Captain Hardwear rushed into the church as quickly as he could after changing back into his wedding clothes, young Obi-Wan and Kara following suite in their wedding outfits.
"Right on time," smiled Mace.
"How do I look?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Very handsome. Oh! But you still have the mask on."
Qui-Gon quickly removed his superhero mask and made his way to the doors to enter for the ceremony.
"Alright, children. Showtime."
Qui-Gon made soon made his way to the altar, from which he could see his many friends in the superhero community, all donning their secret identities for this special day. The last thing any of them wanted was to draw attention to the wedding by letting anyone see superheroes entering the church.
Kara made her way down the aisle, looking so lovely with her crown of flowers as she sprinkled petals as the flower girl. And Obi-Wan looked very handsome tonight too as he walked down the aisle as the ring bearer. And then, the moment they were all waiting for...
The organist began to play "Here Comes the Bride" as the doors opened once more to reveal the lovely bride, who looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. Shmi looked up to the altar and smiled when she saw Qui-Gon. She held up her bouquet of lilies and began to make her way down the aisle.
"Wow..." Qui-Gon gasped when he saw how beautiful his bride was.
Melting Qui-Gon's heart with her mere presence, that was Shmi's superpower. She didn't fight crime or fly from city to city to stop criminals, but Qui-Gon was convinced she had a superpower that even she didn't know about. How else could someone as wonderful as her fall for someone like Qui-Gon Jinn, an ordinary widowed body builder/fitness instructor (at least, that's what he told her he did for a living) with a little daughter he raised on his own?
Shmi made her way up to the altar and stood in front of Qui-Gon, the couple looking at each other with love in their eyes.
"Please be seated," said the preacher.
Everyone sat, and the ceremony officially commenced.
Shmi looked at Qui-Gon, still unable to believe he chose her out of so many women. When they first met, she only saw another customer at first, though she had to confess she could not prevent herself from gazing into his lovely blue eyes. After he'd left the shop, she fully expected she wouldn't see him again, but then to her great surprise, he came back just to ask her out. She wasn't sure why, but Shmi had this sneaking hunch that there was something odd about this man, something familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
At one point, she'd seen him without a shirt on, and the man proved to be pretty fit and muscular underneath, which Shmi couldn't deny she found attractive. And his long hair only added to his charm, like a handsome prince most might expect to see only in fairy tales. But she loved him for more than his looks. It was the fact that he was a gentle giant type of guy, a natural with children, a loving family man, and a big teddy bear.
Qui-Gon looked at Shmi. Ever since Tahl died, Qui-Gon worried about Kara more than about himself. With Tahl gone, it meant that his little girl would have to grow up without a mother's love. He'd thought about dating other women at some point, but he couldn't just pick anyone. Whoever he married absolutely had to be a suitable, loving mother for Kara. And most importantly, she wouldn't mind that they were superheroes. He'd lost his wife because she fought in a dangerous crime battle, so he figured, if he had to search for a new wife, he should look amongst the citizens, people who didn't use powers to do everything. He figured, it would be as good a place as any to start finding a woman with humility, and to know her true colors. If the women he dated didn't know he was Captain Hardwear, he would know if they were worth it.
And now, Qui-Gon found the perfect woman to be his wife, and... Kara's new mother.
"Qui-Gon Jinn, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, to honor, and to care for in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Qui-Gon smiled.
"I now pronounce this couple... husband and wife." The preacher concluded.
And at last, the bride and groom embraced each other in a passionate kiss with a love strong enough to power a hundred nuclear bombs.
But although they'd gone through with the wedding, there was still a much scarier thing to do that not even the bravest of all superheroes could face easily: revealing his secret identity to his non-superhero bride.
The day they got home from their honeymoon...
Qui-Gon drove himself, his wife, and Kara to a remote location where there were no buildings, no people, and most importantly no cameras or recording devices of any kind.
"Shmi... there is something I need to speak with you about." Qui-Gon said, sounding serious.
"Qui... what's going on?" Shmi asked.
"There is something about me you need to know. I was afraid to tell you before because I feared the worst, that you would not love me the same if you knew what I brought you here to tell you."
Qui-Gon took his wife's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"The last thing I ever wanted was to keep any secrets from you, but I must ask that you will swear never to reveal what I am about to tell you to anyone under any circumstances."
"How can I promise not to tell if you don't tell me whatever secret you're hiding?" Shmi asked.
"I'll just show you."
Qui-Gon got out of the vehicle, to Shmi's confusion. Shmi wasn't sure what her husband was doing, but then she suddenly felt not just herself, but the entire vehicle being lifted up into the air! Shmi gasped and stammered as she saw what was happening. She knew her husband was strong, but not that strong!
Qui-Gon gently set the vehicle down and got back in to show his wife something even more shocking. Both he and Kara... they got out their masks and put them on, and unzipped their jackets to reveal the logos on their supersuits, exposing themselves to Shmi as Captain Hardwear and Little Dash!
"You're... you're superheroes?" Shmi said. "All this time, you were Captain Hardwear? Why didn't you tell me?"
"There are a number of reasons I chose to withhold this truth from you, my love. In part, I needed to keep my identity a secret in order to keep my loved ones and anyone else perceived as my ally safe from any supervillains who wish me harm. But the other... I needed to ensure that you loved me no matter who I was. You see, many women would do almost anything to have a big, strong, famous hero as her man, but they do not see the one underneath the mask. They only see the glory the hero holds, the privileges, and all the superficial things."
Qui-Gon took Shmi's hands again and continued.
"But you... you saw me as an individual even when I wasn't fighting crime. I may be supernaturally strong and physically indestructible, but even a superhero wants what any seemingly ordinary citizen wants. I love you so much, Shmi. And I knew, if this marriage was to work, I needed to know that you would love me as more than Captain Hardwear. That is... if you do love me even now."
In response, Shmi removed the mask from her husband's face and kissed his lips, much to Kara's silent gagging.
"As long as we both shall live," said Shmi. "And beyond is how long I shall love you."
"Our love is strong enough to withstand any force." Qui-Gon said. "Every superhero has their greatest source of power. You and our daughter are mine."
"Daddy, we're superheroes." Kara said. "Always doing the right thing, and helping people who need us. What could happen?"
