Swings were in full motion, and the park was full of life. The warmth of summer was just starting to seep in, and people of all ages were outside, soaking in the sun and the summer breeze. The game of tag or Frisbee was played here and there among different groups of people. Seesaws creaked, and slides shook as children played on them enthusiastically.

Some, however, chose to enjoy the park in a more peaceful manner.

It was Andy and Chucky. Since the young soldier's miraculous return, the boy had spent every waking moment with him. So much that sometimes Andy worried for him. An example of this was when one night, Chucky did not want to go to sleep. "You've got to get some rest, Chucky," Andy would coax. But the boy had shook his head and held onto him, whimpering. "I don't want to waste a single second that I could have with you..." he'd say. And so Andy would stay with him at night, cradling the small body against his broad chest as carefully as if he were holding a newborn child, watching the lids of his eyes finally close in gentle slumber. And Andy would wonder, was it possible that this was alright, that the boy would want him so desperately?

Sometimes they would fight. Neither could remember what about, but it would end loudly. And then the boy would slam the doors or throw things, telling Andy to "go away." But when it was over, and the mysterious storm had passed, the boy would find him, and apologize pitifully until he relented and let him curl up in his lap, and they would sit there for a moment, bonding in silence. Andy slowly began to realize that the boy would push him away because he felt undeserving, dirty, and so slowly he began not to respond so harshly just leave, waiting for the boy to come back to his senses.

As of the present, they were resting on a blanket. Krista had set up a picnic, celebrating the return of Quanisha's mother and John Simonsen from their honeymoon. The newlywed couple was among the group of adults who had started a game of ultimate Frisbee. Maggie, who was now the bride of Johnny, and had been for a while, was still as bouncy and outrageous as ever, and Andy found himself shaking his head and laughing at her.

He had started to get comfortable with lying there, Chucky cuddled up against him, fingers entangled in the soft doll-like hair, when he heard a loud voice behind him. "Yo, Andy, you still old and tired from the war? Boy you like twenty. Get a move on!" He laughed and ducked the blow from the pop-star. "Cut it out, 'Nisha, don't you have other people to bop on the head?" he asked playfully. The girl grinned deviously and tugged at the belt loop of her now boyfriend's trousers. "Maybe. What you think, Brett? Your head need some bopping?" Brett Shelton made a face at her, and then teasingly pulled her hair. "Sure, right now?" he asked, sending her in spasms of laughter. "Where's Krista gone off too?" Andy asked casually, slipping his fingers down the nape of the boy's neck. He noticed that Chucky would just watch him sometimes, and he didn't know why, but he didn't mind at all.

Quanisha just looked around. "I dunno. She was textin' what's her name... Ellen? That red-head friend of mine was with Howard at the ice-cream truck like, two seconds ago..." she glanced off in the direction of the infamous truck, then pointed. "There they go. They'll be here." Andy looked down at the boy, who was still just pressed against him. "You want some, Chucky?" he asked, gesturing to where Quanisha had pointed. He shrugged. "I don't care," he said, coughing softly. The sickness in his lungs seemed to have lessened, and although once in a while it came back, it was never as serious as it had once been. "I just want to be with you." (This earned an 'awww...' from Quanisha, who said that perhaps she would write a song about that.) Andy just rolled his eyes in amusement.

Chucky smiled to himself and closed his eyes. He could just go to sleep like this. The very beat of Andy's heart was cajoling, but the feel of his voice as it rumbled deep in his chest was simply marvelous. He put his hand where the young man's heart would be and let the thudding pulse through his tiny palm. There was a breeze coming by just then, and he was feeling himself drift off when he heard a sound. A loud bright sound of a child's voice. A female child's voice.

"I know you!" she said. He cracked open his eyes to see the bright purple rubber boots. They had some mud caked on them and he assumed it was from how this particular character ran around in the rain. He remembered that this was how he first met her, some time ago. "H...hi," he said, sleepily and rather shyly, though he didn't know why. She wasn't a total stranger, after all. "Yah, I saw you when you was crying," she concluded. She looked at Andy, then back to him. "You wanna play on the swings?" she asked. "I can push you, and you can push me. We can take turns!" Chucky gulped nervously and looked up at Andy. The young man smiled down at him in amusement. "Go on, you can play," he said. At the boy's hesitation, he gave him a little nudge. "I'll still be here when you come back, Chucky," he said softly. "I promise." Then he rolled over, his back on the blanket, and said louder, "He'd love to play with you, right, Chucky?"

