One Saturday, Carmine accompanied his grandmother as they headed over to the marketplace to do some grocery shopping.

"Remember, Carmine." said Miranda. "Stay close."

The little boy held his rabbit and his grandmother's hand as they passed through the marketplace. Grocery shopping wasn't Carmine's favorite pastime, but it was better than staying in the apartment all weekend. Occasionally, Miranda would take him to a playground, the library to pick out a new book to read, or he would have a playdate with Wilfer and Polly Hanshaw, their neighbor Nancy's children.

Places like arcades, trampoline parks, pizza party places, and amusement parks cost money, and Miranda just didn't have the extra money to take Carmine to those kinds of places. But Carmine felt okay. He loved the park, and the fact that he could check out any book he wanted from the library for free, and he could check them out again later.

Not having extra money also meant Carmine couldn't get treats when his grandmother took him grocery shopping. She told him they had to take care of important things like nourishing foods, healthcare products, and school supplies. But, she always saved up just enough to get Carmine a nice little cake and a small present for his birthday every year. And every Life Day, she always made him a nice new sweater and a blanket. She even made a matching sweater for his bunny last year.

Weeks had gone by into the school year, and things didn't get much better for Carmine. He was good at arts and crafts in school, and did well in other things too. But making friends wasn't one of them. None of the other kids wanted to play with him because they were too busy making fun of him for his glasses.

Carmine went to his teacher right away and to his grandmother, and they said they would talk to the bullies' parents about their children's behavior. And the attacks stopped for a while, but then the other kids just started excluding Carmine from everything from games at playtime to inviting kids from class to their birthday parties.

Carmine begged his grandmother to let him switch schools, but Miranda told him that wasn't as easy as they would have liked. But she promised him that as soon as they found a good, affordable school, that she would transfer him to one next year. But, Carmine didn't think he could wait that long.

While Miranda was looking through the fruits, Carmine simply looked around and played a bit with Fluffy. But then, he felt something odd running through him.

In a letter Qui-Gon sent to Carmine, he talked about the Force and how it ran through his veins. After Carmine got his powers, Qui-Gon secretly took a test of his blood and confirmed with Miranda that Carmine indeed had many gold blood cells in him, as well as a high count of midichlorians, which would make him a perfect candidate for the Jedi. But, Miranda hid that note from him. But Carmine found it without her knowledge.

Carmine looked around and spotted something out of the corner of his eye. And he saw two figures with brown robes. And one of them had a certain item visible. It was silvery, made of metal, and from what Carmine could make out, it looked like it had a switch of some sort. Carmine recognized that weapon.

The last time Qui-Gon came to visit him, he'd placed his lightsaber out of reach so Carmine wouldn't be tempted to touch it. He warned his son that a lightsaber was not a toy; very dangerous. Carmine knew for a fact that only Jedi carried that weapon. And the Jedi Temple was here on Coruscant.

Carmine had an idea: if he followed those two Jedi, maybe they could lead him to the Temple and maybe if he told them he had the Force, they'd let him go to school there.

The two Jedi walked into a craft that would take them up to their level. Luckily, there were a few other folks on the elevator, which allowed Carmine to sneak on unnoticed. At best, the Jedi would assume he belonged to someone there.

Once the elevator arrived, Carmine got off and he was amazed by the sight of the big city at the highest level of Coruscant. The buildings looked ginormous to the little boy, and there were more vehicles and people than he'd ever seen in his short life.

Carmine was so excited to see the sights that he'd almost lost sight of the two Jedi who walked off.

The little boy ran and ran but did his best to avoid being seen.

Carmine had to run past people, avoid getting hit by carts and hover strollers, and avoid falling down. Occasionally, he ran into a droid or two.

But eventually, Carmine came to the biggest and most amazing sight he'd ever seen.

The Jedi Temple. It was even bigger than he imagined it!

Carmine had seen pictures of castles and palaces in some of his storybooks, especially in this really big book about castles across the galaxy. He wondered what it looked like on the inside. He tried to imagine it.

