"I'm sorry." She said, earning an amazed look from Stefan.

"Why are you sorry? Tasha, you have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fault, I was winding you up." Stefan stopped and looked down at her.

"I read the book and I didn't hit Damon, I was tempted, but I didn't. I just miss Elena. I loved her so much and if wasn't for me none of this would have happened and she would have still been alive." He sighed and looked away, this was too much for Tasha.

"But she wouldn't have changed a thing Stefan! Don't you see? She loved you and she'd do anything for you! If it weren't for you she would have still been a bitch who didn't care about anything else than being popular and fashionable." Stefan stared at her, then she saw his expression change so he looked determined and his eyes changed colour from the dark green they were a moment ago to a lighter more sparkly green, he was definitely gorgeous and Tasha decided that she loved his eyes best.

"You know what Tasha? You're right. She made me promise to look after Damon and I will. But today we're going to look after you and there might even be a chance for us to wind up my brother. Deal?"

Stefan held out his hand, Tasha smiled and put her small hand in his, "deal." They shook on it and then laughing they made their way to the fountain where Damon was leaning against a tree looking bored, he seemed to brighten up when he saw Tasha and Stefan, Tasha wasn't sure if it was because of her or just because she might provide an opportunity for him to wind up Stefan even more.

"About time to! I was beginning to think you'd gone home," he said to Tasha, "no doubt you two have been having a cosy little chat about me?" his eyes narrowed as he looked at Stefan, Tasha jumped to Stefan's defence. "Actually we were talking about the books," Damon looked surprised and amused.

"Tasha was telling me that she's been sent over here for a week by her Mum, apparently she was fighting with her younger sister too much and her Dad offered to have her for a week as punishment."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other and then both burst out laughing. "Ah, sibling rivalry. There's nothing like it, is there brother?" Damon grinned at Stefan.

"My turn for the books I believe." Stefan said smoothly walking up to Damon and taking the books from him, Damon looked sideways at Tasha with narrowed eyes. Tasha suddenly remembered the money he gave her for the meal. "Oh, Damon! I have your change here, thank you for that," she started to rummage in her pocket but Damon waved a hand at her, "keep it. Buy something nice with it."

He was watching Stefan sign her books with interest, Stefan's reaction to whatever Damon had written had been to stare at his brother with surprise. Damon hadn't reacted at all, Tasha didn't know if that was good or bad.

"Done," said Stefan proudly, then he turned to Damon and said "do we give them to her now? Or do we make her wait until later when she's home?" Tasha's mouth fell open in horror- there was no way she could wait that long to find out what they wrote!

Damon flashed a grin in her direction, "that's a good question. But I think she'd burst if we made her wait any longer," both of them laughed and Tasha blushed. Stefan ruffled her hair and she made a tutting sound that prompted a remark from Damon about the fact she was sparky. "Go on then," encouraged Stefan, Tasha tentatively opened The Awakening and there on the title page was written 'To my new friend Tasha, thank you for brightening up a dull afternoon with your great company.

Your friend forever,

Damon Salvatore'

Stefan had written underneath 'To Tasha, thank you for being a friend and for cheering me up.

Your Friend

Stefan Salvatore'

Tasha looked up open mouthed at the vampires standing under the tree. "Oh wow, thank you so much! Both of you!" Both grinned at her with pleasure.

"The other two just have the usual To Tasha love Damon," he shrugged, Stefan said nothing but was looking at his brother with an odd look on his face.

"Now, shall we start the tour? The longer it takes the more my brother's going to think about the necks on those geese," winked Damon, making Tasha laugh and grimace at the thought.

Stefan rolled his eyes at Tasha behind Damon's back but followed them anyway.

So the three of them went back into the Palace, Damon musing at the Georgian façade of the back of the palace, Stefan looking bored and saying that of course the palace would have changed if it were in constant use. Tasha could see that this was going to end in tears if she didn't do something about it, so she asked Stefan to hold her books and she ran off leaving them both staring after her in surprise.

Five minutes later she came back with a carrier bag looking triumphant, she produced a guide book to the palace and handed it to Damon. Stefan laughed at the surprised look on his brother's face, "it makes sense. You have to admit it."

Damon looked at Tasha and sighed, "okay, okay, I get the hint!" but he didn't look that upset Tasha noticed.

So she followed them round the palace, Damon using the guide book for the "new parts" as he called them, much to Tasha's amusement. It was when they got to the Tudor parts that they went quiet, Damon not needing the guidebook gave it back to Tasha, they walked through the great hall and Damon looked up at the ceiling at winced. "Even in James' time this was brightly coloured. The ceiling was gold and blue…" he trailed off.

Two costumed guides walked through, a man and a woman, in full Tudor costume talking away. Tasha watched them with interest as another man approached and proclaimed loudly that the King was bored and wished to see some merriment at 4 of the Clock, his majesty had asked that the Lady Anne organise it as her dancing skills were the best at court. The Lady Anne turned to the man and asked would her noble brother aide her?

The lady Anne's noble brother declared if it was his dear sister's wish then he would and instructed the messenger to run back to the king. "That would be Anne Boleyn and her brother George," whispered Stefan. Tasha jumped at the sound of his voice as she'd been wrapped up in looking at the actors. "I thought they were husband and wife at first," she said feeling stupid.