It was a perfect spring day. Emma relished in the feel of the warm sand between her toes as she tossed a gridball back and forth with her brunette companion at the beach. It was her second week of living in Stardew Valley and she hadn't stopped counting her blessings. She had a just completed her first harvest of parsnips, and it was the first time she felt that her labor lead to something meaningful rather than feeding into corporate greed. She was also currently saving up wood and money to buy a chicken coop.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Alex.

"Just that fact that I have a better chance of going pro than you," she teased. Emma had always had a taste for athleticism. It was one of the first things her and Alex bonded over when they first met. They would spend summers together with their grandparents racing each other around the farm, playing every sport together, learning to fish together.

"You shut your mouth, Em! Wait until you see me throw this dagger. Go long!" Emma laughed as she sprinted to catch Alex's throw, but her joy turned into fear as she saw the ball heading toward a pink haired child who was completely engrossed in building a sandcastle. Knowing it was her only option, she dove into the sand pulling the child away to safety. The sandcastle, however, was not so fortunate.

Emma laid on the ground panting, her messy wheat-blonde curls matted with sweat and sand, with a crying child held in her arms. In the horizon Alex was jogging over. "Are you guys, okay? I'm so sorry buddy I didn't mean to destroy your sandcastle."

Vincent was still sniffling, squiggling his way out of Emma's arms. "I was building the future home for me and Miss Penny."

Emma's heart was about to burst. "Don't worry bud, I'll help you build another one, okay? We will make it even better. What's your name?"

The child perked up, wiping away the last of his tears. "Thank you, Miss. My name is Vincent. And one day I intend to marry Miss Penny."

Emma smiled, her green eyes lighting up in adoration. "Well, my name is Emma. And you sound very devoted to Miss Penny. We will make her a castle to be proud of."

"Ohmigod, do not encourage him please." Emma whipped her head around to see a tall blonde standing behind them, with an easygoing smile glued to his face and hands in his jacket pockets.

Vincent's face turned to a pout. "I know that you and Miss Penny are the same age but you will never love her in the way that I do!"

The blonde chuckled. "Relax Vince. I am just very good friends with Miss Penny. But it is not appropriate for you to think that way about your teacher." He then turned to Emma. "Hey you must be the new farmer girl. I've seen you around but never got the chance myself. I'm Sam, and I'm Vincent's brother."

Emma stood up from the sand. "I'm Emma, and I am so sorry about your brother's sandcastle." She said with a blush. She had in fact seen Sam around before but hadn't been prepared for the effect his ever-present smile would have when directed right at her.

Alex (yes he was still around), being the ever astute best friend that he is, took note of her blush. "Nice to see you Sam, I am sorry as well. And sadly, I have to go help Granny Evelyn with dinner. But I promise I will make it up to you Vincent- hey during the next rainy day I will find you the biggest slimiest snail in all the valley!"

Vincent's blue eyes widened with pure childlike joy. "Thank you, Mister Alex! Snails are my absolute favorite."

Sam continued to grin. "We all know that Vince," he teased. He turned to Alex. "Hey thanks man, you don't have to do that. Mistakes happen sometimes."

"Appreciate it bro, but I don't mind some good ole snail hunting. Well, I will see you all later. We still on for fishing tomorrow, Em?"

"You know it! I look forward to our flounder catching contest!" she yelled as Alex was exiting the beach. He gave her a thumbs up and a wave. She then turned her attention to the sandcastle that Vincent had already begun feverishly working on. Sam did the same.

"Buddy, why don't you go get us some shells. Miss Penny loves those!

"Oh! Good idea! You're the best big brother ever!" Vincent said and ran off to search.

Sam directed his attention to Emma. "You really don't have to stay if you want to go spend time with your boyfriend and his grandmother."

"Boyfriend?!" she exclaimed. She didn't know why at the time but she wasn't a fan of Sam thinking she had a boyfriend.

"I mean you have been attached to each other's sides since you first moved here," he teased. "Any logical person would assume that you were dating."

Emma blushed, but not because she would ever think of Alex in that way. "Well, you are wrong. We have been friends since childhood and been through a lot together. And pretty outdated to say that guys and girls can't be friends." she quipped, Sam's lighthearted nature obviously influencing her.

Sam smacked his palm to his face. "Ugh you're so right that's pretty judgmental of me. Sebastian made that point too and also the fact that you're still alive and Haley hasn't murdered you in the most violent way possible."

"I mean she probably has thought about that so good observation from Sebastian." Emma mumbled, mostly to herself.

"Well darn, I guess that means I lost that bet, I'll get him next time." Sam's grin grew even wider and more teasing.

"You were placing bets on my love life?!"

"I mean what else is there to do in this town besides gossip about the mysterious new farmer." Sam quipped as he continued to add sand to the castle.

"I am not mysterious!" Emma pouted. Sam gave her a pointed look. "Well, okay I guess I could make a better effort to get to know people."

Sam dramatically brought his hand to his chest. "Well, I am just appalled that you have never introduced yourself before. What responsibilities could a farmer have that she isn't waiting at my door at 9am with a fresh hot pizza just waiting to greet me."