Chucky nodded slowly, and the girl smiled widely. "Chucky. I'm Tiffany. You can be my new friend. There's my mama. Hi Mommy! This is my friend! We're gonna swing!" she shouted to the woman, who smiled and waved back. She pulled at the boy's arm. "C'mon Chucky, we gotta go before all the swings are taken away!" she shouted. The boy stood, and with one last look at Andy, trotted behind her to the swing set.

"Aww, he's made a new friend?" Krista had come back with Howard and Ellen behind her. "Yah," Andy chuckled. "He was a little shy about it, but I think he'll have fun." When the childhood friend sat beside him, he tugged her ponytail teasingly, like they used to as kids. "I, remember being shy about you, and, I mean, you weren't that bad..." Krista punched him lightly. "Oh, not so bad?" she asked. "What do you mean? That I was kind of bad, Andy Barclay?" He laughed openly at that. "Guys guys, look, this is so romantic!" Ellen was saying as she scrolled through a text on her phone. "On the news, look, there was this guy who came home from the war, and he proposed to his psychologist! And she said yes! Like, how awesome is that?" Krista took the phone from her so she and Andy could see. "Oh, I know her!" Andy exclaimed. "She was at my mom's wedding. Kyle! I knew I remembered her. She used to babysit me, back when I was like, six." His eyes turned to his mother, who was picked up by Mike and swung over his shoulders. She was screaming at him to put her down, but a smile was on her face. A wide grin, like the one she wore back when Andy was young. He found himself slowly submerging in old memories from long ago happiness...

Chucky, on the other side of the playground, was pushing the little girl as high as he could. "I like ponies, and butterflies, and snakes..." she was saying. "Snakes?" he asked. That was strange for a girl to like ponies and snakes at the same time. "Yah! They're so slippery!" she giggled, swinging her booted feet in the air as she flew back and forth in the air. Chucky opened his mouth to respond, but she had already babbled on. "Momma says she wanted three kids. I want two. A little boy and a little girl. I'd name one Glenda, like the good witch from Oz, but what would I call the boy? I just don't know..." she had paused in silence, and the boy stopped pushing, thinking. "If they were twins, you could call him Glen," he suggested shyly. "Right?" She scraped her boots against the ground so she could turn and face him. "Glen!" she shouted. "That's so awesome! You're so cool! I KNEW I'd like you, I just knew it! Glen, Glen, Glen," she sang. "Push me higher, Chucky!"

Andy saw the boy smile. He was glad he was having fun. It was so nice to see the grin break through on what was usually a pained face. For once, he saw Chucky just having fun. It was ironic, he thought, that the killer-turned-doll turned into a boy. Like maybe he was having a second chance at a new life. Hopefully a good one. Watching the boy push the little blonde girl in the swing, he vowed to himself just that. He would love this boy, and make sure he never was hurt so terribly as he was once long ago. He would protect him for the rest of his life.

The hours passed by so quickly that Chucky hadn't even noticed how late it was until the girl's mother called. "Tiffany! Come on honey, we've got to go!" The girl surprised him with a quick, tight squeeze. "Like a cobra hug," she crowed happily. It took a moment, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her before she took off, running into her mother's legs, most likely retelling the events of her day.

He quickly turned, searching for something. His heart stopped beating for a second. Then he calmed as his eyes slowly found him. Andy. He sighed happily and walked to him, the boy he loved. The man he loved. And he was still there, waiting for him. He didn't leave, just like he promised. He was sitting on the blanket, talking to the girl, Krista. He sat down next to him and gently took his hand. Andy looked down at him contentedly. "Have fun?" he asked. Chucky nodded. Andy laughed softly and put his arm around the small boy. "C'mon, Chucky," he said. "Let's go home."

Home. It was such a nice word. And the boy knew that it didn't matter where he was, as long as Andy was there, he would always be home.