A/N: This is technically the final chapter, though I still have ambitions to do a bonus chapter with Krobus. I actually really struggled with Alex's story until my mother (who sometimes acts as my creative sounding board) gave me the idea for the basic premise of this chapter. My older brother provided information on how professional sports work, which ultimately ended up being completely useless, because Stardew Valley (or at least Alex) does not seem to follow normal protocol when it comes to going pro. So...just be aware that professional gridball absolutely does not work like real-world sports. Our Farmer today is May: Married to Alex. Small and slight, but could easily concuss people. The ultimate cheerleader who hands out encouragement like candy. Takes great pride in her husband. Feisty and quick-witted. Loves to make people smile.

"May!"

"Alex!"

Both parties shouted each other's name at the same time as they simultaneously burst into the living room, and both yelled to the other, "I have the most amazing news!" There was an awkward pause, then an eruption of laughter.

"You go first, then," May giggled.

"You know the Tunnelers in Zuzu City?" Alex said excitedly. "One of their quarterbacks dislocated his shoulder, and they don't have any backup players. They're hosting tryouts next month, and anyone with highschool gridball experience can go. If I got picked for a backup position, I could play in their next game. I'd have my foot in the league and be on my way to going full pro!"

"Oh..." May faltered, her face falling into a blank expression. "That... That's great!"

"Yeah!" Alex enthused, too distracted to notice. "Now what's your news?"

"Oh. Um..." May chewed her lip for a moment. "It's, uh... Well, it's probably not as exciting as yours, but..." She mumbled something he couldn't quite catch.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant..."

"Oh..." Now Alex was faltering. Two warring emotions crashed together so suddenly that it felt like his heart actually jerked out of place. It didn't hurt, but it did make him feel...off, somehow. The excitement of the moment before had quickly died in its tracks. Suddenly the air between them was weighted. "That... Wow, honey, that's great."

"Yeah." There was a heavy silence.

Neither of them wanted to say what this meant. They had never not wanted to have children. It had just always seemed like a faraway event in the future. They had been operating under the assumption that it would happen at a convenient time, maybe after May had expanded their business enough to start bringing in hired help. The fact was, there was no way May could raise a child if Alex went pro now. The farm was busier than ever, and the bulk of the work fell to her. Alex helped out where he could, but he couldn't tell a bean sprout from a weed, and no matter how much he fed them, the chickens persisted in hating him with a vengeance, for unfathomable reasons. The responsibility of caring for a child at home would have to go to Alex. But if he achieved his goal of playing gridball as a professional, he would be away from home for long periods of time, perhaps even entire seasons, and they couldn't afford to put the farm on hold for that long.

"I... uh..." Alex stammered. "...What should we do?" May looked up at him with a conflicted gaze.

"I... I want you to go pro," she decided hesitantly. "That's been your dream since you were little, long before you married me, and I don't want to take that away from you."

"What about the baby?" he asked, wondering why his heart was sinking. Shouldn't he be happy that his wife was supporting him in his goals?

"I'll manage," she said stubbornly. "I'll have to take some maternity leave, but after that, I can keep it in a sling while I work. Babies... Babies are probably pretty low-maintenance, if you think about it, right? They mostly just sleep and eat."

"I wouldn't know," Alex told her bluntly. "But what are you going to do when it gets older? I mean, I'll be home sometimes, but there's no telling how long I'll be able to stay, if this pans out for me."

"Leah loves little kids. I'm sure she'd be happy to help out. And I can pay her in food and lumber, so it won't hurt our finances too much."

"It shouldn't be Leah's responsibility to raise my kid," Alex said uncomfortably.

"...What are you saying?" May asked quietly. "That you won't go?"

"...No?" His answer sounded too much like a question. "I-I don't know. I want to go, but..." The shift he'd felt in his heart had yet to correct itself. Suddenly his old dream wasn't alone in his mind. The microscopic life inside May's belly was scuffling with Alex's age-old vision of glory on the playing field. And if he didn't know any better, he'd say the baby had the upper hand in the fight.

"Alex, you've been training for this for years," May argued, still looking rather conflicted herself. "You're a brilliant athlete, and you're good at handling pressure. You were made to play gridball." There was a long silence. Alex shifted nervously, wishing his heart would pick just one emotion to feel and commit to it. "Look, this is a lot of information that came up all of a sudden," May said. "And you shouldn't make a decision this big right away. Take some time to think about it. Just know that whatever you choose, I'll be rooting for you..." She patted her stomach. "...We both will."

Alex couldn't sleep that night.

He lay on his back, staring up at the dark ceiling, listening to May's cute little snores. This should be an easy choice for him. He didn't know anything about children. He belonged on the gridball field, earning fame and money to bring home to his little wife. His child would be able to say that their dad was the best player in the famous Zuzu City Tunnelers. They would probably grow up dreaming of following in his footsteps.

The footsteps that had taken him away from his family in the first place.

He groaned quietly and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Why was this so hard? He just had to pick a path and stick with it. That was easy enough, right? He rolled out of bed and snuck out to the living room, where he booted up their ancient artifact of a computer. After ten minutes, the old thing was finally awake and able to connect to the internet. He searched for Zuzu City's public transit system and found the bus that came to Stardew Valley. It was scheduled to make a trip out here the day before the tryouts. Tickets were only five hundred gold. His mouse hovered above the button that would order his ticket.

Without much thought, he found himself leaving the computer and going back into the bedroom, where he looked down at his tiny spouse. She was curled up like a little cat, one arm lying tenderly over her stomach. Her nose twitched and she hummed in her sleep. She shifted, her arm curling tighter around her middle. Alex stared at her for a minute. He reached out and brushed her bangs off her face, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple. He left the room silently and went back to the computer.

His cursor moved away from the purchase button. He closed the browser and shut off the computer. He went back to bed, feeling a small sting of disappointment, yet also a lightness of heart he had not expected. He spooned up to May, wrapping his arms around her stomach and burying his face in her shoulder. He had made his choice. The old dream was dying, replaced by visions of family and home, and an idyllic lifestyle he'd never considered before. He smiled against May's shoulder.

It would take some getting used to, but he would love this new dream just as much as the old.

And that's a wrap! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story. Whether you've been following it since "Coffee Break," or only discovered it today, your interest in this story is immensely appreciated, and you yourself are an amazing, valuable person!

Also, now that I've properly buttered you up, here's a shameless plug! During the writing process for "Bun in the Oven," I ended up with a lot of little Sebastian x Laura fluff pieces on the side that I decided to put into a collection here. So if you, like myself, are a fan of Stardew Valley's resident edgelord frog-dad, you can go check out "Rabbit's Wool," which was published just this morning.

Love you all,
-Niki