyes closed for the last time, as he slumped to the ground, dead. She placed both hands on his face, trying to shake him. But it was useless. "Come back, dammit! Please!! Come back." She finally let him go. [My son is dead. He breathes no more, the child is DEAD.]. She looks at Damien, who is still choking the old man. [Well, finally killing someone with your bare hands, you monster? My son is dead now. He is dead..because of YOU. And in Hell. Bastard!]. She quickly rose to her feet--and holding the knife--empowered by her inner rage. She felt stronger now, more than ever was, or will be, in her entire life. Her anger gave her a new sense of determination. [Father De Carlo is RIGHT. No more deaths. No more sacrifices, no more "accidents"--it WILL end tonight!!!].

Damien had forced the priest to his knees. All was silent now. Silence. Very thick. Until Kate's cry of rage cut through it.

She runs at the Beast, thrusts the dagger deep into his spine, embedding it to the hilt. "BASTARD!"

"BITCH!" He ran past the shrubbery, growling like a jackal, shouting, "Nazarene! Where are you, Nazarene? Do you HEAR me, Nazarene?!" He was crawling on all fours now, weakened by the knife's power. He looked up and an eerie glow of white light.

When the light diminished, there was another presence. A man in white and golden robes, a blue scabbard at his waist. The bearded man's face shone like the visage of an archangel. The entity's eyes stared at Damien in contempt--actually, they looked "through him, piercing like swords. This man was the Nazarene, the reborn Christ. He had obviously grown to adult-hood. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the being spoke. "Damien Thorn. LISTEN."

The voice, which could be very intimidating to the worst demon, caused Damien to look away in fear. "What do you want, Nazarene?"

"You have lost..and I have won."

"Like hell, you won."

"Interesting choice of words, considering where you're going."

"Satan! My lord..my god, why have you forsaken me?!"

"That was MY line first, you beast." The Holy One unsheathed his sword. The blue metal had an illuminence like fire, almost like it was alive. "You are an abomination!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Many have died for you, but no longer. Your reign ends NOW. You have sinned against the Holy Trinity...and you WILL PAY. You, Damien, son of Lucifer, are hereby damned!" He lightly tapped the Beast on the shoulder. Then the Christ vanished...the light had gone with Him.

Damien, realizing he is dying now, screamed in desperation. "Satan, why have you deserted me? How can the Messiah DO this?!!"

A voice behind him said, "Because he CAN..son."

Damien turned on his back, looking up at the stranger.

It was a white man in his early thirties, jet-black hair pulled behind the neck. He was dressed in all-black attire: jeans, boots, turtleneck shirt, long trench-coat. His body was gaunt and rigid-he didn't LOOK dangerous. He squatted down, sitting cross-legged in front of the Beast.

Damien squinted. "You called me 'son'. Are you.."

The man laughed. "Yes, that's me. Go on, SAY it...I'm the Devil!"

"You are Satan? The Destroyer, Belial, Apollyon-"

"Yeah. Beelzebub, Dark Prince, Marduk, Dahak, Lucien, Mephistocles..and about a hundred other names. Blah, blah, blah."

"Yes. I sense your dark-soul..It's you, Father."

"That's right. My, what a disappointment you turned out to be. I planned this half a century."

"What did you plan?"

Damn, his son was dense all of a sudden. "You, idiot! I planned YOU. Birth, life, education, power..our kingdom. Jesus! Oh sorry, pardon my language. You know, I thought you were smart! I guess that year at Davidson Academy didn't do you much good, hmmm? I screw a craggly old dog--and there ARE more attractive species of the animal kingdom, believe me, I know--send you to Ambassador Robert Thorn. He dies, so you go to his brother, who dies after seven years, among other people. And your cousin Mark dies; shame on you! I had plans for him. Well, too late."

Damien didn't know this side to his Father. He was very cocky and smart-mouthed. "It was all for you."

"Isn't that what Chessa, your 'first' nanny, said before hanging herself? Ha, ha..."

"What?"

"You know, this campaign of killing all the newborn babies was all your idea, not mine. That went out of style even in Atilla's day."

"Atilla?"

"Atilla the Hun, your ancestor. But you didn't have to massacre that many, although I do admire the effort and determination. But I knew who this Jesus-child was!"

Damien was surprised. "You did?"

The Devil got up on his feet. "Yes! All you had to do was ASK, you nitwit. Well, all this work for nothing. Everything you could have attained in my nasme, all your power...and THIS is how it ends. Killed by a reporter. A female one at that! Gee, how is that gonna look in the paper? Ambassador/world leader killed by BBC newswoman." He laughs loudly now.

The Devil's humor wasn't too amusing. "Ugghhhh."

