Elena Gilbert

Elena Gilbert is the female protagonist from the book series The Vampire Diaries, and its TV series adaptations with the same name.

Backstory
Elena Gilbert is born on June 22, 1992 in Mystic Falls, Virginia to John Gilbert and Isobel Flemming while they were still in highschool. With the help of John's brother Grayson, Isobel and John flee town days later, leaving Grayson and his wife Miranda to adopt Elena as their own. A doctor, Grayson fakes a birth certificate so that it appeared Elena was his daughter with Miranda. The next year, Miranda and Grayson had a child of their own, Jeremy Gilbert. Elena dates her childhood friend Matt Donovan, who was her first love. On 23 May 2009, Elena is picked up by her mother and father after being stranded by attending a party. The three of them later end up in a car accident, with their car driving off the bridge. Stefan Salvatore finds them, and saves Elena, but it was too late to save Grayson and Miranda, who died. It remained unknown for months who saved Elena, and it was considered a miracle that she lived. Her relationship with Matt ended when they broke up.

Season 1
Elena, still empty after losing her parents, begins to fit back into school. She meets a mysterious new student named Stefan Salvatore. They connect instantly, and begin dating. She meets, Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older and malevolent brother. After researching, Elena realizes Stefan was alive in 1953. It is later revealed that he is a 162-year old vampire. Damon also begins falling for Elena. After sleeping together, Elena finds a picture of a women named Katherine Pierce who looks exactly like her. Stefan reveals that it is the woman who made him and Damon feud 145 years ago, and the person who turned them into vampires. He also told her that he is the person that saved her the night of her parent's death. At the end of season one, Elena discovers that Grayson and Miranda weren't her parents, and that Isobel and her uncle John, who she grew up hating, were.

Season 2
In season two, she learns that she is a Petrova Doppelgänger, having an appearance just like Katherine Pierce, which means that she has to be sacrificed to release Klaus' werewolf side. The sacrifice later happens, but Elena is saved, because John sacrificed himself for her after being put under a spell by Bonnie. However, her aunt Jenna is turned into a vampire and, as part of the sacrifice, is killed by Klaus, leaving Elena without a guardian. In the season two finale, while Damon is dying due to a werewolf bite, she forgives him for forcing her to drink his blood and kisses him with the thought that it might be Damon's last day, however Damon gets cured by drinking Klaus' blood.

Season 3
In season three, Elena does everything in her power to make Stefan get his humanity back, which was turned off by Klaus. Meanwhile, she grows closer to Damon while working together on saving Stefan and trying to defeat Klaus, eventually even sharing a kiss. She later admits to Stefan that she has feelings for Damon as well but that she never stopped loving Stefan. While in Denver together, Elena kisses Damon, later telling him that she doesn't know how she feels about him. It is eventually revealed that Elena met Damon the night of her parent's death, though he compelled her to forget. She eventually chooses Stefan in the season finale but before she can tell him, Elena drowns while having vampire blood in her system. During the last moments of season three, she awakens as a vampire in transition.

Season 4
In season four, Elena is faced with the tough decision of whether to die or to feed on human blood so she can fully transition into a vampire. Elena, after realizing Stefan's desperation to keep her alive, decides to complete her transition. Her relationship with Stefan ends, allowing her to begin a proper romance with Damon. Although, it is later revealed there is a sire bond between them.

Sometime later whilst searching for the cure for vampirism, Jeremy is killed by the immortal Silas. As a result, Damon used the sire bond to convince her to turn off her humanity, due to her incredible grief over losing her brother and the last remaining member of her family. Elena has since become ruthless without her emotions, though showed hints of fear when Bonnie almost killed her. Elena wakes up in transition. In Growing Pains, Elena awakens on the morning after the accident to find out that she has become the thing she dreaded the most has come true- she died with Damon's blood that Dr. Meredith Fell had injected in her system. And she must go through a terrible transition to become a vampire or face certain death. Stefan promises her that he and Bonnie will exhaust every possible way out of the situation, but Damon is furious with his brother for letting her die in the first place. Damon also tells her that there is no way out of it, "You feed or you die, there is no door number three." Later Elena is checking her mouth for fangs and Jeremy walks in and Elena runs over and they start talking and Elena is constantly looking at a lamp that is making a weird noise; once Jeremy left, she goes over and clutches the bulb and smashes it.

Elena checks for fangs. After Stefan makes her a sandwich she can't eat it, Stefan tells her he should have saved her first instead of Matt, but Elena tells him if he did, then Matt would be dead and she couldn't handle that. When Stefan mentions her finishing the transition she tells him they'll cross that bridge when they come to it. Her statement makes her laugh uncontrollably as she slowly starts to cry too. She goes back upstairs and sees Damon, but realizes she's remembering the scene from Rose, where Damon tells her he loves her and compelled her to forget. After hearing noises downstairs she finds Stefan surrounded by deputies and Pastor. They take them to Pastor's house, after Pastor tells her about his and the council's plan, she starts to leave the house when Pastor thinks she's one of them.

Elena completes the transition. After a deputy knocks her out, she wakes up in a cage with Rebekah across from her and Stefan on the other side of the wall, the cells have been intoxicated with vervain to weaken them. After, Elena tells Stefan she chose him, and that he was the main reason she was on the bridge to go back to him. Bonnie contacts Elena's spirit on the other side and tries to bring her back. But Bonnie's fails and Stefan, and Rebekah kill a guard to help Elena finish the transition. When Damon nearly kills Matt, Elena attacks Damon and saying,"Leave him alone! " She tells him she remembers everything, including the fact that she met him first. She eludes to the fact that it wouldn't change anything, but she has to take it a bit further. She asks him what he would have done if he was in Stefan's position and he tells the truth only Damon would tell: he'd let Matt die to save her because he's selfish. He's so selfish, that he'd take someone else's life to give Elena the one she wanted: a human life. And that single factor changes everything. Damon has always been selfish and destructive, but one great reason Elena's answer had to be Stefan hearkened back to the time when Damon just couldn't understand why she'd choose death over vampirism. He tells her: "I would have﻿ saved you in a heartbeat; no question. You would have gotten to grow up and had the life that you wanted, the life that you deserved. I wanted that for you, Elena, and I would have gladly given it to you and let Matt die because I AM that selfish." Now that he gets that and Elena remembers everything, the love triangle has once again found a way to ignite even further.

It's a brand new day. Stefan and Elena are last seen on the roof of the Salvatore house seeing that everything is now different and that things will change from now on due to Elena being newly turned. Stefan tries re-assure Elena that everything will be okay but Elena tells Stefan that he doesn't need to do so. Stefan tells Elena that he wishes he could though, that he wishes that she would never experience pain, that she'll never crave blood, but that she will. That Elena craving blood will be the worst thing you will have to go through and experience and live through. Elena tells Stefan that she will get to live though, that she will be a sister, a friend and that she will be with him forever if she wants. Elena then kisses Stefan and tells him that she is going to get through it, just like they get through everything. Elena tells Stefan that they should get back inside before sunrise. Stefan then gives Elena her own daylight ring that Bonnie had made for her just in case. Stefan puts the ring on Elena's finger and then tells her "One day at a time, right?" They share a romantic moment and they kiss on the rooftop as the sun comes up and they enjoy the sunrise together.

Stefan teaching Elena how to feed on animals In Memorial, Stefan tries to get Elena to learn and follow the diet of drinking animal blood. In the morning, Stefan and Elena wake up together in the woods to hunt. Stefan leads Elena farther into the woods and it is there that they spot a deer eating grass. Stefan tells Elena to close her eyes so that Stefan can catch the deer so Elena can feed. Elena feeds on the deer without killing it. Although Elena is overwhelmed by her very first feed, Stefan encourages a tearful Elena that even though it was hard, she did it. Stefan encourages her that she is going to get through it and that everything will be okay. Elena walks in on Stefan and Damon having a disagreement on Elena's feeding methods and diet. Elena can see that Damon doesn't approve of Elena trying to live on an animal blood diet, not drinking human blood and feeding on innocent people from the vein. Damon lets Elena know again that she is a vampire and should act like one, which implies that Elena should treat humans as food. Damon then insists that Elena is going to be miserable because of her vegetarian diet.