Maybe it had lots of pretty vases and diamond chandeliers like some of the royal palaces. Or maybe it was filled with banners and carpets in halls of paintings of past Jedi. But he'd have to get inside to find out. And judging by the guards, only Jedi were allowed inside.

Luckily, Carmine remembered a spell his grandmother had taught him to use in a wardrobe emergency.

Carmine concentrated as he was about to cast his first real spell. He pictured his desired outfit in his mind, and then twirled around, and he was now wearing genuine Jedi robes, just like his father.

And when Carmine went through the doors, the guards thought he was a Jedi youngling and did nothing to stop him.

"Wow..." gasped Carmine in awe.

Somehow, the Jedi Temple looked even bigger on the inside. There were halls the size of a ballroom with beautiful pillars, and there were some pretty carpets too.

There were Jedi of all ages walking through the halls, and of many species too.

Carmine looked all around at how many doors there were in the place. He couldn't stop imagining all the possibilities of what was in the whole place. Especially when he found... a library!

The library was enormous! There must have been millions of books and other things in there.

But as Carmine was walking around the Temple, he bumped into someone he didn't see.

"Oh! Pardon me, little one." said a woman.

Carmine looked up to see an older woman, probably around his grandmother's age, or a bit older.

"Sorry, Ms. Librarian." Carmine said.

"Jocasta is fine, Dear." said Madame Jocasta, helping the boy up. "Aren't you adorable? I don't believe I've ever seen you here. What is your name?"

"Carmine." said the little boy shyly. But then he realized he couldn't say his last name, otherwise people would find out he was related to Qui-Gon. "Carmine Amadeus."

"That's a nice name. Where might your teachers be?"

Before Carmine could say anything, a familiar voice exclaimed, "Carmine!"

That was when Qui-Gon rushed over.

"Carmine, there you are." Qui-Gon said.

"Ah, Master Jinn. Is this little one yours?" asked the librarian.

"Actually, he is a missing child I was about to have returned to his family." Qui-Gon said, picking up the little boy.

Carmine hugged his father at the moment, but Qui-Gon didn't return it this time, as he was upset with his son right now.

"I am sorry if he bothered you, Jocasta." Qui-Gon said. "Carmine, let's get you home."

Qui-Gon contacted his mother to let her know that Carmine was safe and he was bringing him back to the apartment right now.

"Carmine Amadeus Jinn! What were you thinking?!" Qui-Gon said angrily. "Do you realize you could've been killed being out here all alone?"

Carmine held a fearful look on his face. This was the first time his father had ever gotten mad at him, and he didn't like it one bit. He'd be crazy if he did.

"I... I'm sorry, Daddy." Carmine said quietly. "I just thought... I thought if I came to the Temple, they'd let me go to school there."

"And what is wrong with the school you attend now?"

Carmine told his father about how all the kids were always being mean to him. Calling him names, making fun of his glasses, and leaving him out of everything on purpose.

"No one likes me," said Carmine. "You and Grandma always said how the Jedi help people. I thought maybe they could help me too."

Qui-Gon looked at his son. He wiped the tears away from under his glasses.

"You look different with glasses, but you are still you, Carmine." Qui-Gon said. "We have a lot to talk about when we get back to your grandmother."

Miranda held Carmine tightly when she saw him again.

"CARMINE AMADEUS JINN!" she screamed. "Do you have any idea how stupid and dangerous that stunt you pulled was?!"

Carmine sat on the sofa and looked down with tears in his eyes as his grandmother yelled at him.

"You could've been kidnapped, severely harmed, or simply lost and I would have had no way of finding you again. You could've been killed! You were very lucky your father was able to find you and bring you back."

"I thought if I went to the Temple, I could be with Daddy and be at a better school." Carmine cried.

"But Carmine," said Qui-Gon. "What would you have done if the Jedi were to find out we are father and son?"

Carmine suddenly realized he hadn't thought about that. He recalled the no attachment rules his father and grandmother told him about, and how if Qui-Gon was caught having had children, he would be expelled from the Jedi Order, and there was a high possibility, the Jedi would keep his children in the order, and they may never see their father again.

