"So..." Alex panted, breathless. "Can you do it?" He begged, tears evident in his eyes like tiny stars in the sky.

Hercules' mom looked down at Alex. This is the 'emergency' you called me out of work to do?She thought to herself. "Of course I can Alex." She sat down on the floor. "But... so could Hercules. He's very talented.

I wanted a profershanal to do it. I can't! I cannot have anything bad happen to him!He's my sister's everything. And he needs to be stitched up all good." Alex whimpered. "I want, and need it to be perfect."

Hercules' mom raised an eyebrow. "Hercules can do stitching just as good as I can. Why don't you let him do some, and then if you don't like it I can do the rest?"

"Oh... I justy didn't realize how good Herc was!" Alex turned to his friend. "Will you... will you do the honors of patching up Philip?"
Hercules looked into Alex's eyes. "Nothing would make me happier ever in the whole wide world Alex! I love Philip-" He took Alex's hand. "And I love you!"

"And... I'm... almost... Yay! I'm done!" Hercules shouted as he threaded the last needle through Philip's stuffed body. He held up the perfectly stitched animal and grinned. "I did it! I acthually done do it!"

"You did!" Alex screamed, hugging Hercules. "And for the sake of my excitement I might as well use bad grammar!" Alex took a deep breath. "You done do it Herc!" He kissed his best friend's cheek and grinned a bigger smile than he had in days.

Hercules smiled back, his bright teeth shimmering against his dark skin, making the young boy look far more happy than anyone could even imagine. He kissed Philip's fur and handed him back to Alex.

"I don't even know what to say Herc... I'm so..."

"Proud?" Laf offered, a huge sens of pride for Hercules overwhelming him.

Alex shook his head... "Pride isn't the word I'm looking for. I'm- grateful! Happy! And so so so... I don't know! Thank you Hercules!"