Elena drinking from Damon. Stefan and Elena are in the woods together and Stefan is trying to teach Elena methods on how to hunt for forest animals. However, Elena is distracted by Stefan's embrace and touch and her overwhelming sense of passion and desire for Stefan. Elena describes Stefan touching her as if he is literally touching every single nerve on her body, implying that she finds Stefan's touch electrifying. Stefan tells Elena that when you are a vampire, everything is heightened, including your emotions, sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Elena, overwhelmed with passion and desire, begins to passionately make out with Stefan against a tree. During the passionate make out session, Elena begins to feel sick and pushes Stefan away. She runs away using her super speed and vomits up the animal blood. At the Grill, she asks Damon for help because she can't keep the animal blood down. He takes her to the bathroom and offers her his blood and she ultimately agrees to feed on his blood but he also tells her not to tell Stefan because it's "personal".

Elena vomits blood. Meanwhile, Elena joins Matt in setting up for the memorial service at the church. While they’re distributing programs, she spots April, whom she used to babysit. She goes to comfort the girl she hasn’t seen since her parents’ funeral. When Elena touches April’s arm, however, the sensation of the girl’s pulse makes her run off to the basement bathroom to puke. It is not a cute scene, and it ends with Elena’s dress and the room being covered with blood.

Damon & Elena share a moment She calls Damon to bring her a change of clothes. Outside the church, Damon gives Elena a bag of human blood. She gulps greedily but can’t stomach that either. “What’s happening?” she asks. Damon hypothesizes that’s it’s her doppelgänger blood and that she needs to drink from the vein. She then becomes emotional and he comforts her. As they are having a very close moment, they are interrupted by the church bells and Elena tells him she has to get in the church.

Elena feeds on Matt. Before the memorial mass starts, the Mayor invites April to speak. When the girl doesn’t approach the podium the Mayor opens the floor to anyone else who wants to say a few words. The audience is filled with family members of the dead. Yet Elena is the only one who stands up. As she starts to speak, Elena smells April’s blood. She starts to sweat. And, just as her eyes go veiny, Stefan takes her away from the podium. With the purpose of helping Elena, Matt offers his blood to feed Elena and stabilize her, as much as possible during the funeral. Meanwhile, Elena runs up the balcony to help April. The minute she sees her friend sitting in a pool of blood, however, her fangs pop out and she goes in for the kill. Fortunately, just before Elena attacks her, Caroline overpowers her and makes her stop. Then she turns it into a teaching moment and tells Elena to compel April to forget that Connor stabbed her and her former babysitter tried to kill her at her dad’s funeral.

Elena is then confronted by Stefan about feeding off of Damon and she feels guilty for doing so when she realizes how upset and distraught Stefan was. Elena then begins to feel overly emotional and tells Stefan that she feels like she is overwhelmed with so much grief, not just her own by everyone else's. Stefan then brings Elena to the school, along with Matt, Jeremy, Caroline, Bonnie and Damon, in order to finish the memorial that they didn't get to have earlier. Elena, along with everyone else, light Japanese lanterns and set them free into the sky, in memory of all of the loved ones that they have lost.

Elena feeding on Matt In The Rager, Elena heads out to meet Matt at their old make out spot at Mystic Falls High. After dying and coming back, Elena decided she might as well finish her senior year at school. But first she has to eat. And this is where the rendezvous with Matt comes in. Ever guilty that he survived the car crash, Matt extends his wrist to Elena for a mid-morning snack. She feeds politely, careful not to kill him. While in class, Rebekah sees this as the perfect excuse to throw a housewarming/curfew-ditch party. She invites the entire student body of Mystic Falls High — including Elena and Stefan. But the sight of her gives Elena the full-on rage. The two vamps exchange words. Then Elena throws a pencil at Rebekah. The Original sister catches it and tosses it back, staking Elena in the shoulder. “I hate her,” Elena growls as she storms out of the room, with Stefan by her side. “I didn’t think I was capable of hate. But. I. Hate. Her. ... And I hate that I hate her.”

Rebekah teasing Elena When Elena goes to the bathroom to clean up, Rebekah sends a bleeding classmate into the ladies’ room after her. Elena doesn’t take the bait; Rebekah struts in and raises the stakes, smearing the girl’s blood all over Elena’s face. She knows this will make Elena vamp out. And, even more importantly, Rebekah knows that Connor Jordan is just down the hall. Minutes after she arrives at Rebekah's bastion of under-aged drinking, Elena again gets the rage and obsesses over Klaus’ sister. The Original vampire knows this and plays it for laughs.

Stefan and Elena go on a motorcycle ride. Later, Elena is in Damon's room "supposedly" looking for bourbon but he knows that she is lying as she wants the white oak stake. He starts undressing in front of her(which she doesn't seem bothered by) and then asking her if she’d like to stay for the show and she walks out. At one point, Rebekah smoothly lifts Elena’s day walker ring off her finger and throws it into the garbage disposal, leaving our new vampire girl awkwardly exposed. Elena’s rage sharpens into a murderous point. Armed with the white oak dagger, she tells Stefan that she plans to kill Rebekah. Stefan responds by reminding her that taking out an Original isn’t just murdering one vampire. It is killing every bloodsucker that she sired. Thousands. Rather than attack her host, Elena does a keg stand on the way out and chugs a gut-load of beer. Rebekah watches but is distracted but the pain pulsing through her body, caused by the werewolf venom that Connor slipped into the keg. After they leave the party, Stefan and Elena go on a motorcycle ride.

"Why do I keep thinking of you?" Elena realizes something is wrong a few minutes later when she’s almost about to have sex with Stefan. They are just about to take things to the next level, when instead of seeing her beloved Stefan, she sees her be-lusted, Damon. Elena pushes "Damon" off of her and Stefan is bewildered and confused, wondering what is wrong. After Stefan realizes that Elena has been poisoned with the werewolf venom Connor stole from Tyler, he calls and asks Klaus to save her whom Klaus believes Elena might be worth something to him after all. But while resting she keeps hallucinating and "seeing" Damon. "Damon" said it was because she knew she was more like him than she is like Stefan as a vampire. Matt shows up at her house and Elena tells him about the rage she felt towards Rebekah, then she starts to feed from his wrist.

"You are a vampire now." Only this time she doesn’t stop. She starts hurting him. He tries to pull away; she pushes him back into the cabinet and digs in deeper. Then, just as she’s about to over eat in a way that she will forever regret, Damon vamps in and pushes her off Matt. “Stop it. Stop it,” he tells her. Damon compels Matt to forget that Elena almost drank him to death. Then he turns to her and says, "You are a vampire now. You just have to learn the right way to be one. And I’m going to teach you."

Elena arriving at college. In The Five, Elena makes sure to inform Stefan of her little field trip with Damon and Bonnie to Whitmore College, where Bonnie's grandmother had taught, as she doesn’t want him to misunderstand. First, she couldn't go through with it once she chose her victim in a college class after she saw a photo of the girl on her phone with her sister. Her compassion got in her way. But fortunately, there was the Murder House frat party.

Elena hugs Damon. Going back to Elena’s learning, it’s a huge success as Damon, Bonnie, and she crashed a fraternity party that had the theme of ‘Murder House’. Decked out in costumes like the majority of the people, it was easy for Damon and Elena to blend in and feed at their leisure. Elena's first victim was a guy who roofied a girl's drink, and Damon was behind her to remind her not to kill him. But after that, she was hooked, and she felt good then hugs Damon and she tells him she wants more.

Elena & Damon dance And so she and Damon took the dance floor for victims and to dance together. Elena enjoys herself as she repeatedly chooses her victims, feed, and compels them to forget the incident, and she doesn’t realize how caught up she is in it till Bonnie sees her. Bonnie gives Damon a reprimanding for letting Elena let loose like that, but Damon is anything but apologetic. He claims Elena is like him more than anything and she’s allowed to behave the way she did because she’s no longer a human, but a vampire. Damon walks away hurt and Elena begins to cry as she realizes what she has done to him.

