"Hey, Dad," JJ said as he walked in from his academy classes and Thomas looked up from preparing dinner. While Katy normally took on that task, their younger sons had soccer practice tonight that was going to keep them late and they would storm in absolutely starving. Over the years they had learned that having food ready was a must if they didn't want a melt down right before bedtime. "Question."
"Lesson? Girls? Something else?" Thomas asked as he resumed prepping their dinner and JJ let out a long sigh.
"Kiros," JJ said, quietly, as he watched his father still. He was not sure that he liked where this was headed. He had talked with JJ a bit about Kiros, but had not told him everything. He did not want to put that pressure on his son. JJ was smart and he could figure out that there was always a chance that Kiros could come back, even though there was no evidence that it would happen in his lifetime. "They brought up that he is one of the only major evils to get away. I thought after Mom…that well…I know you said you didn't kill him, but it sounded like you did nothing."
"Who was it?" Thomas asked as he placed the knife down and crossed his arms. He very rarely interfered with JJ's education, but this might be a time when he did. Even if his friend meant well, this was something that needed to leave out when it came to JJ's education. "Jay."
"Rocky," JJ provided and Thomas growled. Rocky knew better- some of the younger mentors didn't. "Dad- you did try, right?"
"We learned things about Kiros after…well…after your mom was killed," Thomas stated as he went back to chopping vegetables, a bit more aggressively than before. "Tell Rocky he's going to pay for that lesson the next time I see him. We learned that Kiros has been around for a very long time, maybe as long as there have been prophets and rangers. After your mom…he said I'd never see him again- he had gotten what he had come for…the most powerful prophet of my age. He said he wouldn't come back until another one appeared."
"I went to the last book Mom wrote- it seems to cover my great-grandchildren. So neither of us…" JJ trailed off as Thomas nodded. "Well that's problematic."
"When I was on my last business trip…I did see him again. Exactly as he was when he came after your mom. There is a chance that he…he may be able to move across universes the way that I have been pulled sometimes," Thomas said and JJ stared at him. "I wanted to stay longer- to try to go after him, but William sent me back here. Kimberly made it clear that I would never get to avenge her death, but someone would be able to. She just never said who and I've never been able to find that information in the books."
"But she knew?" JJ asked and Thomas grimaced. There was a lot about Kimberly's prophecies that he still didn't understand. He had asked her questions, but there were also times when she wasn't able to answer him. Who finally killed her killer- was one of those times.
"It's not that simple. Sometimes she knew things and couldn't put it into words. Sometimes, she chose not to tell me because…I don't know…she thought it would be worse on me if I knew," Thomas said as he let out a sigh. "The Tommy I met this time- he was different. He was…is… so battle hardened in a way that I'm not. He has lost everything, but Kimberly. If I were to bet on it- I would say that he stands the best chance."
"But…you lost so much too," JJ said and Thomas nodded as he walked over to dump out the pasta that was boiling. "Dad."
"I did lose a lot and I think about losing her every day, but this was different. There was a ranger massacre, by their Guardians. He's the only one left. The most I could get out of your mom was that it was going to take exceptional motivation to end Kiros, a motivation that I would never have," Thomas replied and JJ glared over at him. "It's not that I didn't love her enough, she was my soulmate. She just always said it was that I would never lose enough. Losing everyone you've ever worked with or mentored- it just may be enough."
AN: Calling all the folks who grew up in the 90s- I need help with some nostalgia (not for this story, but you will see it in this series). Feel free to leave a review or PM me with your favorite movies, tv shows, and songs from the early to mid 90s. Think prom. Think normal teenager. Think butterfly clips and glitter hairspray. I tried to do research and google said 'dateline' was a popular show...soooooo...not what I'm looking for. Please help me out!