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Автор: Anastasia

"That’s exactly how I felt all these years. I loved my parents so much!" I explained.

"You know, what I learnt in all these years?" Roy suddenly asked. I shook my head. "Love shouldn’t destroy and it shouldn’t hurt," he said wistfully, "if you really love your parents, this love shouldn’t make your heart ache."

I looked at him, not understanding: "But Roy, I feel hurt. And angry. Angry at myself, angry at them, cause they left me."

"There’ll be a day," he looked up at the sky, "and you’ll understand. Love shouldn’t destroy."

I watched him walking away and wondered what was going to happen next.

Time was flying fast. I was busy with my studies and my new friends so I partly forgot about Roy. We didn’t meet often anyway, I had a feeling he avoided me. It hurt a bit but I didn’t actually care, there was too much to do.

Summer holidays were coming up and I got a letter from Peter who said the team was investigating a case in England and he was going to visit me. I was delighted for it meant seeing not only Peter but Mat, Mia, Claire and perhaps even Coop as well.

Terry was the first to notice my mood changed. Of course she kept on prying me until I told her about Peter’s visit.

"Is he your Dad?" she asked.

"No," I replied, regretting of telling her about the letter.

I didn’t tell anyone except Roy about my parents and I didn’t want to do it even now.

"An uncle?" Terry didn’t give up.

"He’s some kind of a father to me," I finally explained. "My parents were scientists and disappeared during their investigation. I was four years old as it happened and I grew up at Pete’s."

"Oh, that means your father is Dr. Doyle?" Terry’s eyes opened wide. I nodded.

"And what about your mother? What’s her name?" the girl continued. "Lindsay Donner," I answered.

"Donner? Wasn’t her father the famous chemist?"

I smiled involuntarily: "You seem to know quite a bit about my family." "Of course I do! Everyone does! I already wondered why you were so clever. It’s in the genes," she sounded so serious I couldn’t help laughing. "Oh, Terry, you sound as if I were the second Einstein."

She also smiled: "I’m proud having you around, AJ Doyle."

It seemed to me that it’s been centuries ago as I saw Peter for the last time. And I was glad to meet him again. Their arrival was a surprise to me: I was going to my astronomy lecture as I saw Peter in the corridor. He was standing at the window, a wide grin on his face. "Pete," I flung into his outstretched arms, happy to see him.

"Hey, little AJ, I think I should have sent you away earlier, then you’d have been as happy to see each time we met as you’re now," he teased, obviously pleased with my reaction.

"So how are you doing?" he asked, looking searchingly into my face. "Fine, everything is doing just splendid, the students are very friendly, so are the teachers and the town itself is wonderful!" I knew I was already late for astronomy but it didn’t seem important now.

"Shouldn’t you be inside?" Pete nodded in the direction of the door.

I shrugged: "Yes, but it’s not every day that you come around."

"Let’s go together," he proposed, "it’ll do only good to me to find out what’s taught now at the universities."

I grinned and we carefully slid into the room so that the teacher wouldn’t notice. However Mr. Treaping immediately sensed there was something different in the room. He looked directly at Peter: "What are you doing here? You don’t look as a student, Mr. .."

Peter stood up: "Axon, I’m Peter Axon, AJ’s custodian. Mr. Treaping, I’m in England for a short visit and therefore I’ll appreciate if you let me stay here with her."

Mr. Treaping nodded, obviously Pete had a good impression on him: "Where do you work?"

"I’m a physicist, working for O.S.I.R., Office of Scientific Investigation and Research," Peter replied.

"Oh," now my teacher obviously respected Axon.

He didn’t tell him anything else but after the lesson I saw them talk with each other.

"Is this one of you wonderful family?" Terry asked curiously.

I chuckled: "Oh yes, he is. I think if I were a bit more grateful I’d have called him my Dad. Finally I’ve spent my entire life with him. My parents disappeared as I was four years old and from then on I lived with Pete and his wife Rachel. Their daughter Linnet is like a sister to me. I guess I never was the best child, always reminding them who were my parents but nevertheless I like them."

Terry grinned: "Looks like they like you as well, otherwise Mr. Axon wouldn’t make this long way from US to Britain to see you. I think his business is only a disguise."

This remark made me smile. Deep inside I knew that she was right and I was thankful to Peter for his tender care. I felt so safe with him around! But no matter how hard he and Rachel tried, they couldn’t replace Connor and Lindsay. This thought again made me sad. I guessed there was no escape from the past. What did Roy say about love? That it shouldn’t hurt and destroy? Now I seemed to understand better what he wanted to say but still couldn’t agree.

Peter stopped talking and looked over to me. I came up in time to hear Mr. Treaping say: "That sounds very interesting, Mr. Axon. Ms. Doyle also seems to take a fancy in astronomy and she’s quite a talented girl. It’s a pity her parents disappeared. Lindsay Donner was a very bright student, I liked her a lot."

My heart missed a beat: he knew my mother! Of course it couldn’t occur to him that I was Lindsay’s daughter but it was thrilling to know that I was taught by the same teacher as my mother.

"AJ, have you got more lectures?" Peter asked.

"Oh yes, ethics, but I think I can skip it. I’m bored to death anyway," I shrugged, "we’re discussing Kant, it’s a topic I hate."

Peter laughed: "You don’t seem to change, honey, no matter what happens."

"But it’s good this way, isn’t it?" I asked slyly.

"You know how to impress your old friend and how to get the right answers from him," complained Peter to himself, "you can do whatever you want and let it look as if it’s the best for you. And I get no other choice than to agree."

I smiled. Pete always made me smile though I didn’t know how he made it.

We had a lot of fun in Oxford during the three short days the team spent there. I was delighted to see my old friends from O.S.I.R. and they were obviously pleased to spend some time with me. Cooper also came and I spent the whole afternoon teasing him, because he seemed so deep in discussing the different arts of pigeons that lived in Oxford. I laughed a lot and thought that something must have changed. I used to have all these nice people around me all the time but I only understood how happy I am with them after I haven’t seen them for almost a year. It was an important discovery and I did my very best to be what Peter called "old AJ", smiling and content with the whole world.

But the days were over only too soon for me. I had a talk with Peter, before he took the plane.

"Every time I see you, you seem to be more and more like Lindsay," he said thoughtfully as we were sitting in the hall.

I was all ears, like always when someone talked about my parents.

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