Elena crying. He accompanies her home and she apologizes for letting things get out of hand at the party then accidentally hurts his feelings by saying she hates thinking that he’s right about what a vampire is supposed to be. “Because you don’t want to be like me,” Damon finishes.They are interrupted when Stefan opens the door and greets the both of them. Damon leaves both Stefan and Elena on the porch. Stefan asks Elena how everything went. Elena tells Stefan that she learned how to feed without hurting anyone. However, she tells Stefan that she got caught up in the blood and in the feeding and almost lost control. Stefan tries to reassure her that the feeding will get easier with time. Elena then slowly starts to break down as she confesses to Stefan that she is becoming something that she doesn't want to become; she is feeling things that she doesn't want to feel. Elena tells Stefan that she doesn't think that she is going to make it, get through it and survive being a vampire. Stefan comforts her, holding her affectionately and tells her that she will get through it and that she just has to hold on.

Stefan and Elena In The Killer, at home, Elena is narrating a diary entry she first wrote since her change into a vampire. Apparently the side effects of newbie vampirism include hopelessness, depression, anger, and fear. "Dear diary, I know it's been a while. A long while. I haven't needed, I haven't wanted to write this stuff down. But I don't want to say it out loud either. The thing is, I'm a vampire. And I hate it." ... “But most of all I’m scared,” she writes. Damon came to see Elena because Stefan was dodging his calls. We found out Elena hadn't told Stefan about dirty dancing with Damon after she got high on blood at the Murder House Party. Damon knows she's in a shame spiral filled with newbie vampire remorse, but Elena still wouldn't admit it to anyone but her diary. When Stefan wouldn't answer a call from Elena's cell, they realized something must be wrong. Connor had taken Jeremy, Matt and April as hostages at the Grill.

Elena tackles Damon to the bed. Later, Damon found Alaric's map of the tunnels that conveniently provide an entrance to the Grill. Since Connor doesn't know she's a vampire yet, Elena wanted to offer to trade herself for the hostages. Damon rightfully thought that was a stupid idea because she's not ready to go up against a professional killer. A mock fight ensued that ended with Elena straddling Damon on the bed. She said Jeremy was the only thing holding her together, and he promised they'd get him out. Damon wondered why Stefan was making references to Klaus in his plan. He was going to make a move with or without Stefan, so Stefan had to vervain Damon with some of Alaric's stash. Stefan didn't tell Elena the truth—he said he was worried that Damon would get Jeremy out and then go after Connor with no regard for Matt and April's lives. Elena wanted to go with Stefan, but he told her she wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if she had to defend herself and kill Connor. Damon woke up, and she wanted him to go to the Grill, but Stefan had taken his day ring, so he couldn't. Elena decided she was going, and Damon told her to use the fact that Connor doesn't know she's a vampire to get as close as she could before making her move.

Elena after killing Connor. Elena rushed in and pleaded with Connor to set Jeremy free since he's all the family she has left. Connor said he'd shoot Jeremy right in front of Elena on the count of three if Stefan didn't come out from hiding. He got to two and Stefan appeared. Elena tackled Connor, but he fired and it hit Jeremy in the gut. Stefan had to get falling Jeremy off the mine fast enough so he could shield them from the bomb with a table. Elena paused her assault on Connor to ask if Jeremy was okay, and Connor was able to flip her. She held him off long enough for Stefan to get Connor off of her—and Stefan sped away with him. After Elena fed Jeremy her blood to save him, he told Elena about Connor's tattoo and that someone had compelled him to forget the day he'd spent with Connor. Connor, of course, ran into Elena in the tunnels, and she took a big bite on his neck. "Stay the hell away from my brother," she said. Connor dropped to his knees and called Elena the biggest monster Jeremy would ever meet. He tried to stake her while he talked to her. "You missed," she said, and snapped his neck. Next we saw Elena, she was digging a grave to bury Connor in the woods. She sobbed when Stefan and Damon showed up. She was angry at Stefan for lying to her.

Elena thinks she's a killer. After taking a tortured shower, Elena wrote in her journal some more about how the worst feeling isn't when you lose someone, it's when you lose yourself. She started seeing drops of blood, then splotches that led her into the bathroom. Blood was everywhere. Written on the mirror was "Killer". Elena tries to back away from the mirror, but slips on the floor because of all the blood. When Elena looks back down to the floor, she sees no blood, she gets back to her feet. She then looks at the mirror to see the message, but all she saw was her own reflection, no more blood writing.

Elena stabs Jeremy in the neck. In We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes, we opened on Elena, whose sleep was so tortured that she had to get up and go make herself a cup of something warm in the kitchen. "Can't sleep," said Connor, who appeared to her wearing a dirty, bloody tank top. "You know, it makes sense. Guilty conscience." While Elena just kept telling herself that he was a ghost, Connor asked her if a ghost could do this—and grabbed her. A struggle ensued and, as one would've predicted from the location, someone ended up with a large knife in his neck. Elena had seen Connor, but it was really Jeremy, who she'd called for. Elena had Damon come over, and he wondered why she hadn't called Stefan. It's because she doesn't trust him right now, she said. Damon argued that killing Jeremy was worse than compelling him. Enter Stefan. "P.S. I called Stefan," Damon said. Jeremy awoke after Elena headed upstairs to shower, and though Stefan followed her to talk, she was still having none of him. Elena finally got to take her shower and saw blood in the water. She was having more visions of Connor, and when she ran to Damon, she saw Connor instead of him. She bolted the house, and Klaus grabbed her and sped off.

Elena & Klaus At his mansion, Klaus showed Elena to her new bedroom. Pretty fabulous accommodations, unless you like windows. He told her that she'd want to kill herself soon enough—he had. For 52 years, four months, and nine days. He was tormented in his dreams, in his every waking moment, he said. The problem was he's an Original immortal. Elena asked Klaus how he made the torment stop. He said he didn't. It just eventually happened. Elena figured that's why Stefan had tried to keep Connor alive—so no one would feel suicidal. Chris informed Elena that she was only being kept there until Klaus figured out where to hide her long term. When he left the room, Connor appeared again. Connor made her feel guilty about the family he left behind, including his brother and parents. Then he reminded her that she was the reason her parents were on that bridge the night they died. Elena wasn't taking the bait, so he thought maybe she'd listen to someone else—and poof, there was Katherine. Katherine had tortured Elena by saying she'd end up being as bad as her. Katherine had Elena so frayed talking about how Bonnie must really hate her after all she's lost because of Elena, that Elena snapped when she saw Connor enter the room. She stabbed him with a sword and bolted again. Stefan called Damon to ask him to find Elena because she'd listen to him. Elena found herself walking to the only place she could if she was going to die (again) -- the Wickery Bridge.

Elena burns in the sunlight. She had Connor on one side and Katherine on the other. When she got to the bridge, her mother appeared and told her it was okay. She got Elena to finally say she was a monster and deserved to die. Elena took off her day ring and dropped it in the water below. When the sun comes up, she'd burn. Elena had second thoughts. She couldn't leave Jeremy. But her mother assured her that Jeremy would still have her—as a ghost that helped her, not a monster that hurt her. Anyway, Damon showed up and soon enough, He was the only one she could actually see during her hallucinations. The only one who didn't appear to her as someone else. When Jeremy becomes the new hunter after killing Chris, the curse is broken and the hallucinations stops. But now the sun was rising, and Elena began blistering and smoking. She called for Damon, and he grabbed her and jumped off the bridge into the water.

Elena and Damon, closer than ever. Elena woke up in her bed at home with the day ring back on her finger. Damon had fished it out of the river. She grabbed his hand and thanked him for saving her life. They were sitting on her bed. He could have taken advantage of her heightened sense of gratitude. But he didn't. He didn't leave go of her hand, but he told her, "I am about to take a very high, annoying road and tell you something..." He told her everything Stefan had been doing was for her, and that there may be a cure to turn her human again.

