Padme, naturally, was shocked to see Qui-Gon alive again. Caroline too was shocked that her daughter and niece revived a man who had been dead for twelve years. Nevertheless, Qui-Gon was delighted to meet his younger son's wife.

"It's very nice to meet you, Master Qui-Gon." said Caroline, shaking her father-in-law's hand.

"Likewise, Caroline." Qui-Gon said, kissing his daughter-in-law's hand. "You are even lovelier than I imagined. Carmine chose very well."

"You have no idea." said Carmine, adjusting his glasses. "She's been the real music of my life since the day we met."

Caroline chuckled. "You should've seen the time at music school he started singing love songs all the time."

"He didn't happen to sing Sweet Caroline, did he?" Anakin teased.

"He did at one point." Caroline said.

Carmine blushed. "That made it pretty obvious I was crushing on Caroline. None of the girls seemed to want to be crushed on by a guy with glasses."

"But I love your glasses." Caroline said, gently pushing her husband's glasses back on as they fell down a bit. "Had you not lost them on your first day at school, I would never have gotten close to my favorite love song."

Caroline pulled her husband into a kiss, which he gladly returned.

"Did you know the name Carmine literally means 'song?'" Lamenta said.

"No, I didn't know that." Anakin said. "He was named well, I guess."

"Where does my name come from?"

"Well, Sweetie. You were named after your great grandmother Lamenta." Caroline explained. "She was very beautiful, and many claimed she had the power to make people's greatest wishes come true. When your father and I eloped, we saw a shooting star on which we made a special wish. A wish for a beautiful, healthy baby of our own to love and care for. And when you were born, we discovered you inherited your great grandmother's rare purple eyes. And so, we decided to name you after her because you were our greatest wish come true."

Caroline picked up her daughter and gave her the sweetest kiss.

As the family sat together at dinner, Carmine could not stop going on about what life was like for him after he was left alone at age thirteen. He told his father all about his days at music school, meeting Caroline, having Lamenta... he even let him in on the secret of his double life as Count Crescendo.

Carmine even sang a few songs and showed off his dance moves and outfit changes.

"I am proud of you for finding a career you enjoy Carmine." Qui-Gon said. "However, I don't imagine it is easy balancing that as well as a family."

"It's not. But, it's worth having someone to come home to after every concert." said Carmine. "Well, really just go back to a hotel room or a trailer, but you know what I mean."

"How exactly do you keep people from knowing your identity as a singer?"

"Simple. I just tell people I'm the choreographer, which isn't far from the truth. And if ever I sing in public like at a karaoke place... I just do this."

Carmine sang a little on-key, and then intentionally sang way off-key, which made the kids cover their ears.

"Yeah. If I didn't already know he was Count Crescendo," said Gabby. "I wouldn't believe he was either if I heard him singing like that."

"If you ask me, it takes real talent to sing that badly on purpose." Remix said. "And I know music."

Carmine chuckled and said, "Life outside the superstar life is very relaxing, though. And, getting to teach the kids at the temple about music has been great too."

"Yeah, he's really helped me a lot with ballet." Gabby said.

"And me on the guitar." said Boba.

"It's also been nice to have more time to spend with Lamenta, and for her to get to know the cousins we never knew she had." Caroline said, fluttering her eyes at Carmine. "It would be nice to have more children of our own."

"Caroline, not in front of the kids." Carmine chuckled.

While the kids got ready for bed upstairs, the grownups spent some time in the den, talking.

"After we found out Anakin and I are twins, he offered to let us stay with him." said Carmine. "Caroline and I agreed that we'd take at least six months off from touring so we could just be a normal family for a while, and give Lamenta the chance to make real friends. Now, Lamenta's happier than we've ever seen her in all our days on tour."

"Yes. But, we have been talking about what to do with the upcoming Coruscant tour." said Caroline. "We decided it would be best to start on a more local tour. But, Lamenta is so happy now that we're not constantly travelling, and she's had a good break from jet lag."

"Now she has cousins, real friends, and has started attending kindergarten at the Temple. We can't just take that away from her."

"What are you saying?" asked Anakin.

"Well, Anakin... as my brother, I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking care of Lamenta while we're on tour? It'll only be for a month."

"What do you think, Padme?" Anakin asked his wife.

Padme and Anakin both thought about it. Lamenta was comfortable in the house, and she had her cousins and the horses too. They didn't have any more heart to take Lamenta's new life from her than her parents did. Plus, it would give the girl more time to spend with her aunt and uncle, as well as her grandfather.

"Have you talked to Lamenta about this yet?" Padme asked.

"Not yet." said Caroline. "We wanted to talk to you first in case Lamenta didn't want to come on tour."

"Now that we know we have family she could potentially stay with," said Carmine. "We thought it best that Lamenta stay with people she's familiar with rather than leaving her with a stranger."

"Which is why you never had a nanny for her?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Exactly. Before Anakin and his family, Carmine, myself, and the entourage were the only family Lamenta ever knew growing up." Caroline said. "The crew has always been so kind to help us with her whenever they could. Now, Lamenta can be with children her own age who love her for her."

