Carmine wasted no time embracing Qui-Gon in a big hug when he was finally awake. He always wished he could hug his father one last time after he learned of his demise, but he never imagined it would actually happen. He was filled with tears of happiness as he continued to hug his father, never wanting to let go.
"You have no idea how much I've wished for this moment." Carmine said, tightening his hug with his father.
"I've missed being able to hug you as well, Carmine." Qui-Gon said. "I was always with you and your brother in spirit, and you have both made me proud with how far you've come."
Qui-Gon tried to let go at one point, but Carmine was hesitant to let him.
"What's the matter?" Qui-Gon asked worriedly as Carmine refused to let go and started to tighten his grip slightly.
"It's... it's just... I'm worried if I let go now, this may just turn out to be a dream. And if it is, I don't want to wake up. Not yet."
Qui-Gon immediately understood where his younger son was coming from. Before the events on Naboo, Qui-Gon only got to see his son eleven times in his life. The first when he was born, the next ten on his birthdays and the one time he snuck out from his grandmother's supervision. Carmine lost so much after his grandmother died and went through so much.
Carmine didn't know it then, but each time he got placed in a new foster home, Qui-Gon's spirit was always watching over him from the other side, as he'd done with his other children. Though his body's heart stopped beating, his spiritual heart did not. And it broke when he saw the suffering his children endured. How he wished they could see him, and that he could touch them and comfort them in their hardships right then and there, letting them know none of them were ever fatherless, and they had at least one family member who loved all of them more than words could describe.
Qui-Gon continued to hug Carmine, and he kissed his head as he let him know that he wasn't going anywhere, hopefully for a long time.
"I know I wasn't around as much as either of us would've liked, Carmine... but I intend to make up for that lost time now. With you, your brother, and my grandchildren."
Both Carmine and Anakin also wasted no time catching up with their father about everything they'd accomplished over the years.
You can probably imagine Carmine was ecstatic to share with his father how far he'd come as a musician. And he even brought out the guitar he'd been working on for Carmine before his death.
"Grandma told me how after she learned of your loss, she'd snuck into the Temple and found this when it was unfinished." Carmine said, strumming the guitar strings a little. "And she finished it for you. She knew you would've wanted that. And ever since I got it, I've used it to write all my greatest songs, serenade the love of my life, and even just to cheer people up."
Qui-Gon smiled hearing his younger son playing his music with such raw love and emotion, just like he always loved to do when he was little. And here he was, a professional musician, choreographer, and a famous pop star.
"You really have come a long way, Carmine." Qui-Gon said. "I've had faith in you from the beginning."
"It was yours and Grandma's love that kept me going." Carmine said, opening his locket. "I never took off the locket for that very reason, and to remind myself to never let fame or fortune get to my head and make me forget myself."
"Your love of music has certainly not changed." Qui-Gon said.
"I even went to a great music school. I wish you could've seen it. Ms. Susy taught me everything that helped me get accepted into the academy, and then she adopted me and took great care of me. I just wish I knew what happened to her. I don't even know if she's still alive."
Qui-Gon put a comforting hand on Carmine's shoulder.
"Wherever she is now, I'm sure she would be very proud of how far you've come. As would your birth mother."
Carmine then had a question.
"What was my mother like?"
"Shmi Skywalker was her name. I met her a long time ago on a mission in the Outer Rim. She was a slave girl, and she knew nothing of being in love, as every man she knew only bought her or sold her. But when I saw her, I saw a treasure I wanted to cherish and to love. I thought I would never find love, as I was forbidden to do so under the old Jedi Code, but when I gazed into Shmi's eyes and we kissed for the first time, I knew she was the one for me. Despite all the hardships she endured, she was a kind, compassionate woman, and I was ready to leave the Jedi Order so I could marry her. Sadly, I was never able to free her."
"I had no idea," said Carmine. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I didn't know how. You were still very young, and I was even more uncertain how I would tell you that you had a brother. When I found Anakin and freed him, I'd planned to return to you to introduce Anakin to you. Intially, I'd hoped that we would all be a family, and perhaps I would find another way to free your mother so both of you would have your mother. Obviously, none went according to plan."
"You did the best you could. Like one of my teachers used to say, 'not every song turns out the way you initially plan. Sometimes life rewrites it for you.'"
Qui-Gon appeared relieved that Carmine finally got to know the truth about his mom, and even more relieved that he wasn't angry with him for not being able to free her and bring them all together as a family.
As for Anakin, he still had a lot of questions, like why Qui-Gon didn't tell him he was his father the moment he found him. Or why his mother didn't tell him.