Stefan and Elena breakup because of her feelings for Damon Finally, we get to the breakup. Sitting on the porch, Elena asked Stefan why he'd sent Damon to her on the bridge instead of coming himself. He told her it's because lately, he seems to be the one who can reach her, the one she trusts even when she doesn't trust him. Stefan told her after all they'd been through, she can finally admit it. She didn't say she loved Damon, but she admitted what she wants is darker now. "What you want or who you want?" Stefan asked. He understood: Her feelings for Damon are magnified. He told her that he understood why she wanted Damon when he was the Ripper, because he'd driven her to Damon. But now, he just can't keep doing this. Elena understands leading them to officially end their relationship for good.

Elena staring at Damon. In My Brother's Keeper, At the pageant, Caroline made her disapproval of Elena's newbie vampire confusion of the heart known. Then, she backed off. Elena just wants time to figure out what these intensified feelings for Damon are. They got interrupted by Professor Shane, who's judging the pageant and they thinks it might be creepy that Bonnie is as obsessed with Shane-approved magic as she is. The next morning, Elena had bigger concerns at the moment, like disagreeing with Caroline over whether April should wear a safe blue dress (Caroline's pick) or a more revealing red one (Damon's choice). He remembered she'd worn blue to last year's pageant—which was sweet. Elena agreed with Damon and he replied "And my work here is done", then walked out of the room. Caroline reminded her that she hated the red one and Elena decided it should be April's choice and ran after Damon.

Damon and Elena talk. Now it was Elena asking for Damon to wait for her there so she could tell him the reason she broke up with Stefan was because of him. Damon's surprised reaction was also sweet. Shane interrupted and Damon went off to ask him about a new hunter, but he couldn't help but look back at Elena and smile. When the pageant began, they stared and smiled at one another.

Elena reminisces her dance with Damon Matt realized Jeremy wasn't there to escort April as Caroline announced the contestants for the traditional dance number, so he told Elena that Jeremy had been having nightmares in which he killed her so she'd be motivated to go find him—and then he escorted April. When the dance began, Damon and Elena remembered their first dance at the pageant. Caroline ran to Elena, wanting to know where Jeremy was. Damon told her and Elena not to worry. Jeremy had probably just enjoyed the open bar—because you know how easy it is for kids to get their hands on alcohol in this town. Elena said Damon was probably right, and that set Caroline off. She reminded Elena that Damon is sneaky, manipulative, and rude—never right. Sneaky and manipulative Klaus appearing to tell Caroline she was making a scene probably didn't help Caroline's moral high ground routine.

Stefan helping Elena. Later, Elena saw Jeremy and chased after him. He doesn't want to stake her, only everything in his body tells him that he does. Eventually, he went for it. She thought she knocked him out, only she hadn't. He stabbed her in the neck using his stake rail-gun. Matt arrived to try to talk Jeremy out of finishing the job, but it was Stefan who finally saved Elena. Elena wanted to do the worst possible thing she could—go find Jeremy. Stefan stopped her and told her that he's beginning to think when a hunter kills, the urge just gets stronger. Elena told him she didn't want her humanity back if it meant stripping Jeremy of his, but Stefan said this was the only to "fix" her. Elena told him he doesn't have to love the new her, he just has to let the old one go. And Damon walked up, putting Elena literally in the middle of the two brothers.

Elena and Damon kissing. That night, Elena moved out of the Gilbert's House and moved into the Salvatore Boarding House. Stefan told Elena to pick a room and he'd crash elsewhere. Meaning she is now living with Damon. Damon and Elena sitting in front of the fire and welcoming her to the whiskey club. He thought she hated whiskey. "My brother wants to kill me," she said. "Welcome to the club," he answered, clinking glasses. After she recapped how everyone else hated her at the moment, Damon told her he'd never seen her more alive. And then she told him the dance today had reminded her of their dance. She'd wanted to dance with him again. He stood up and offered her his hand. They dance—very, very slowly. And closely. Which leads them to romantically kiss and have sex for the first time in Damon's bedroom. Stefan and Caroline found out at the same time that Elena is sired to Damon.

Elena wearing Damon's shirt. In We'll Always Have Bourbon Street, Damon woke up and Elena quickly joined him by wearing just his shirt. She noticed a certain look on his face and he told her that he's happy then she kissed him passionately. When getting ready to leave, Damon wanted to wait a day to tell Stefan about them being a couple, and Elena, of course, eventually agreed. Stefan showed up as she was leaving Salvatore Mansion. At school, Elena invited Bonnie and Caroline out for a girl's night at the Salvatore Mansion which they agreed to. She then saw Damon down the hall and quickly followed him. He gives her a blood bag and "I can't believe this, Damon! I don't have to hurt people anymore!" She's thrilled, Damon less so. She hugs and kisses him before going to class.

Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline dancing. During night, at Salvatore Mansion, the girls were having a dance party. Bonnie was taking videos of Elena doing vamp speed on her phone while Elena and Caroline were drinking wine. Later, they ended up in Damon's bathroom, with Elena sitting in the tub. Caroline took the opportunity to diss Damon again and call him a man slut whose tub would be filled with cooties which upset Elena. Elena admitted she'd slept with Damon and said she'd asked the girls there that night to tell them how happy she is. Elena eventually told them she thought she was falling in love with Damon, and Caroline blurted out that it wasn't love, it was a sire bond. Once Elena heard that Caroline had been talking to Stefan about this, she asked Caroline and Bonnie to leave. When she opened the door, Kim and Adrian were there and attacked the girls then took Caroline with them.

Tyler and Elena Tyler took Elena with him to find Caroline and had time to tell her that the sire bond doesn't change your feelings, just your actions. They found Caroline, and Kim was ready to make her power play in front of the unsired pack. She was about to stake Caroline when Elena said to torture her instead since Klaus wants so badly to keep her alive. Kim moved toward Elena, and Tyler broke free and threatened to rip her heart out. With his hand in her body, he told her and the pack that they have to work together if they want to live freely or they'd all die. Kim apologized and the rest of the pack joined her in kneeling before Tyler, who is officially the alpha. At Salvatore Mansion, Caroline and Elena hugged it out, and Bonnie told them that Shane is teaching her "expression." Elena told Caroline she'd tell Stefan about her having slept with Damon, but she just needed to figure out some stuff first.

"Does this feel wrong?" Damon was prepared to do it, too, when he got home, but Elena somehow knew he was about to set her free and asked him not to. She's happy, she said. That's when he said what would make him happy is knowing that all this time he was in love with her, it was real. He wasn't going to give up: He knows he's not the good guy, he's the selfish one who lies to his brother, falls in love with his girl, and doesn't do the right thing—but, he said, he has to do the right thing by her. She put his hand on her heart and asked if it felt wrong. She touched his face and asked if it felt wrong. He doesn't break up with her. The episode ends with Damon confused.

Elena and Damon in bed. In O Come, All Ye Faithful, Damon wasn't going to release Elena from the sire bond, he did the next most decent thing: He refused to sleep with her. They woke up, fully clothed, in the same bed. He was already feeling guilty. He knows what he should have done. Instead, he got up to change his shirt. Elena insisted this feels real to her and essentially dared him to send her away. Damon said what he really wanted to do was throw her back in his bed and never let her leave. She told him to do it. Sadly, Elena's phone rang. "Saved by the cell phone," Damon said. Bonnie wanted Elena to meet her at the Gilbert family lake house, where she's trying to teach Jeremy not to kill Elena.

Elena defends herself. Elena asked Damon if he wanted to come. At the Gilbert Family Lake House, Jeremy was chopping wood and he got a little testy when Elena and Damon pulled up. He said they shouldn’t be there. But he trusts Bonnie, and she said they’re there to help him. So was 'Professor Shadypants', as Damon calls Shane. The lake house is now in Jeremy's name, so he had to invite Elena in. He did—so he could try to stake her. Elena was trying to deprogram Jeremy, it's just that she was sitting in the cabin so Shane could use the hypnotism-esque method of "persuasion" to detour Jeremy's desires to kill Elena. The plan was for Jeremy's subconscious to recognize her as someone he loves, someone he wants to protect. Then he can choose to take the detour as opposed to the conditioned response of kill. Elena had to speak to Jeremy when he was in this staid state and try to remind him that she's still herself. She told him how when their parents died, Jenna brought them to that lake house and it was like her parents were there with them. She said they'd want them to stick together now and fight for each other no matter what. Shane asked Jeremy how he felt about Elena now, and it didn't matter that the concept of "persuasion" was kinda hard to follow, because Jeremy's response was worth it: "She ruined our lives. She’s not even my real sister. She’s just the reason that everyone I’ve ever loved has died. She means nothing to me. I will kill her, even if that means I die myself." Shane snapped Jeremy out of it. "Did it work?" he asked. Not so much.