"That's another reason I have an alter ego." Carmine said. "If people knew who I was, they'd try to take advantage of me, and then they'd never leave my family alone."

Anakin and Padme looked at each other and came to an agreement.

"We'll look after Lamenta for you." Anakin said.

"Are you sure she'll feel okay being without you for a whole month?" Padme said.

"We'll talk to her in the morning." Caroline promised. "I'm sure she'll take the news fine."

Lamenta screamed in terror when her parents told her they were leaving her with her aunt and uncle while they went on tour.

"Lamenta, settle down, Little Lamb." Carmine said as calmly as possible.

Lamenta was pacing back and forth.

"You're leaving?!" Lamenta said. "You're leaving?! And leaving me behind?"

"Temporarily, Sweetie." Caroline said. "Your father and I are just going on tour again."

"But what about me?" Lamenta said.

"No, not this time, Lamenta." Caroline knelt down to her daughter. "You've spent your entire life on tour with us, and now you finally have a place you can call home, as well as real friends."

"Don't you like living with Uncle Anakin and Aunt Padme?" Carmine asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want you to go." Lamenta said.

"I know, Little Lamb. But it's for the good of our careers, which helps the family too. And we will come back. We'll only be gone a month, I promise."

"As Count Crescendo, your father has a lot of fans who look up to him." Caroline added. "A lot of those fans are girls of all ages who are asking for him to perform again."

"When are you leaving?" Lamenta asked, sounding afraid to.

"In two weeks." Carmine picked up his daughter and told her, "But no matter how many young girls I come across, you'll always be the most important girl in my entire life. Next to your mother, of course."

Lamenta, however, started crying, still not liking the idea of her parents leaving. Carmine held his daughter close to his heart, and Caroline joined in, both of them giving their daughter lots of kisses.

Two weeks later, Carmine and Caroline were once again going over the list of things they needed before they had to leave for their month-long concert tour across Coruscant. People were wondering where Count Crescendo was, so Carmine (under his Crescendo persona) told his fans he was going on shorter tours due to personal reasons, but promised he'd still post music videos on the holo-net, and he'd do occasional gigs. But for now, his first tour in months would be on Coruscant.

However, this tour would be different because Carmine and Caroline were leaving Lamenta with her family. Now that they knew they had family they could trust to take care of Lamenta while they were away, they decided to leave her at home so she could live a normal life. They thought Lamenta would be happy but forgot for a moment that Lamenta had never been away from her parents for an extended period of time. So, this was the first time since their first night in the penthouse that Lamenta had separation anxiety.

Before her parents left, Lamenta hugged them and cried, not wanting to let go.

"Please don't go, Mommy." Lamenta said. "I'll miss you."

"I know, Baby. And we'll miss you so much." Caroline said, taking her daughter's hands. "This is the hardest thing Mommy and Daddy will ever do."

"Don't worry, Little Lamb." Carmine said. "Mommy and Daddy will be back before you know it. And your grandfather, uncle, and aunt will be here to take good care of you."

"I don't want you to go," cried Lamenta. "Take me with you like you always do."

"We know this is a big change, Sweetie." Caroline said, caressing her daughter's cheek. "But you need to be strong. This is your chance for a normal life. You're only going to be a child once, and you should spend it playing with other kids and having fun, not hiding backstage and waking up in different time zones every week, never staying long enough to make real friends."

"We're only thinking of what's best for you, Lamenta." Carmine added. "Even if it means we have to be away for a while. But it won't be forever. We'll only be gone for a month, and then we'll come home and give you a big hug. I promise."

Caroline looked at a clock and said, "Our ride will be here in less than two hours. We best finish packing."

Lamenta had to let go of her parents so they could finish getting ready. So, she sat on a chair and started crying again, hugging her plush lamb, but not even Lammy could cheer her up at that moment. That was when someone came and knelt down to her.

"Are you alright, Lamenta?" said a calm, gentle voice.

Lamenta looked up to see it was her grandfather Qui-Gon. He look concerned for her. Lamenta's eyes were filled with tears, and she could barely get a word out as she was still crying.

"There, there." Qui-Gon gently stroked her hair. "Tell Grandpa what's the matter."

Lamenta sniffled and managed to get out a few words.

"I...I don't want... my parents to leave..." Lamenta whimpered. "I've never been away from them... for more than a day. And that happened only once in my entire life."

"Lamenta... I know how much it hurts to miss someone. I had to be without your father and your uncle for so long, and I've regretted every single day that I couldn't get both of them freed from slavery when they were babies, and even more that I couldn't be there to raise them. I only got to see your father once a year, and I wish I had made the right decision and left the Order to be with him."

Lamenta was confused as to where her grandfather was going.

"The point I'm trying to make... your father will come back for you. He and your mother love you very much. They are only leaving you here so you have a chance to live a life without all the stress of being on a musical tour." Qui-Gon said. "And I intend on caring for you everyday as I should have done with my children years ago."