The Dark Prince looked at his Rolex watch. "Oh, it's that time! Well, I'll have to conceive another demon-child. And I'll need THAT Beast in power before eighteen years. By 1998, before the year 2000, to take advantage of the y2k-Millenium-Bug."

"The y2-what?"

"Y2k. The next millenium? The--oh, forget it. It's just some big plan I've had for twelve years now. And it WILL succeed, Damien, count on it. Remember, son: nobody beats the Devil." He disappeared, but there was no light, no black smoke, no hellfire left in its place...no special effects like his followers would expect. He was just here one second and gone the next.

Damien layed his head back on the cobble stone pavement. "Receive me, Father, into thy paradise." He was finally dead.

Kate and Father De Carlo walked towards Damien, the priest holding the boy. Kate kicked Damien's body over and removed the Megiddo knife from the Antichrist's back. She puts it in her purse and smirks, "I think I'll keep this as a souvenir." The final conflict between good and evil had been resolved, for now. But her child was dead? As they walked to her car, she asked the priest, "Father, my son said something odd before he died."

He looked at her. "He said that he loved you?"

"Yes. But..it's not that. It's the 'way' he said it, what he said after..like he was quoting a line."

"Did he say 'I love you beyond life itself'?"

"Yes! Ezactly. Then he said something about Damien."

"It is just as I feared.

"What is it?"

"That is a prayer for Apostates of the Beast, to rule with him in Hell. Remembere, Peter died BEFORE Damien was done to death."

Kate was shivering at this new knowledge. "So..does this mean they are both in Hell?!"

He spoke slowly, unsure of how to approach the subject. "Well, I..this is difficult, Ms. Reynolds."

"Tell me! It's all over now. Damien is now, at this moment, suffering for his crimes. My son is gone! Tell me, is he also in torment?"

"Most likely, yes. He was an Apostle of the Beast, a disciple of Satan. Peter was dead for ten minutes by the time his master was slain, so..."

"He is in Hell."

"Yes. Unless.."

"Unless what?"

"Unless Christ intercedes on his behalf. If the boy was really under Damien's mind control, if he wasn't in conscious control of his actions..mercy could be shown. But it is unlikely that..oh, I am sorry, Kate. I do not know with certainly. You seee, my expertise is in the level of faith, restitution, salvation..those things which are bound to this world. What happens in Tartarus or Paradise is beyond my knowledge."

She shrugged her shoulkders. "Oh well. I guess it doesn't matter now. At least Damien has perished."

"Yes, that much is certain. However, it is not totally over."

"What?! How's that?"

"His diligent followers are still up and about. Word will soon get to them about their lord's death. I don't think the Order of the Dark Horizon will be too forgiving towards his killer. You should quit your job at the station. Tell them nothing. Leave the country, change your identity. It will NOT be safe for you here."

"In that case, I should go tonight."

"Good."

"I can go to the States..Manhatten or Brooklyn sounds appealing."

"Excellent choice. But you are right about ONE thing, Ms. Reynolds."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Damien Thorn--the Antichrist!--is dead, in Hell. He will trouble this world no more."

She nodded. "Right. He won't be back.."

But they were both wrong.

part three

---1983---
---Manhatten, New York---

It's 10:37pm. Ezekiel Stone is in his house, talking with his wife Rosalin in the kitchen. He's standing by the counter, petting their cat Buster. She is almost finished washing all the dinner dishes. He asks her, "Did you go to the college today?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm all signed up for classes. Oh, I have to go somewhere tomorrrow."

"Where?"

"Remember that support group I mentioned?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, they have another meeting tomorrow morning. Lisa says that I'm on my way to recovery."

"Lisa? The founder?"

"Right, Lisa Rinehardt."

"Oh, that's right. You told me about her last week. She was raped two years ago. Didn't you say she had a son?"

"Yes. But he was killed in the same month. By the rapist."

"Who WAS this jerk-off?"

"She doesn't say much about him. I know he was a politician."

"Who, Richard Nixon?"

"No. It happened overseas, somewhere in Europe. This man, this..'beast', she calls him..ran some kind of underground cult. He had millions of followers with organized connections. This scumbag sodomized Lisa, then later killed her boy."

"Well. I suppose he got off, right? Like Jax got away?"

She dried her hands with a towel. "No, he was killed by an unknown assailant."

"So she moved here and formed this group for assault victims?"

"Yes, she's helping me a little." The phone rang. She walked to the dining room and picks up the receiver. "Hello? No, Zeke isn't here now. This is Rosalin Stone. Okay..yes, I'll give him the message. Bye."

"Who was that?"

"That was Don Bendle from Internal Affairs. They want you to go to a meeting tomorrow."

"Those assholes."

"Are you still under investigation for Jax's murder?"