Emma snickered, piling sand into a bucket. "What an oddly specific visual you've painted."

Sam laughed. "Sorry just got off of a long day of work, my brain is going a little crazy. But you know how you could make it up to me?"

"How?"

"Come eat dinner with me and my family tonight."

Emma pondered the invite for a moment. She really had excuse to say no due to her lack of plans (per usual, Haley normally commandeered Alex's time at night), but she has a serious case of social anxiety and the thought of meeting the family of a really… cute… enigmatic…. boy she had literally just met made her stomach flip. But something about Sam just made her comfortable. And she technically had already met his mom when shopping at Pierre's.

"Okay, sure." Sam's smile got wider than it had been all day, which is saying a lot. "But let me go clean up first. I think Vincent has lost interest in the sandcastle anyway." She gestured towards the little boy who was running around chasing crabs and giggling.

"And I don't think 'Miss Penny' would be super impressed by our creation," joked Sam, looking down at their sad attempt at a sandcastle.

"You can't win 'em all."

As Emma was walking back to the farm to freshen up for dinner at Sam's, she felt her phone vibrate.

Alex: Sorry to leave you. Just wanted to give you time to mingle ;-)

Emma rolled her eyes.

Emma: Its okay, but why the winky face.

Alex: ;-) ;-) ;-)

Emma: So ur just trying to play match maker for me to get Haley off your back

Alex: Not funny.

Emma: Well for what it's worth, I'm about to eat dinner with his family

Alex: have funnnnn on ur date ;-)

Emma: hush.

Emma had decided to change into a simple pink blouse and light denim skirt for dinner, her hair freshly washed and clipped into a low bun given that taming it would have taken hours. She had never been one for fashion, something that Haley loved to mock her for, but she was usually fine with that. However, she had never been in the situation of choosing an outfit to meet the family of a boy she had just met. Her loyal shepherd of one week, Spencer, could sense her distress throughout the entire process and remained by her side, pressing his warm brown fur up against her in attempt to provide comfort. "Thanks pal", she said, scratching him behind the ears.

On her way out she impulsively decided to pluck up some tulips from her beautifully manicured flower bed as a gift for Jodi. That one may hurt later…

She decided to take a path through the forest to avoid as many townspeople as possible, she didn't want anyone questioning why she wasn't in her normal coveralls or sporty tank tops and gym shorts.

"Good evening, Farmer Emma! You look awfully nice tonight." It was Marnie.

"Thank you, Marnie! I hope you had a good day"

"Are you and Alex finally going on a date?"

"No Marnie, we are just friends." Man, she really did need to work on her reputation. I guess it wasn;t just Sam and Sebastian who thought they were dating.

"Oh, sweetie you don't have to hide your love life from your closest neighbor. I know how that feels." She muttered the last part mostly to herself.

"I appreciate your interest in my life Marnie, it's really kind of you." Said Emma as sweetly as possible. "But me and Alex are just friends I promise you."

"Oh well that's excellent, you can date my problem of a nephew Shane and set him straight. I kid of course, Miss Emma."

Emma laughed. She did really like Marnie. "Well either way I one day hope to own one of your chickens. I am so close to getting a coop built."

"I would be honored to sell one to you. Now have fun tonight, whatever you're doing."

"Thanks, I will!"

xxxx

Once Emma reached the door of Sam's house she paused for a moment, giving herself an internal pep talk before knocking. It was Jodi who answered to door, as warm and kind as ever.

"Emma! I was so happy when I heard Sam invited you over. Please come in an make yourself at home." Emma gingerly stepped into the house.

"Thanks so much for having me, Jodi, I brought you some tulips freshly grown on my farm."

"These are beautiful! That is so thoughtful of you." Jodi gushed.

"Hey farmer, you clean up nice," said a gleeful Sam, who was sitting on the living room couch. He patted the space next to him for her to come sit, and she obliged, blushing a little at the compliment. Jodi returned to the kitchen to finish cooking

"Miss Emma! Hey!" cheered Vincent. "Sam wouldn't let me bring home a crabby today."

"Vincent, crabs belong at the beach where they can be free and with their friends and family. It wouldn't be very nice to take him away," explained Sam.

"But we were friends! I would have taken great care of him," pouted Vincent.

"Well now you can visit him whenever you want," added Emma.

"You're right Miss, I can't wait to visit him tomorrow. Maybe I can get Jas and Miss Penny to go along with me."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Sam. "Hey, while we are waiting for dinner, do you want a tour of my room, Emma?"

"S..sure!" she replied. Sam nodded and smiled, and lead her to a room off to the side.

"Oooh are you a musician," she asked, glancing toward the guitar in the corner of his room along with a drum set and keyboard.

Sam grinned, lighting up even more than usual. "Indeed, I am! I mostly play guitar. I actually am trying to form a band. Sebastian is going to play the keyboard, and we just need someone to play the drums. You don't happen to be a drummer, do you?"