Elena and Damon share a moment. After trying to deprogram her brother, Elena told Damon how strange it was that the last time she'd been there, she was so in love with Stefan, and now that's barely a memory. Was that the sire bond's work, or her being so happy with Damon that she's forgetting about Stefan? That conversation gave Damon an idea: Professor Shane should have used someone other than the person Jeremy wants to kill to attach Jeremy's "detour feelings" to. "You. I feel that way about you," Jeremy said to Bonnie. The sweet, awkward smiles Jeremy and Bonnie shared. Outside, Shane and Elena talked about her relationship with Damon. He said he'd once loved someone too much, too—his wife and son had died and he'd been trying to figure out a way not to miss them. Damon interrupted them to threaten Shane's life (again), but Shane saved himself by saying he could lead them to the cure because he's already been there. Shane told Damon and Elena if they dig up Silas, they'll find the cure. When Jeremy's mark is complete, it will have the map that contains the spell to dig up Silas. He won't reveal Silas' location, because that's how he'll stay alive. He'll lead them there.

Jeremy hugs Elena. Shane had to do some quick thinking of his own: Damon told Elena his theory about Shane having killed the pastor and 11 others in that gas explosion. Shane said the pastor had lost his wife to cancer and sought him out for supernatural assistance. But the pastor was too far gone. Elena said she trusts Shane. That discussion got interrupted by Jeremy and Bonnie, who were ready to prove Jeremy could play nicely now. "Jeremy, remember the detour. Choose the right path," Shane said, as Jeremy walked toward Elena with a wooden stake in his hand. Damon stepped in between them, and Jeremy looked at a smiling Bonnie and handed the wood to Damon. Then he reached Elena and hugged her.

Under the mistletoe As Damon watched Elena and Jeremy decide which Christmas ornaments to bring back to their house, Damon sat outside on the deck and watched her. Elena took out plastic mistletoe and wanted a kiss, but Damon wouldn't do it. He said it was good to see her normal like that with her brother. He wants that for her. The truth is, of course, that Damon wants that with his brother, too. He misses celebrating Christmas with Stefan, which used to be their favorite holiday when they were human. Damon was ready to do the right thing: He told her she’s gonna go home. He’s gonna stay there with Jeremy and teach him how to hunt, protect himself, and kill vampires without her. "I’m setting you free Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy," he said.

Elena kisses Damon. Later, we saw Jeremy thank Bonnie and hug her goodbye. Bonnie was going to drive Elena home. Elena told Damon she was prepared to fight him on this, but suddenly, every part of her body was telling her she needs to get in the car and leave him. She kissed him goodbye. Simple and gentle, she clearly felt the kiss, but was very confused about the intense push to leave him still. Damon was surprised by the kiss, but still saddened that he had to send her away.

Elena thinks she sees Rebekah. In After School Special, Elena leaves Carol Lockwood's Memorial because she thought she saw Rebekah. She found a crying April in the hallway, who distracted Elena by telling her she knows she's a vampire while Rebekah snuck up and snapped Elena's neck. "Was that necessary?" April asked. "No, but it was fun," Rebekah answered, smiling. Elena wakes up in the library, where Rebekah compelled her to stay. Rebekah brings Caroline and Stefan. They'd all been compelled. The rules: they answer her questions honestly, no disobedience, and no one leaves. Rebekah needed a quick update on what she's missed. She couldn't understand why, if Stefan would do anything to save Elena, even take the cure himself so he could grow old and die with her, they were still vampires. Rebekah sensed that the reminder of Stefan's devotion to Elena made everyone uncomfortable, and Caroline finally blurted out that they'd broken up. This situation had to be perpetual teen Rebekah's dream. She demanded to know what had happened. "She slept with Damon," Stefan said. Elena glared at Caroline. Caroline could barely look at her.

"I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him" It was Elena's turn to fire a shot at Stefan's heart when Rebekah asked her if she thought she'd slept with Damon because of the sire bond. "I didn't sleep with Damon because of the sire bond, I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him," Elena said. Later, Rebekah wanted to play a game of Truth or Dare. Elena chose dare, but Rebekah cheated: "I dare you to tell Stefan the truth about Damon." Elena said when she's with Damon, it feels unpredictable, like she's free. And when she's with Stefan? She feels like a project, a problem that needs to be fixed. "I think I make him sad, and I can't be with someone like that, because when he looks at me, all he sees is a broken toy," Elena said. She's not wrong. And she admitted that she no longer loves Stefan. Tyler arrived, and Rebekah told them all to stay in the building and not vamp run in the hallway. She compelled Tyler to turn into a werewolf. Now that she had Shane, she didn't need them. They were just competition, and whoever finds the cure first gets to decide how to use it. When April was dying, Stefan and Elena got there in time for Stefan to feed her his blood. He told Bonnie, who felt nothing but more power doing that spell, to get April out of the school. He and Elena had to stay there because Rebekah told them not to leave. For some reason, Elena thought this was a good time for her and Stefan to talk about Damon. Stefan didn't. "How many more ways are there for you to rip my heart out?" he asked. All Elena could say was that she was sorry she hurt him. Rebekah needed cheered up so she found them. "Why are my least favorite people always the most durable?" she asked. She couldn't believe that Stefan was still protecting Elena. She said there was a solution: She could compel him to forget Elena -- erase every memory, kiss, lie, ounce of pain, bit of love. He wouldn't know Elena or the misery. "Do it," Stefan said. "Erase it all, every memory." Elena protested, but there was no need. Rebekah had no intention of making it that easy on Stefan. "I refuse to make you forget her the way Klaus made you forget me," she said. And to Elena: "But at least you know how he really feels." She told them Stefan's eternity of pain was her revenge, and they were free to go. Stefan walked out without saying a word to Elena, who had tears in her eyes. The school is where Klaus had made Stefan turn off his humanity, in front of Elena. And it's where Rebekah made him pay the ultimate price for feeling the human emotion of love for Elena.

"I love you, Damon." Elena phoned Damon, and told him that Stefan knew about them and hadn't taken it well. She told Damon she realized something about him today. He could say it's the sire bond, and maybe it is, but it's the most real thing she's ever felt: "I love you, Damon," she said. He was speechless. So she said it again. "I love you." He replied back saying, "Look, I'm gonna get this cure for you, and I'm gonna have to do things you're not gonna like," he said. "But listen carefully, get in your car, right now. Come to me." Because it felt real. It felt like Elena's choice.

Elena sees the vampires coming. Following in Catch Me If You Can, Elena was coming to the lake to see Damon. She arrived just in time to save Matt from another vampire and they went inside they saw the line of vampires approaching. Elena was naturally upset with Damon, but she agreed to let him stay with Jeremy and go hunting while she took Matt home. He promised to keep Jeremy safe and told Elena to trust him. Elena, who'd heard from Jeremy that Kol had Damon. She went to see Klaus to beg him to call off Kol. She convinced him that they were all on the same team to a point meaning the cure. They only differed on how to use it. Later, Damon went to see Elena and asked where Jeremy was. At the Grill, she said, checking on Matt. Damon said he should go apologize to Jeremy for being tough on him. What she didn't know is that Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy.

Jeremy and Elena At the Grill, Jeremy senses something was up with Damon when they came eye-to-eye. He started after Jeremy, and Elena called Damon's name and he stopped -- for a second. He told Elena that Kol must have compelled him because if he finds Jeremy, he’ll kill him. Elena still needed to save Jeremy, so she called Stefan. Rebekah answered his phone, and Elena knew he'd hear her even if he wouldn't talk to her. She told him the situation and said if he cares about the cure or Jeremy, he’d come help. He wouldn't answer so she hung up on him.

