So sorry I didn't have this up yesterday! Long story short, life happened and I didn't have as much time to write as I thought I would. Anyway, here it is now and I hope you like it!

Chapter 4

"Tessa? Tessa, It's time to get up now."

Tessa groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. She had been up late editing some pictures she had taken the previous day in Hyde Park and had planned on sleeping in.

"Did you forget we are going to Buckingham Palace today?" Rosamund asked, fighting a smile at the look of realization and panic that spread across Tessa's face.

"Oh! We're not too late are we?" Tessa asked as she sprang out of bed to get dressed.

"If we leave in half an hour we should still be able to make it," Rosamund informed her. "And we can always go another day, I just thought this would be a good day because it is supposed to be nice."

"Well we already told Jem and Gideon we were coming, so we should go," Tessa said. "Besides, I'm very good at getting ready quickly," she grinned.

True to her word, Tessa and Rosamund were on their way in less than twenty minutes. Rosamund had insisted on Tessa seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Tessa felt it was a very tourist-y thing to do, but though she wasn't exactly a tourist, Tessa was interested in seeing all of the sights of London. They had taken a cab part of the way, but traffic got nasty as they came closer to the Palace. It was to be expected at this time of day, so Tessa and Rosamund left the cab and went the rest of the way on foot. It was quite obvious they were getting close because of the masses of people walking the same direction. All Tessa could see was a sea of people. Ahead and above all of their heads on top of a large stone pillar was a beautiful gold statue of an angel.

"How on Earth are we supposed to find Jem and Gideon in all these people?" Tessa wondered aloud, completely bewildered by the sheer number of people there.

"Don't worry, we have a plan," Rosamund assured Tessa as she expertly wove her way through the crowd. Nodding, Tessa followed closely behind. She had taken her camera bag off her back and was clutching it tightly in front of her. She had heard too many stories of backpacks being picked clean in large crowds such as this.

After another minute of shoving through the crowd, Tessa and Rosamund finally managed to break through to a less crowded section. "Not many of the tourists know to come this far down the street," Rosamund explained. "You can see just as well from here and there aren't as many people."

"I'm sure glad I have you to show me all the tricks," Tessa said with a smile. She might have given up after seeing so many people. "I'm still not sure how we're going to find the others though."

Rosamund laughed and beckoned for Tessa to follow her. Tessa did so, slinging her camera bag over her shoulder. After going only a few meters, Tessa heard someone call "Rose!" loud enough to be heard over the chaos of the crowd. Tessa looked around for the two boys, but saw neither. Rosamund obviously saw them, because she began waving. Following her line of sight, Tessa spotted them. They were in front of a large stone pillar standing on something so they towered above the crowd. As Tessa and Rosamund got closer, Tessa saw that they were standing on a narrow ledge on the pillar.

"Hello, boys!" Rosamund said with a smile as they jumped down and landed lightly in front of the two girls.

"We were beginning to worry you weren't going to make it," Jem said as he and Gideon led them to a small open space along the street. "It's almost 11."

"I overslept a bit," Tessa explained with a slight laugh. The boys let Rosamund and Tessa stand in front, for there was only enough room for two to stand side by side between the tourists. Tessa took her camera out of her bag and began testing for the best settings with the light.

"That's quite a fancy camera you've got there," Jem observed, looking over her shoulder.

"Oh it's not really that fancy," Tessa said with a shrug. "There are plenty of cameras that are much more complicated than mine."

"I see. Well there are still too many buttons for me. I would just break it."

"I don't think you'd break it," Tessa said, unable to help a slight laugh. She'd seen how carefully he handled things, even just when he took his phone out to check the time.

"Still, let's not test it," Jem replied with a quiet laugh of his own.

"Here they come!" Gideon announced, as he was able to see over everyone's heads.

Tessa leaned out into the street as far as she could, camera in hand. She snapped a few pictures and then stood back and waited for them to pass by. The band came by first playing a tune Tessa didn't recognize. They all marched perfectly in step, which was really quite amazing to see. Just behind the band came the guard. For a moment, Tessa forgot she was supposed to be taking pictures. In that moment, she understood why Kitty and Lydia from Pride and Prejudice were so taken by officers in red coats. She snapped out of it, lifted her camera to her eye, and began clicking away. They too were in step, the thin red stripe on the leg of their uniforms making it look even more perfect. Tessa found it amusing that while the guard in front carried a sword over his shoulder, the rest carried some sort of very modern, dangerous-looking gun. The last of them walked by, followed by a cop on horseback.

"Come on, Tessa," Gideon said as he ushered Rosamund and Jem ahead of him. "We have to get to the other side so we can see the new guard coming in."

"There's more?" Tessa asked as she hurried after them.

Gideon said that there was, and began to push through the crowd. It was a bit easier following Gideon than Rosamund because Gideon was so much taller and more willing to shove people. Jem followed close behind Tessa, so she didn't feel the need to carry her camera bag in front of her.

This time, Gideon led them to a pillar not unlike the one where they had met. Turning to Rosamund and Tessa, Gideon said, "You two will be able to see better if you stand up on the ledge like Jem and I were earlier."

The girls nodded and, with the help of Jem and Gideon, managed to get up onto the ledge. Tessa soon saw the band for the new guard, as Gideon had called it. It was much bigger than the first, as was the guard that followed. Tessa leaned forward slightly to get a clear shot of one of the horses that followed the guard. She lost her balance for a moment on the narrow ledge and began crashing to the ground with a cry of surprise. Her only thoughts were of her camera and how terrible it would be for it to get smashed to pieces. Before she had time to do anything about it, her fall was broken by someone and she looked up to find herself practically in Jem's lap.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, searching her face with his silver eyes.

Tessa blushed a deep red as she scrambled to stand, aided significantly by Jem. "Yes, I'm fine. I just slipped." She glanced at Rosamund, who was trying very hard not to smile at Tessa's blush.

"Are you sure? I can carry you if you'd like," Jem said, now teasing as she appeared to be perfectly fine.

"Yes, good sir, I am quite certain," Tessa said with a smile in her best attempt at a British accent. Everyone seemed to find her attempt very amusing, and they all started laughing, Tessa included.

"Let's get inside somewhere before it rains," Jem suggested. "And before Tessa decides to fall over again," he teased, smiling at her.

Let me know what you thought! Things you liked, things I need to change, suggestions, anything!