Disclaimer - Harvest Moon does not belong to me.

Author's Note - Wow. I'm so sorry that this is over a month late. I really don't know how I got so behind! Well anyway, here, at last, is the Gray x Mary oneshot. Enjoy it! By the way, this is NOT the final chapter. It may be the last of the canon pairings, but I'm finishing up with Jack x Goddess instead.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed: SweetDreamer93, JasminexDragon, The Scarlet Sky, Gaby, Dancing Raindrop, Jesi Chan and 10Join-Fei. Thank you all so much for the support!

Worries

It was today.

Today - as in the immediate future, very very soon and at last the end of weeks of waiting - that her life was about to change forever. And Mary couldn't help feeling incredibly nervous about it.

How had this happened? she wondered frantically, pacing about the spotless Library floor. Okay, so 'pacing' was perhaps a stretch. 'Waddling' was far closer to the truth. But Mary wasn't worried about that. She defied anyone to achieve an elegant, panther-like pace as they reached the final day of their pregnancy. In actual fact, she rather liked her bump and had quite grown used to it. She adored feeling the baby kick, despite how uncomfortable it could be and her near constant dashes for the toilet.

No, it wasn't that which worried her. It was just...after. Mary being Mary - in other words, utterly organised and always prepared - everything was already in place for her baby's arrival. The final touches had been added to the nursery, which was now a haven of pale pink paint, floral borders and mounds of toys. Gray and Saibara had built a lovely, little crib (also pink) and even her name, Rose, had long been decided.

In that respect, everything was perfect.

Only Mary knew it wasn't. By some miracle, she'd survived the pregnancy and even the thought of the imminent birth didn't bother her too much. Afterwards was the scary part. At the beginning of her pregnancy, she and Gray had discussed it being a 'good scary' - an exciting one even. Now, as far Mary could see, there was no 'good' about it. She was plain terrified.

What if Rose took an instant disliking to her? Or she simply couldn't stop her crying?

Gray knew nothing of her worries, of course. They were relatively recent, for one thing, and, deep down, she could admit that they were a little irrational. But that was the thing about fears, wasn't it? You couldn't just pick and choose how you felt, as more often than not thoughts just ended up running amok. At least they did for Mary. Anyway, one thing she did have control over was how much she told Gray, so she made the decision not to burden him.

And not being the most in-tune with the emotions of others, he was unlikely to notice by himself.

Almost without thinking, Mary's eyes darted anxiously to the calendar that hung on the wall behind her desk. She was drawn to the vibrant magenta star that covered today's date and the four proud letters beneath it. Rose, of course; she'd scrawled it there mere minutes after they chose the name in this very room. Bu that was back when things were new and exciting. Not like now...

Mary continued to wander back and forth, glancing longingly at the books which lined the shelves. Even they were no good to her now. She'd attempted reading over the last few days, but it had become impossible. The words that were once clear as crystal and comforting, now squiggled and writhed across the page, making no sense at all.

It was a dire situation, she noted worriedly, when her trusty, ink and paper friends became redundant.

There was a sudden creak from the general direction of the doorway, causing the librarian to spin around hopefully. She was half-expecting Gray to stroll over the threshold, home from work early. Soon it became apparent, though, that it had only been the chilly Spring wind.

Mary sighed tiredly, removing her glasses in order to rub her aching eyes. He'd have to get home soon, she thought. Because it was today. Not tomorrow, not in a week. Rose was coming today.

Oh Goddess...today, today, today.

Turns out she needn't have worried. Apparently, little Rose didn't fancy the seventh of Spring for her birthday. Neither did she seem to like the eight or the ninth. The tenth was also shelved, along with the eleventh. And the twelfth.

"It's perfectly normal for babies to be a little late," Elli explained cheerfully, during a routine, yet slightly unexpected, check-up.

Gray, who was sat beside Mary, earned a brief 'look' from his wife. He was nodding along calmly to everything the nurse said, while she felt a little less reassured. Which actually was a bit of an understatement. "Huh," the normally reserved librarian snapped. "That's all very well and good, isn't it? You know, coming from someone whose three young sons were all delivered on exactly their due dates."

It seemed that Elli had no reply to that. Claiming her husband, the doctor, had called her, she hastily scurried through the blue curtain, looking highly grateful to get away.

Gray was left completely shocked by the incident. Had his shy, sweet Mary really said that? Judging by the groan that escaped to his left, she was clearly thinking the same thing. "Um...that was a little harsh, don't you think?" he asked the ceiling, before chuckling somewhat nervously.

"Uh-huh..." Mary replied. Her voice sounded muffled and when Gray looked around, he realised she had her head in her hands. Perhaps she was even on the verge of crying, though he sure hoped not.

"L - look," Gray mumbled awkwardly. "It's okay, you're just stressed out. Elli understands." He patted his wife's back ineffectually, wishing his soothing words didn't sound so strange coupled with his gruff tone.

Mary appeared to feel a tiny bit better, as, after a brief, but genuine apology to Elli, she confessed her worries to Gray during the short walk home. "It's just so uncomfortable now," she explained sadly. "I thought I wasn't ready for Rose, but now...I just don't think I can take anymore waiting! It's driving me mad."