Lamenta started crying again, and Qui-Gon took her into his arms to comfort her.

When the time finally came for Carmine and Caroline to leave, everyone in the family gave them each a big hug and wished them good luck for every concert on their tour.

"You'll take good care of Lamenta, won't you?" Carmine asked.

"Of course, Carmine." Anakin said. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Lamenta will be in very good hands while you're away." Padme said.

"Remember, her favorite bedtime book is Peter Pan, which we left on her night table, and we always give her warm milk when she can't sleep." Caroline reminded her brother-in-law and his wife. "And you remember that Lamenta needs to have her hair brushed precisely fifty times before bed."

"We know. You only told us the list like ten thousand times for the last week." Anakin rolled his eyes.

"That's my baby you're rolling your eyes at." Caroline warned.

Anakin wasn't sure who he was more frightened of upsetting, his wife or his sister-in-law.

"Now, there are extra bottles of her special shampoo in a bag we've placed of everything she needs. Don't lose the instructions. And make sure her pillows are extra fluffed before she goes to sleep."

Lamenta was the last one who got to say goodbye to her parents. She was still devastated to see them go, but at least she wasn't crying as much now.

Her parents knelt down to her and started to speak to her.

Carmine held Lamenta's shoulders and said, "This isn't easy for us, Little Lamb. We're gonna be apart for longer than any of us are used to and it's gonna be scary. But we'll get through it together even while we're apart. Can you be strong for Daddy and Mommy?"

Lamenta sniffled and nodded to her father.

"Before we go...' Caroline began, taking something out from her purse. "We were saving this for Life Day, but I think now is a much better time to give it to you."

Caroline held up a shiny silver chain, from which hung a beautiful charm of a full moon with two silver star charms on each side.

"It's beautiful." Lamenta managed to say.

"Read what it says on the moon," smiled Caroline.

Lamenta had just learned how to read, but she managed to make out the little message engraved on the moon"

Shine bright, Our Little Star

Caroline and Carmine placed the necklace around their daughter's neck, and the little one held the charm in her hands. That necklace would serve as a promise that her parents would come back for her, and that their love for her remained throughout the night and every single day.

The couple gave their daughter one last hug and the most passionate kisses they could ever give their daughter. Carmine then placed Lamenta into Qui-Gon's arms as they entered the speeder to take off on tour. Lamenta watched tearfully as her parents got into the vehicle, and then disappeared from view.

Lamenta started crying again when the speeder was no longer in view. Qui-Gon hugged Lamenta closely to comfort her.

"Shh. It's okay, Little Star." Qui-Gon whispered as Lamenta cried into his chest.

"It's going to be okay," said Padme, stepping in. "We'll take good care of you until your parents come home."

Anakin then stepped in.

"You're safe with us, Little Lamb." Anakin said.

Lamenta looked at her uncle and reached for him. Anakin looked and sounded just like her father. Just, with shorter hair and no glasses.

Anakin could clearly see Lamenta wanted her father. Anakin wasn't her father, but he was smart enough to know that given how they looked identical, Lamenta needed some form of comfort. So, he took her into his arms and comforted her the way he did with Gabby.

"Don't worry, Lamenta." Anakin said. "We'll help you through this."

Gabby couldn't help feeling sad when she saw her cousin in distress.

"Is there anything we can do, Daddy?" Gabby asked.

"For now, both of you get ready for bed. I'm going to help Lamenta." Anakin said. "Dad? Would you mind reading Gabby her story tonight?"

"Of course, Anakin." Qui-Gon said. "Boba, Gabby. Come."

Qui-Gon escorted his two oldest grandchildren upstairs, while Anakin took care of Lamenta.

Anakin carried Lamenta to her room and started to cradle her in his arms as he sat on her bed with her.

"It's gonna be okay, Lamenta." Anakin said. "I look like your father, but I'm not him. Nevertheless, I will take care of you as I promised him and your mommy."

Anakin helped Lamenta get ready for bed and put her into her bed and took out the book.

"Daddy lets me sit in his lap when he reads to me." Lamenta said.

"Okay." said Anakin. And he sat on the bed again, taking his niece into his lap. He opened the book and began to read to Lamenta.

After a while, Lamenta fell asleep, and so did Anakin with Lamenta on his chest, Anakin keeping her warm with his arms wrapped around her. Padme walked in to check on them, and she couldn't help smiling when she saw her husband sleeping peacefully, Lamenta sleeping on his chest. It reminded her of when Anakin rocked Gabby to sleep sometimes when she was a baby. She took a picture of the adorable sight and placed a blanket over the two of them.

For the next three days, Lamenta seemed to want more and more attention from Anakin because he looked like her father and sounded like him, but Anakin wasn't Carmine. They had completely different personalities. Still, Anakin did his best to do everything Carmine did for Lamenta whether that was having her sit in his lap to read to her, or having a handstand contest to see who got to choose a movie to watch.

But all the while, Lamenta said almost nothing, still feeling depressed as she missed her parents.