Elena wanting to see Damon. Elena caught up to Damon and tried to tell him that he can resist the compulsion because she loves him, and he loves her, and he'll do anything for her. "Sorry, Elena," he said and continued the chase. When he found Jeremy, Damon again did the most decent thing he could. "Shoot now," he told Jeremy. Jeremy fired a shot, and Stefan pushed Damon out of the way. "Hey brother, long time no see," Stefan said. And he snapped his neck. Then, he looked at Elena. “You’re welcome," he added. Later, Elena wanted to see Damon and Stefan wouldn't let her because she'd let him out. She wanted to know what he was doing with Rebekah, the person who tried to kill her. Elena assumed he was trying to punish her, and she didn't know how else to apologize. He said she can do whatever she wants. He doesn't care now. She said he's lashing out because he's hurt. That's not him talking but it is. "You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you," he tells her. "I’ll let Damon know you stopped by," Stefan said coldly. Elena left with tears in her eyes.

Elena talking to Kol. Going to A View To A Kill, Elena still has her plan to kill Kol, which she informed Bonnie of over the phone. Elena was stuck in the safe house with Jeremy, who insisted he’s playing video games “to train.” That was another classic Matt face when he turned around to tell Elena, “Me, too.” After Elena burned her hands trying to wash dishes, Bonnie phoned her Mayor dad so he confirm he’d done what should have been done a long time ago in Mystic Falls -- put vervain in the water supply. Elena phoned Kol and told him she wanted to call a truce in the name of Silas. She said she’d come to him, but he said he’d come to her. The doorbell rang. He was there. Elena wrote on a handy blackboard for Matt to go help Stefan find the dagger, and for Jeremy to go get Bonnie. Jeremy was the one who had to invite Kol in, so Elena said he’d do it and leave. Smart call: Kol had just got done talking about ripping Jeremy’s arms off, which would spare Kol the Hunter's curse. Kol said he’d heard vervain was back in town, so he couldn’t compel Elena. Kol entered, and Elena saw the white oak stake in his jacket pocket as he put away his iPod and asked for a drink. Kol said he ran with witches in Africa in the 14th Century, in Haiti in the 17th Century, and New Orleans in the 1900s, and they all knew about Silas. He holds witches in high regard. Silas would unleash hell on earth if risen, they told him. Kol likes the earth as is.

Elena & Jeremy kill Kol Elena, it turns out, had a plan. She was trying to lead Kol, a master at kicking doors, through to Jeremy’s room, where Jeremy was waiting to fire slim stakes at him. Kol caught them, one in each hand, but that meant that Elena could deliver some wooden bullets to his chest while Jeremy ran. Kol threw a stake back at Elena and hit her in the leg. He caught up to Jeremy and tossed him down the stairs. He sent a piece of wood he tore from the railing through Elena's stomach and pinned her to the wall. He had Jeremy lying restrained on the kitchen table and was holding a cleaver. He was just gonna chop off both arms, to be safe, and then he’d heal Jeremy with his blood so he wouldn’t die. Elena got there just in time to redirect the cleaver into Kol. She kept Kol busy while Jeremy grabbed the faucet hose and fired a stream of vervain water at Kol. Elena tossed Jeremy the stake, and he staked Kol. Kol burst into flames that apparently were a special kind of fire that couldn’t spread to the floor he was writhing on. Klaus had shown up, just in time to see Kol ablaze. He had tears and anger in his eyes. Elena tried to play it off like they had no choice, but Klaus knew they’d set a trap for Kol if he was even inside the house. He said he was going to set the house on fire and kill them when they fled. Jeremy said Klaus would never get the cure then for Elena to make more hybrids. Klaus let something slip: He didn’t want the cure so he could make hybrids. He wanted it so he could destroy it. He was going to kill them all as soon as he found it.

Damon and Elena hug. Before he could make good on his arson threat, Bonnie showed up. She crippled him, then told Jeremy to invite him in. She put up some kind of shield to keep Klaus trapped there. At Salvatore Mansion, everyone impatiently waited for Jeremy’s mark to grow, Damon was reunited with Elena now that he’s no longer compelled to kill Jeremy, and Stefan arrived home with Silas’ headstone. Bonnie said she drew on the new moon to bind the spell keeping Klaus hostage, so they had three or four days to find the cure. Elena assumed Rebekah was daggered so they just needed to get Professor Shane and they’d be set -- but Stefan said he didn’t dagger Rebekah because she’s on their side. Damon was more than happy to tell Elena that Stefan had slept with Rebekah. Elena had nothing to say until the brothers started bickering, and then she told them to stop. “Why don’t you tell her to calm down, Damon. You’ve managed to use that sire bond pretty well so far, haven’t you?” Stefan said. Damon punched Stefan and Jeremy screamed and ripped opened his shirt. The mark grew, and now they all could see it.

Elena talking to Damon. In Into the Wild, Rebekah gave Elena the evil eye, and Elena tried to stake her. Damon declined to tell Elena if he’d take the cure when it’s found. On the island, the hiking began. Rebekah recapped what everyone brings to the table including Elena (nothing) and Damon (“nice behind”). There are islanders who want to shoot an arrow at Jeremy. Elena shoved him out of the way, and before the islander could fire another shot, someone had thrown a hatchet into his back. Someone saved Jeremy’s life. The gang came to their camp for the night. After Shane made a comment about Damon having the most to lose when they find the cure, Elena had to assure him that her love for him won’t change. She clearly wants him to take the cure. In the morning, the group had to split up: Bonnie wanted to stay behind and try a locator spell, Shane wanted to stay with her, and Damon wanted to stay with Shane. That meant Elena got to go off with Stefan and Rebekah. Rebekah and Elena continued bickering as they walked with Stefan, and the only thing that shut them up was when Elena tripped a wire and almost got herself staked. Rebekah stopped the wood before it got to Elena. Elena genuinely thanked her, but Rebekah wouldn’t play nice: She said she didn’t care if Elena died, but if it was going to happen, it should be epic.

Elena asks Damon to take the cure with her Later, when Damon was about to kill Shane, Elena arrived to stop him. She freed Shane and told him to stop messing with her friends. Elena follows Damon and said, ”Being human isn’t going to change my feelings for you!” she told him.“You think that you don’t deserve something, so you ruin it. I’m not going to let you pull that this time. Take the cure with me! That’s how certain I am that I’m going to love you even after this is all over. Be human with me. We can be together, grow old together. It doesn’t have to be hard anymore.”But once again, Damon shut her down. “That’s not me,” he told her. “That’s Stefan,” adding that becoming human would be the most miserable thing he can imagine.

Elena and Rebekah Elena couldn’t find Bonnie or Shane. Shane’s things were gone. And so was the headstone. At the camp, Rebekah freaked out thinking Elena and/or Stefan had taken the headstone or was working with Shane. That makes no sense, which they were able to convince her of. Elena offered Rebekah the white oak stake as a peace-offering. Rebekah said there was no peace, they’re all screwed. That's why Elena said the three of them have to work together now. Rebekah accepted it.

Elena accepts Stefan's friendship In Down the Rabbit Hole, Elena recapped everyone's whereabouts on the phone for Caroline. They saw signs of a struggle, so they assumed Damon has been taken and wasn't just off brooding. They asked Caroline to get Klaus' sword so they could translate Jeremy's tattoos via the photos Bonnie took and send them a map and directions. Elena and Stefan talked about the fact that he'd never told her he's always wanted to be human again, even before he met her. But Stefan referred to Elena as a friend, which made Elena happy and Rebekah concerned. Rebekah had sent Elena jumping first off a cliff so she could tell Stefan there was only one dose of the cure. She knew even if she gave it to him, he’d just give it to Elena. She couldn't handle two against one, so she snapped his neck which Elena saw.

Elena Elena had made her way back to the top of the cliff to sit beside Stefan. As he drank from a blood bag, he told Elena about there only be one cure, and she said she couldn’t take it above everyone else who deserved it just as much as her. She said maybe it was for the best: Even if she could be human again, she’d never be the same girl she was before Matt’s truck went off the Wickery bridge. She’d have to learn to embrace the new her and live her life. Sired to Damon, Stefan said. She’d deal with that when they got home. HOME. They realized Bonnie’s spell holding Klaus would soon wear off, and after what they did to Kol, Klaus would kill them all. They had to get the cure and ram it down his throat. Stefan and Elena caught up, and Vaughn fled through the passage. Stefan sent Elena on, and he stayed behind to try to help Damon. Elena was on her own -- except for whoever jumped out and attacked her. Later, Stefan finally caught up to bleeding Elena, who confirmed that Katherine was there.