Upon reaching the Library, Gray fumbled the keys in the frozen lock as he struggled to open the door. "Sorry," he mumbled, when it eventually swung forward with a squeak. "Hey - at least the weather's still cold though!"

As she plodded inside, Mary stared at him, too weary to decipher his ramblings. "How do you mean?"

Gray darted a nervous look at his wife, while closing the door. "W - well - I mean - you know - " With every stuttering, indistinguishable word, Gray's face grew steadily a darker and darker shade of crimson. "If it was the Summer and r - really hot, you'd be even more uncomfortable, wouldn't you? I - I think?"

By the time he'd finished, Mary was smiling gratefully. "Yes, Gray, I guess I would," she answered, as he shuffled off, mumbling, red-faced about all the important things he had to do. What they were, Mary didn't know, as everything was perfectly in place for the baby.

And now, after the appointment at the Clinic, she felt mentally prepared too. In fact, after the bliss of sharing things with Gray, Mary would be fine even if Rose was born today!

Only she wasn't.

The fourteenth of Spring dawned bright and beautiful and calm in Mineral Town. Anna and Basil left early that morning, eager to enjoy the shining sunshine of Mother's Hill. At least that's what they claimed. Mary, however, knew - and she didn't blame them at all - that they simply wanted to escape the stormy atmosphere back home.

She felt hopelessly deflated during breakfast, as she thought back over another baby-less day. "Do you realise," she began dully, while Gray grimly poured a trickle of milk over his cereals, "that if she's not born today, Rose'll be a week late? A whole week."

"Oh, yes," Gray agreed, before he could stop himself. When he looked up, Mary was watching him with eyes that were just a little too bright and shiny. The hormones, he realised - though that wouldn't make an ounce of difference once the water works were in full flow. "Look Mary," Gray began hurriedly, as crying women - even his own wife - were really not his scene. He cast around for the elusive silver lining, eventually landing lamely on, "My Grandfather always says, patience is a virtue."

"And not one I'm particularly fond of," Mary added. She blushed slightly as Gray gaped; this pregnancy just brought out the worst in her.

The day dragged on and on, with Mary ending up wandering aimlessly around the ground floor of the Library. She'd insisted on working, despite Gray's pleas. After all, it would be horribly ironic if, on the one day it was closed, somebody finally decided to visit.

From his position behind her desk, Gray watched Mary intently as she painstakingly re-arranged some hardbacks. He could tell the job was made a whole lot harder by the way her fingers were shaking. Whether it was from nerves or excitement or what, he simply couldn't tell. What he did know, however, was that it drove him mad.

The final straw came when one of the books slipped from Mary's grasp, unleashing a cloud of dust and sending her into a coughing fit. "If anything gets Rosie out of you, it'll be that," Gray muttered in exasperation, pulling his wife into a nearby seat.

"S - sorry," Mary wheezed, attempting a weak smile. "I just don't know what to do for the best anymore." She temporarily rubbed a hand over her stomach, before moving it up to tug furiously at her long black hair. Gray went to stop her, but Mary wasn't done venting her frustration yet. "This last week has been such a rollercoaster - pardon the cliched language, please. First, I didn't want to have her at all, then I couldn't wait and now...well, now I just don't know anymore..."

Gray had never felt a stab go through him, like the one he felt at Mary's lost and hopeless words. He knelt down beside her and patted the huge bump sympathetically. "It's been totally crazy," he admitted. "I've turned into the sensible one!" They both laughed at that, which was nothing short of a miracle given how stressed they were.

"Seriously, Rose will arrive when she's ready," he continued, wondering why he was blushing now of all times. Clearly, the subject didn't have to be embarrassing at all; any damn thing would do. "I know it doesn't sound fair, but I guess that's just the way it is. You've got to stop worrying about it."

Slowly, after what seemed like an age, Mary nodded. "Okay," she squeaked, her voice barely audible. The couple hugged - albeit with great difficulty - before Gray headed off upstairs, claiming he was going to help arrange the books. Normally, Mary wouldn't have been so thrilled, but he was only trying to help, so she let him go. She couldn't believe it...a calm, collected, level-headed Gray? Perhaps his joke about being the sensible one wasn't so far from the truth after all.

Meanwhile, as he sat upstairs separating the cookery from the farming books, Gray was having similar thoughts. He couldn't believe how easily he'd calmed Mary. It was amazing and he couldn't wait to see Anna's face when she found out from her daughter later on.

In fact such was his confidence, that when Mary appeared in the doorway, her eyes worried and her cheeks pink, Gray flew straight into Sooth Mode. "Mary, didn't I say not to get worked up again? It's okay, everything will be okay. Rose will be here - "

"Now!" Mary interrupted suddenly. "You don't understand, Gray. My waters have just broken and I'm having the baby right now, she's finally on her way - Oh!" After growing paler and paler at her words, there was thump as Gray fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Calm, collected and level-headed? Maybe not.

A/N - There you have it, the Grary oneshot complete. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review and tell me what you thought. Bye for now!