"Unfortunately. They still think I made his heroin overdose look like suicide. The IA is grilling me like the Devil. But even if I DID do it, it doesn't change anything. It's one less rapist on the streets."

"I'm glad someone took that punk out, after what he did to me."

He muttered under his breath, "I enjoyed every minute of it."

She leaned forward. "What? I didn't hear you."

He shook his head. "Nothing. Oh, I'm going up to the store. do you want anything?"

She sat in a chair in the living room. "No, I'm alright. You go ahead. Do you have enough money?"

"Yes, I have about $35." He set Buster on the counter. Then he put on his coat and grabbed his wallet and gun, checking to see if his firearm was still loaded.

"Excuse me..Zeke?"

"Yeah?" He put it in his coat.

"Um, WHY are you taking a gun to the store??"

"Protection. You know how how depressing my work is?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

"I face dirtbags, scum. Every day. The darkest side of people lash out at me, trying desperately to pull me down into their hell. But..being with YOU lets me the the goodness in others, though I can't find it 'out there'. You're my light, Roz. It's the one thing that makes my life worth living."

She blushed. Then she looked back at him, a small tear in her left eye. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."

"That's how I feel. Oh, wait a minute.."

"What?"

"You said you had something to tell me? About the hospital checkup?"

"Yes, I went this morning. It's VERY good news for us. But I'll tell you when you get back."

"Okay. I can't wait to hear it."

"You will."

He walked to the door and opened it.

"Oh, Zeke?"

He stopped. "Yeah?"

She smiled and wiped her tear. "We're going to be a family, aren't we?"

He smiled back. "Yes. A real family. " Then he walked out, closing the door behind him.

She got up, went to the door, and closed all the locks. She had a joyful expression on her face. [Yes. We ARE going to be a real family now.].

PART FOUR

Zeke is driving his car in downtown Manhatten, heading towards Seven-Eleven. only two blocks away. But before he goes any farther, he sees a young man running on the sidewalk, holding a radio. The CB crackles, "Burglary reported from Bartondale's Shopping Mall. Magnavox radio. Headed downtown-"

Ezekiel picks up the mouthpiece. "This is Detective Stone from Manhatten South, Precinct 11. I think I just saw the crook. I'll bring him in."

The dispatcher asks, "Do you need backup, detective?"

"No, I can take him."

"Are you sure? We have a unit we can send out.."

Now he was losing his patience. [Don't they know I can handle it?]. "Look, I SAID I don't require backup! I can take this bum, no problem at all. I will have him in county jail in fifteen minutes... over and out."

"Ten-four."

Zeke gets out of his car and takes off after the punk. "Hey! Bum!! Detective Stone, police! Hands up.."

But the perp didn't stop. He turned into an alley.

Zeke took off after him. [So, you wanna make it hard, huh? Ok, I'm in the mood for a good fight.].

The bum keeps running. The cop is still on his tail. And there's a brick wall up ahead. [Shit! This bad-ass honky ain't gonna let off!!]. "Damn, dead end."

"You got that right, punk." Zeke goes for his handcuffs in his back pocket. But before he can pull them out, the burglar whips out a .22 pistol, firing three shots at point-blank range. They all connect. The cop falls down.

"Now who's the punk, ya white-ass bitch?!!" He took off in a hurry, running the other way.

One hour later. The scene of Ezekiel Stone's death. There are two police cars and an ambulance, their siren lights flashing. The paramedics have Stone on a wheeled stretcher, covered in a sheet. Rosalin is also there. She walks up to the medic, shaking with terrified apprehension. "Excuse me..I'm Rosalin Stone, Ezekiel's wife. Do you need me to...to identify..the..the..."

The medic answers seriously, "No, he was already Id'd by the police. It was Stone...I'm sorry."

She pulled the sheet away from the head. She saw the bloody face with the bullet wounds. Ezekiel Stone is dead. She gasped, trying to hold back any tears that struggled to come to the surface. But it was futile. Her grief was very apparent.She walked away, covering her eyes from the officers.

The officers were just completing their report. The first one, Brady, said, "Three bullets to the face. Damn. We just lost one of the best cops on our squad."

The second man, Officer Smith, snorted in disgust. "Right. Damn these punks! I hope the guy who popped him burns in Hell.."

Brady nodded. "Oh, I'm sure he will. But Stone had a rough life."

"How's that?"

"Well. For starters, his wife got raped three months ago. So they go to court right? And then-"

"I remember. Roz couldn't do it."

"Nope. Bad memory. Then, Jax kills himself. And the department thinks that Zeke did it!!"

"And on top of that, this is how his life ends. Offed by a goddamned burglar!"

"Well, we can only hope that he's in a better place."

"Sure..I mean, he helped us clean the streets up A LITTLE. That ought to count for SOMETHING in the afterlife, right?"

PART FIVE SOON