"You have indeed grown very much since our last meeting, son." said Qui-Gon.
"There's one thing I still don't understand." Anakin said. "Why didn't you or Mom tell me you were my father, or that I had a brother?"
"It was for your own safety, Anakin."
Qui-Gon explained to Anakin that he learned from his mother that they were descent from royalty, powerful royalty, and those who sought to rid the universe of all Solaran magic were still at large. They knew if the twins were found, there would be no hope for the kingdom of Solaris being fully restored. Over the years, as King Reginald and Queen Serafina's descendants and their powers grew, the land they fled years ago began to revive itself. As long as the royal family remained safe, their kingdom would one day be restored completely.
"After I gave Carmine to my mother, I went to retrieve you as well. But I found that you and your mother were gone." Qui-Gon said. "It wasn't until we landed on Tatooine to protect Padme that I was finally able to see you again."
"And again, why didn't you say anything?"
"It wasn't the right moment. I was devastated when I couldn't free your mother as well. I had sincerely hoped if I could, we would be married and raise you and your brother together as a family. But instead, I had to settle for fulfilling Shmi's request to take care of you. I had planned to tell you of our relation to each other once we arrived on Coruscant after the mission. But then... I was killed."
"And you didn't tell Obi-Wan because you knew the Jedi would only have another reason not to let me be part of the Order?"
"Indeed. I had also hoped then you might have gotten to meet your brother. But obviously, none went as hoped. I only hope now I will have a chance to be a better father to you and Carmine, as well as grandfather to your children."
Anakin smiled and hugged his father. He didn't care about the past anymore. His father was here and now, and now he knew for sure he was never fatherless.
Qui-Gon kissed his older son's head. He'd missed out on so many years of Anakin's life. He probably had more catching up to do with him than he did with Carmine. And he intended to give Anakin the father he deserved, even though he was all grown up now.
Both of Qui-Gon's sons showed him all kinds of pictures and home videos they had from when they were younger, and so many of his grandchildren too.
"My and Padme's second wedding was truly memorable." Anakin smiled, looking at his wedding album. The dancing, the wedding party, the first kiss. All of it was perfect.
"You should've seen the day, or rather the night, Lamenta discovered she had her powers." Carmine said. "It was literally a nightmare, which she turned into a dream. And then she found a hidden camera in a gift basket that was meant to uncover Count Crescendo's secret identity."
"How did you discover your powers, Grandpa?" Gabby asked.
That is actually a rather interesting story.
Sixty-seven years ago...
It was a seemingly ordinary day in the Jedi Temple. A six-year-old Qui-Gon Jinn had just finished his last class for the day, and he arrived in the quarters he shared with his teacher Master Dooku.
Supper wasn't ready yet, so Qui-Gon decided to go play in the courtyard. But when he ran to open the door, he ran too fast and crashed right into the door.
Luckily, he was fine, but when he sat up and looked at the door, he quickly spotted a perfect human shaped hole in the door right where he'd crashed, like in a classic cartoon.
At first, Young Qui-Gon didn't think much of it, being only a little boy and all. But in the days after that, things got a little weirder.
The next day, it was raining, and Qui-Gon was sitting down, playing with a little blue ball while his master was meditating.
Dooku, unlike most of the other masters, liked to encourage Qui-Gon to exercise that active little mind of his, especially during his childhood. It was said that children were natural born imaginers. And Jedi younglings were no exception.
But as Qui-Gon was bouncing the ball against the wall, he missed a catch, and the ball rolled under the sofa. So, Qui-Gon reached under to get it, but it rolled too far. And seeing nothing else to reach out and roll it back out, Qui-Gon put his little hands underneath the couch and lifted it up like it was super light.
"Huh?"
Qui-Gon was flabbergasted. He remembered seeing the grownups lift heavy objects before and even droids. But when people lifted things by hand, it usually took more than one person to lift something as big as a couch. And usually, they were grownups.
Quickly, the little boy dropped the sofa, it landing on its back with a loud CRASH! when it hit the floor.
Qui-Gon was once again shocked, and he screamed and ran away from the couch, not realizing the door was still closed until he ran right through it, leaving a perfectly shaped hole in it, like in a classic cartoon.
Present day...
Qui-Gon's children and grandchildren laughed when he told them how crazy it was when he discovered his powers for the first time.
"That's a really funny story, Grandpa." Gabby laughed.
"How did your master react when he found out?" Lamenta asked.
"I never told him," said Qui-Gon. Things only got crazier from there."