A heartbroken Elena crying over the lifeless Jeremy In Stand By Me, Stefan and Elena arrived home with Jeremy’s body. Upstairs, Elena covered Jeremy in his bed, held his hand, and waited. In the kitchen, Stefan and Caroline turned on the faucet so Elena wouldn’t hear them discuss how her denial was the only thing keeping her sane until they could get Damon back there to sire bond her through this. Elena had come downstairs and heard them though, and she’s right, she’s not in denial: Technically, Jeremy’s Hunter’s mark, the spell that opened the passage to Silas, had left his body, so maybe he wasn’t supernatural at the time of his death after all. She’s holding on to hope. Meredith did a quick examination of Jeremy as Elena babbled about Alaric having been dead for a day once and Jeremy now having died enough times that they’ll have to watch him to make sure he doesn’t go crazy like Alaric had. Meredith went into doctor mode and told her how Jeremy’s body would start to bloat if they didn’t get him to a funeral home soon. More uncomfortable tough talk. Elena shoved Meredith and started saying they needed magic. Someone had to bring her Bonnie. And then Matt arrived and started to tear up. Elena hugged him and told him Bonnie would be there and everything would be fine. She just kept repeating it.

Elena and Matt Matt and Elena were magically composed and drinking their usual cup of Grief Tea and toasted to Damon logic (being mean to the people you care about, which means he loves Bonnie). Matt didn’t drug her this time. Then he asked her to go somewhere with him. The stoner pit at the school, where Jeremy had long ago graffiti’d about his love of Vicki. Matt’s point seemed to be that in this crazy town, it’s okay to have hope. Which was nice. But even though they didn't know Bonnie's plan, Elena's hope still involved magic and resurrecting Jeremy somehow. When Matt got to see his sister again through magic, she’d tried to kill Elena. So you know, the moral here should still be resurrection is bad. Stefan called Elena and told her Damon and Bonnie were on their way back and Bonnie has an idea. Apparently Bonnie had shared her plan with Damon on the trip home.

Elena not in the right state of mind As Bonnie told Matt, Caroline, and Elena what she needed to do, we flashed back to Shane telling Bonnie on the island: So Qetsiyah knew Silas would want to die and be with his true love, so she created "the Other Side" -- a purgatory for all supernatural beings -- insuring that if he did die, he’d end up there forever. So Silas needs Bonnie to get rid of the Other Side. If she drops the veil, then ALL the supernatural creatures who’ve ever died since the Other Side was created will be back, including Grams and Jeremy. Shane told Bonnie she would do this. Caroline, of course, immediately said this was crazy talk, and Matt agreed. Bonnie fought with them and Elena just stared ahead. The phone rang, and it was April trying to reach Jeremy. Elena replied “Jeremy can’t come to the phone right now, he’s not -- I’m sorry, he’s dead.”

Damon comforting Elena while she's still grieving over Jeremy's death Elena went upstairs and now smelled what everyone else had. Damon came in, and she wouldn’t listen to him. She went downstairs and asked for Bonnie. Matt was taking her home, so Elena said they’d have to do this the old-fashioned way. She wanted to burn the house down with Jeremy it. It was a good cover story. Plus, she didn’t want the memories of everyone she’s lost. She lit a match and dropped it when it started to burn her fingers. Luckily, Damon caught it. Elena collapsed to the floor and wailed. The pain hurt too much. She just wanted it to stop. Stefan told Damon to help her, and here’s what made this whole episode worth it: Damon told her to turn it off. He said it would all go away. It’s what he wanted her to do. She stared ahead. And then did it.

Elena about to burn down the house. After talking, the brothers went back inside to find Elena with another lit match. Elena says that this is the best cover story. Stefan tried to tell her that maybe one day she’ll want to come home, but she said she wouldn’t. She dropped the match, and they walk out as the flames built. Elena and Damon don't look back. As she lets go of her memories and past.

Elena A few days later in Bring It On, Elena plays injured in the middle of the road similar to what Damon did back in the series. A woman stopped her car to see if Elena was okay and asked if she felt any pain. "I don’t feel anything," Elena said. Eventually, she fed on her, and Damon had to ask her to show a little restraint. They'd agreed no killing. Elena reluctantly walked away with a blood-soaked chin. The next morning at the Salvatore Mansion, we learned that house has the only vervain-free water supply thanks to their fancy filter, so Caroline had come over to shower. While Elena showered, Caroline, Damon, and Stefan made their game plan: Damon would work on finding Katherine; Stefan would go talk to Sheriff Forbes, who needed to tell him that the hospital's blood supply and reserve was stolen. and Caroline would take Elena to school for some normalcy. "Sounds like fun," Elena said, not yet wearing the towel she had with it. "What, it’s nothing you guys haven’t seen before," she said to the brothers. She was fine with the school plan because she had nothing else to do. They all assumed the sire bond was working and trusted that she wouldn't feed there because Damon asked her not to.

Elena sees a flyer for Jeremy's Memorial At school, she didn't even wince at the flier on the billboard for Jeremy's memorial service. She was more interested in the one announcing a cheerleading competition. Elena then asked Caroline if she could get her back on the cheerleading squad. Caroline's the captain, so she said yes. Caroline thought this was Elena having fun, a feeling that may encourage her to turn her feelings back on. Later, Elena was back in her old cheerleading uniform. Caroline went to stretch while Elena followed a cheerleader from another school who'd forgotten her makeup bag to her bus. She bit the girl and stole her blue hair ribbon. The girl lived, however, with a scarf around her neck. Caroline figured it out first: Elena no longer listens to Damon.

Elena before feeding off the competition. Stefan was fishing to find out if she'd stolen the blood bags. She assured him she prefers something warmer. He tried to tell her she's better than that, that she should be afraid of becoming him in 1912. She thought maybe this was the best version of herself. It was the Mystic Falls squad's turn to go. "No way, you are not cheering," Caroline told Elena, trying to punish her. Elena wouldn't be stopped. During the routine, she let Caroline fall to the ground when she was spotting her on a toss. Stefan followed her, and he figured out she'd joined the squad so she could feed on the vervain-free victims who'd come in from out-of-town for the competition. Elena said they all want her to be okay so badly, they’ll hear whatever she wants them to. He had a trick up his sleeve though: He made her think he wanted to take her to a dive bar where she could have fun with few witnesses, but when she caught the helmet he tossed her, he shot her up with vervain.

Elena dancing. When Elena woke up, Stefan compared Elena to Katherine when Elena changed out of her cheerleading uniform in front of him at Salvatore Mansion. Like Katherine, he said, Elena is now manipulating people with sex. Elena said she's nothing like Katherine, who's been on the run so long that she’s afraid of her own shadow. Elena's afraid of nothing now, she's shut everything off including her feelings for Stefan. He looked a little hurt, so she clarified: She looks at him and can see he's hot: "I remember our sex, and it was good sex. I just don’t feel anything about it anymore." She asked Stefan why he still cared about her, and he said because he brought this all into her life. She told him his whole world revolves around her -- so maybe he needs to turn it off, too. Stefan asked who she was texting. The answer: Everyone. If he wouldn't let her go to a party, she'd bring the party to her. She told Caroline to take him out for a spin. Then things took a turn. Liz showed up, no doubt having received complaints about the noise. Elena threatened her. Caroline separated them, then Stefan held Caroline back from going after Elena. Elena bolted. Stefan said Elena had thrown that party to distract them so she could leave. Stefan texted Damon that Elena was AWOL and he needed help.