"I know your life here is difficult, Carmine." said Qui-Gon. "I want to be here to see you grow up, but I must think about what is needed. As a Jedi, the order is my family as well as the galaxy. Until things change, I can only see you once a year."

"It's not fair." Carmine said.

"I know, Son."

"But which is worse?" Miranda said. "Seeing your father only once every year, or never seeing your father at all?"

Carmine looked down and was silent.

Qui-Gon caressed his son's face and said, "It hurts me much more than it hurts you, Carmine, that we must be apart in order to keep you safe. More than you know."

Qui-Gon secretly thought of his other two children. He knew Carmine would feel even worse knowing that he had a brother and a sister who couldn't know their father, and they had to grow up apart, not knowing about the others.

"I will come back on your next birthday, Carmine." said Qui-Gon. "When the time is right, things will change for the better. You be a good boy, okay?"

Tears forming again, Carmine hugged his father tighter than ever before.

Tears formed in Qui-Gon's eyes as he hugged his son dearly, never wanting to let go. Unfortunately, if he stayed much longer, the Jedi Council may get curious as to where Qui-Gon disappeared to.

Qui-Gon kissed his son goodbye and slowly parted hands with him as he left.

Miranda held her grandson close as he cried again.

Qui-Gon arrived back at the Temple and thought to himself until he was bumped into by a ten-year-old girl named Kara Talhin (or at least, that was the name she went by since she arrived).

"Oh, sorry, Master Qui-Gon." said Kara.

Qui-Gon looked at his daughter and felt more tears threatening to form. He didn't know which hurt more: having a son he'd lost with no way of knowing if he and his mother, the love of Qui-Gon's life were still alive, a son he could only see once a year who felt hurt because no one could know about their relationship, or having his daughter love under the same roof as him, and she doesn't even know her father was always there and he couldn't raise her himself.

You've probably heard many stories about fathers abandoning their children. Stories of fathers who broke their wedding vows when they leave their wives for other women and abandon their kids, or they up and decide they don't want to bear the responsibility of childcare. This was totally different.

Qui-Gon wanted more than anything to raise all three of his babies. But under the strict code of the Jedi, he was forbidden to do so. And he knew if any Sith Lords or dark forces who still sought to wipe out the royal family of Solaris, thus obliterating any hope of the kingdom ever being restored, found his children and learned of their relation to King Reginald and Queen Serafina Starling, they sould all be in grave danger.

Though it broke his heart, Qui-Gon felt his children would be safer away from him. As long as heirs to the throne remained free and protected, there would be hope for Solaris.

Qui-Gon only hoped it would be worth it as he entered his apartment at the Temple and cried into his pillow.

"Master?" said a twenty-one-year-old Obi-Wan, sounding concerned. "Are you alright?"

Qui-Gon wiped his eyes with a sniff and said, "I'm not alright, Padawan. "Leave me be. Please."

Trained to obey his master, Obi-Wan simply bowed and left the room, Qui-Gon continuing to cry.

Miranda hummed sweetly as she winded up Carmine's music box and tucked him in that night.

Carmine looked at a framed photo on his night table. It was a picture of his father and grandmother from his first birthday and listened to his grandmother singing and the music box playing. He listened to it and imagined like his father said.

Carmine could almost hear his father's voice singing their special lullaby to him right now. He had tears in his eyes as Miranda removed his glasses and pulled the blanket over him.

He might've gotten two weeks of no TV as punishment for running off, but he'd give that up forever if it meant he could be with his father again, even just for one more day out of the year.

When Miranda left the room, Carmine looked out his window and managed to get a view if the stars up above.

"Goodnight, Daddy." Carmine said, hoping his father wouldn't forget him.

Back at the Temple, Qui-Gon made a secret visit to Kara's room as she was asleep.

He gently kissed her head and was careful not to wake her.

"Goodnight, my dear Kara." Qui-Gon whispered.

Qui-Gon returned to his quarters and looked up at the stars, hoping and praying that Carmine was safe and well.

"Goodnight, Carmine."

And he thought of one more child.

"Anakin, wherever you are, I pray we shall reunite again someday." He said. "Goodnight."

And Qui-Gon got to bed himself.