"Absolutely not," chuckled Emma. "Though one summer when Alex stayed with me in the city we tried to go to as many concerts as possible. I definitely enjoy the live music scene... as a spectator of course. That's totally rad that you are forming a band."

"I just had a feeling we would get along well!" said Sam. "Anyone who loves music is good in my book. So… music lover, I have a serious question for you."

"Shoot."

"What type of music should my band play?"

Emma pondered thoughtfully. When she looked at Sam, she saw massive amounts of radiant energy and excitement. Though she wasn't sure Sebastian would fit the vibe, it was Sam's band after all. "I personally can see a cheerful pop vibe working well with you. You know like the Jonas Brothers."

"That is exactly what I was thinking! Though Sebastian wants to do 90's emo music. But it is my band after all so he can deal," he beamed.

"Well, I'm super excited for you Sam. Really, that's awesome. Hope you don't forget about me when you're famous." It was seriously so easy to banter with Sam. Emma isn't usually this bold around people she just met, but there is just something about him that makes her feel at ease.

"Dinner is ready!" called Jodi from the kitchen.

"I'll try not to but no promises," he joked. "Well let's go eat. Hope you like seafood because mom's fish casserole is the best!"

xxxx

Dinner went better than Emma could have expected. It felt so natural being at the table with Jodi and her two boys. Jodi asked her lots of questions, such as why she decided to move from the city and what her plans were for the farm. She also learned that Jodi's husband Kent was off fighting in the war, and she was hoping he would be back by next year.

"Sam really has done a great job stepping up to be the man of the house while my husband is gone," she said. I am so proud of him.

Sam snickered. "Yeah, try saying that to anyone in town, especially Mayor Lewis. They mostly know me for my pranks and good humor."

This information definitely painted Sam in a whole new light for Emma. As he had said, he was viewed as the immature prankster of the town, riding his skateboard around and causing mischief. But after knowing him for less than a day she could already see that he was so much more than that. He was genuinely one of the kindest people she had ever met- it is not everyday someone that you just met invites you over to meet his family. Up until now the only people who gave her the time of day were Alex, Hayley (to an extent), Marnie and Robin, and the latter two had to because she was their most valued customer. She knows that she could do a better job at branching out from Alex and getting to know other townspeople outside of being friendly acquaintances, but it is a two-way street. Sam really was something special.

After dinner, Emma helped Jodi and Sam clean up. Sam offered to walk her home, which she happily accepted. Her farm in the forest could get a little dark and intimidating at night.

The walk to the farm was filled with a comfortable silence, as Emma enjoyed the sounds of the various wildlife. Sam walked close by her, looking thoughtful.

"Hey Emma, I really appreciate you coming over and helping me with the band. And I also appreciate everything you did for Vincent today."

She turned towards Sam. "No, thank you for inviting me tonight. That was so kind of you to invite a total stranger over."

He smiled sweetly. "Well, I was hoping that after this we wouldn't be strangers anymore. You're really cool, Emma. And Vincent and my mom seem to love you. It would be nice to see you around more."

Emma pretended to think long and hard. "Hmm, I'll consider it." Sam playfully punched her in the arm. "I kid, of course we can hang out again. Actually, me and Al are going fishing tomorrow afternoon if you want to join. You can give Jodi some ingredients for her next delicious casserole!"

"I appreciate the invite but I actually am having Sebastian over for band logistics. But it is Friday so maybe I'll see you in the saloon after?" Emma nodded. Her, Alex and Haley usually spent Friday night together in the saloon, so seeming Sam would be a welcome addition to that dynamic. Don't get her wrong, she did love Haley deep down, but she could be a little dramatic around Alex.

"Well, looks like this is it," said Sam as they arrived at the farmhouse. "I'll see you tomorrow then? Oh, give me your number if that's okay so we can keep in touch if anything changes tomorrow."

Emma took his phone and began typing in her contact. "Of course, I will see you later. Thanks again for walking me home and everything else!"

"Anytime, farmer," beamed Sam.

She loved when he called her that.

xxxx

When Emma checked her phone that night before bed, she had three new text messages.

Alex: how was it?

Haley: Um, so you hung out with Sam tonight? Give me all the details girl!

Sam: Hey it's Sam! Just got home. Loved hanging and getting to know you better today. Sleep well, farmer :)

Emma held her phone to her chest and grinned after sending the three of them responses. Stardew Valley had already given her so many blessings, and the best was yet to come.

A/N

Considering that in game my farmer sped courted Sam and gave him a blue shell in Summer 1 (which he happily accepted teehee) this is not going to be a slow burn fic. I will also be jumping around between pre dating, dating and post marriage life so this fic will be more of an interconnected set of one-shots. Will mostly be centered around the relationships between farmer Emma and Sam, as well as the people in their lives, but I may include more details about Emma's new farming career and the challenges that come with that. Also, I chose to make Alex Emma's best friend because he was the first person my farmer befriended in the game and it is my head cannon that they have a close friendship, mostly inspired from his eight-heart event (and that conversation has already happened by the start of this fic).

Thanks for reading!