They got out of the car and started walking towards the Palace entrance, Damon put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a £20 note which he gave to Tasha. "Go get yourself something to eat and meet us by the fountain in the gardens, that way we get to read the books as well." Tasha nodded and as Damon walked away she called him back, when he didn't come she ran up to him.

"Damon, The Struggle. I mean book two, the one Stefan has. That's got everything that happened between you and Elena in it. Right from the moment she met you in the graveyard to the dream she had about you, Stefan's going to be pretty pissed as she didn't tell him any of it."

Damon smiled at her and gave her a wink, "thanks for the heads up kiddo. Now you go and get something to eat, I'll take care of Stefan."

Tasha went into the first shop opposite the ticket area and was directed to the Privy Kitchen café as the nearest place to eat, which meant going back through where she met Damon and Stefan. She weighed up the pros and cons and decided not to risk it, so she went to the gardens to find the Tiltyard café, hoping she wouldn't see them.

Meanwhile Damon had caught up with Stefan in base court. He was standing there not looking very happy, still reading the book. Stefan looked up and saw Damon approaching. His face went hard and then when he didn't see the girl, his eyes narrowed and he went very still as Damon swanned up with two more books in his hand.

"Where's the girl?" he asked quietly, Damon raised an immaculate eyebrow ast his brothers' tone.

"Tasha has gone to get something to eat, poor girl was hungry and didn't have any money to buy anything with except that muffin. I gave her some money and she'll meet us by the fountain in the gardens. She gave me the other two books so we could get started, but I see you've started without me brother. Tell me, is it as good as she says it is?"

Stefan snarled at his brother, "I know what you did to Elena. You make me sick." Damon had the sense to look at the floor at the mention of her name, "you really do only look out for yourself don't you?" Stefan hissed.

Damon had had enough of this, "is that why I got her diary back from Caroline? Because I was looking out for myself? She didn't write about me brother, she wrote about you. Figure it out for yourself.

Now, I'm going out in the gardens to have a read. If you'd rather stay here that's fine by me, but I'd like the book as I promised Tasha I'd sign it for her." Stefan looked shell shocked for a moment, "why?" he wasn't sure that he'd heard his brother correctly,but Damon gave him a wolfish grin.

"She asked me if I'd sign them for her as she I'm her favourite. Sweet isn't it? I think she has a bit of a crush on me."

"What do you intend to do about it? You're not going to take blood from her? Damon! She's twelve years old!" Stefan was horrified at the thought of his brother leading her on, at such a young age Tasha was easily impressionable.

Damon glared at his brother for a minute and took a step closer to him so he was in Stefan's face. "I have no intention of doing anything about it. She's smart, a lot smarter than you are right now, give me the book Stefan. I've had enough of your remarks for one day."

Stefan gave him the book and watched as his brother stormed off, he reached out with his mind and sought out Tasha. He wanted to know what was going on and he wanted to make sure she was okay, he followed it until he came to a café in the gardens, he could see her just finishing her meal, so he waited until she came out. "Tasha, It's me." The girl spun round at the sound of her name and looked surprised to see him.

"Oh. Hi Stefan! I thought I was meeting you two by the fountain?"

"I wanted to have a word without Damon being here." Her face fell and she looked for all the world as if she were about to get told off for something. They walked through the privy garden and he asked her what happened with Damon, she smiled and told him what he wanted to hear- she didn't invite him.

"Stefan, I've read the books, I know he's dangerous and the invitation's good forever. I'm not that stupid!" she protested, he almost felt ashamed for asking her which amused him. "So why's Damon signing your books for you?" She blushed and Stefan bit his lip to prevent himself for grinning, she really did have a crush on his brother.

"I asked him to. I wasn't sure if you'd want to, but Damon knows I like him. He's not going to let me live it down." He couldn't help but laugh at that.

"You've inflated his ego, he's going to be unbearable now. But I'll sign your books for you." He winked at her and they walked through the gardens together to the fountain. Neither said anything although Stefan knew that Tasha wanted to. It took him a bit to realise that she was probably quite shy, so he started off the conversation by asking how long she'd lived in the area.

"I don't, my Dad's lived here for about a year. He split up from my Mum two years ago, I got sent over here because I was fighting with my sister and Dad said I could come and stay for a week to give Mum a break. It's a punishment for me because he works during the week, so does his wife," Stefan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Ouch! So you got bored and decided to come here? Or are you doing this in history?"

"No, I wanted to come here to see it, my Mum's always taking me to see castles and things with English Heritage."

Stefan was beginning to see why his brother liked this girl. "Is your sister older or younger than you?" that earned him a cheeky grin.

"Younger." He smiled at that and then decided that he'd show her that he wasn't as dull as he came across in her book.

"No wonder you're in league with my brother, if you find your little sister irritating. He feels the same way about me most of the time. Oh well, I thought that perhaps you and I were going to be good friends, but if you find younger siblings irritating then you might find me irritating as well." Stefan made a sad face and Tasha looked horrified, it was all he could do not to laugh. Then just when he thought she was going to clam up and he'd made a horrible mistake she came out apologising.

"I didn't mean that! I don't find you irritating!"

"But you like my brother better. Why is that? What has he got that I haven't?" He hadn't meant for that to come out, but it was too late now.

"I like Damon better because I know that he's meant to be bad and dangerous, but he's good really and he loves you and he loved Elena as well."

Stefan's face dropped at the mention of her name, Tasha knew she shouldn't have said it but it just slipped out. Now she'd hurt Stefan, she was kicking herself right now for having such a big mouth.