Elena & Damon head to New York The brothers arrived just in time to save Elena from staking Caroline after a pretty badass fight sequence in the woods. Caroline is an older vampire and should be more powerful, but Elena's training with Alaric gave her the edge. Elena didn't care that she hurt Liz. She wanted Caroline to turn off her humanity, too, because then she'd stop whining about Tyler leaving her and she wouldn't have to feel guilty for having dirty Klaus thoughts. When the Salvatores stepped in, Damon noted that under other circumstances, Elena fighting another chick would be a major turn on. In Damon's bedroom, Elena sat impatiently as he looked for something that turned out to be a picture of him and Will. Elena was annoyed that Damon of all people was judging her when he's tried to kill Stefan multiple times. She told him she doesn't care how bad he is now, and that if he were to be honest, he likes her better like this. Next time we saw them, they were in his car on their way to New York City. Maybe Damon thinks that's where Katherine is hiding out now if Will was from there.

Elena smiling at Damon. In Because the Night, while in New York City, Elena is happy that she can have fun, relax, and eat someone in a city that won't notice one of its millions dead. She got a new haircut which Damon thought was hot. He talked to Elena about how he used to live in New York City and got Lexi'd. Back then, Lexi had gone to find him, knowing his humanity "switch was flipped." She helped him then, and Elena guesses that Damon is intending to do that to her. Damon is also on a research trip on the hunt for Katherine and the cure, which attracts one party-crasher: Rebekah, who wants that cure too. Later, she admits to Rebekah that she doesn’t buy it. She knows Damon is only there for the cure and she has decided to find go find it herself.

Elena Special musical guest, Dead Sara, performs while Damon, Rebekah and Elena do shots. He tells the girls that Lexi wasn’t allowed to feed with Stefan but he didn’t have that problem. We flashback to the 70’s again, this time it’s Damon and Lexi enjoying the show – same song and everything, man I bet this is taking Damon way back. In present time, Elena gets a little hungry, compelling one of the concertgoers not to scream as she feeds on her and Damon joins in on the action. He then lets Rebekah partake in the feeding as he slips quietly out the backdoor. Rebekah wants to work together with Elena. Elena basically tells her that she’s way too emotionally unstable to be of any help. Damon finds a list of Katherine’s past addresses just before Elena comes into the room. They go back to the club where Damon tells her that Lexi used to torture him every night. Elena asks to hear the rest of the story, as she heads to the roof of the club with Damon.

Elena and Damon Elena tries to convince Damon that maybe there is a way to turn her emotions back on. When they’re on the rooftop she tries to seduce him and he initially rebuffs her but eventually gives in. However, when she tries to steal the information Damon got about Katherine out of his pocket, he catches on. Damon tells Elena she is going to regret everything she is doing now when she turns her humanity back on. He doesn’t want to be one of the many things she’s going to feel guilty about. He tells her the reason he killed Lexi was because when she came back to Mystic Falls all of his guilt resurfaced. They argue about her present state and about her taking the cure. Rebekah shows up and breaks Damon’s neck, and it looks like Elena has some use for her as an ally after all. They leave Damon stuck on the rooftop and take his car to go in search of Katherine and the cure.

Elena vs Katherine In American Gothic, Elena and Rebekah were having a tough time finding Katherine. Elena wanted to have a bite to eat before they drove to yet another town. She was about to feed on a woman when the would-be victim said, “Katherine, what are you doing?” Katherine had compelled the whole town to let her feed on them. Rebekah tried asking about Katherine, but then the woman didn’t know her -- Katherine had also compelled them to forget all about her unless they were talking to her. She is a clever one. Elena attempted to interrogate the woman about “her” whereabouts and friends, and the woman said they were told they could all be friends with her as long as they kept her secret. Outside the post office in the PA town, a man asked what Katherine had done with her hair -- in the last two minutes. "She" had just been there. The real Katherine snuck up on Elena and threatened her, but Rebekah knocked Katherine to the ground.

Meet "em". Inside a diner, Katherine expected Elena to talk about avenging Jeremy’s death, and when Elena said people die and you move on, Katherine knew she’d turned off her humanity switch. Katherine doesn’t want to force-feed the cure to Klaus, she just wants to make a trade with him: the cure for her life. Rebekah is Elena’s enforcer. She put a fork in Katherine’s hand to keep her at the table and grabbed her phone, on which Elena accessed Katherine’s calendar. Elena saw that she was meeting someone at 2 p.m. named "em". Elena prepared to impersonate Katherine. She needed her jewelry, her jacket, and her shoes. While Elena waited impatiently, Rebekah and Katherine taunted each other some more as Rebekah revealed that Elena doesn’t want the cure but she does.

Elena and Elijah meet once again. Elena is waiting in the quaint town square, waiting for the mysterious “Em” to arrive. She barely manages to contain her shock with “Em” is revealed to be Elijah Mikaelson. She’s even more surprised to learn — as Elijah leans in for a deep kiss — that he and Katherine are not just in league but in some sort of love. “I missed you,” she said. “And I missed you,” he answered. He was there to get the cure from her. She told him it was in a safe place, and when she tried to say she’d go get it and bring it back, he grabbed her --- he knew it was Elena, because he noticed her daylight ring, possibly remembering it from their previous encounters.

Elena Stefan called Elijah on Katherine’s phone, and hearing how concerned Elijah was about Katherine -- whom he was convinced Rebekah would kill the moment she ceased to be of use. Elijah said he always had a connection with her, and she phoned him when she heard about the cure and he thought they could be of mutual use to one another. Elena spoke the truth, which is that Elijah is just another man Katherine has fooled. Elijah could tell Elena wasn’t herself, and it wasn’t just her being a vamp now. He asked her why she’d turned off her emotions, and she told him it was because his girlfriend had killed her brother. Elijah hadn’t know that. Katherine hadn’t told him. Elijah and Elena’s conversation about whether men are fools to think the nice, innocent girls they fell in love with are still inside Katerina (for Elijah) and her (for the Salvatore Brothers). Katherine appeared and snapped Elena’s neck. Elena had called a meeting in the diner with Damon and Stefan to ask them whether they were going to respect her decision not to take the cure and accept who she is now. If not, there would be consequences, she said. The boys didn’t seem to hear that part. Stefan reminded her how she never gave up on him, so he’s doing the same. She asked for another refill and snapped the waitress’ neck. If they don’t let her be, they’ll have more bodies on their hands.

Elena ready for prom. In Pictures of You, Elena, who's bunking with Rebekah, wanted to accompany her to make sure she passed Elijah's test because as soon as Rebekah downs the cure, no one can force it on her. When walking into the clothing store, Elena saw Caroline's dress and planned on stealing it. Elena wasn't happy to see Stefan get out of the limo that came to pick her up. She wasn't happy to see Damon either when he told her they were going to make sure she didn't eat the prom queen. The prom's theme was "Pictures of You," and the red carpet walkway was lined with large screens flashing photos (of Elena and Matt, and Elena and Jeremy) that were meant to tug at Elena's heartstrings. It started to work, so Elena moved inside. Both the Salvatores had their way of getting Elena to turn her humanity back on but they both failed. Bonnie and Matt tried to make Elena feel something next and failed. She knows Matt would have turned off his feelings if he could've after Vicki died, and Bonnie is just a walking reminder to her of the loss of Jeremy since she couldn't bring him back. Caroline finally made her entrance in a beautiful beaded gown that looked like it was from the '20s. Stefan swept Caroline away for a dance before she could really lay into Elena. She is, after all, supposed to be killing Elena with kindness, not simply killing her. Elena wasn't jealous because something else had caught her attention: Rebekah trying to convince April to name her prom queen. Elena swooped in to threaten April, who's still on vervain, and once again tell Rebekah what a horrible person she is. Elena overheard Bonnie telling the Salvatores about Silas appearing to her as Jeremy, which she deduced means he still wants Bonnie to do the spell. Elena can't have Alaric and Jeremy coming back and trying to make her flip her humanity switch. Matt and Bonnie were named Prom King and Queen -- and Rebekah's annoyance gave Elena an idea: Kill Bonnie to stop Silas.

Bonnie giving Elena an aneurysm Rebekah warned Matt that Elena was up to something. Elena followed Bonnie into a special beaded-off VIP section and prepared to bite her. But Bonnie worked her magic, bringing wind and smashing some lights. She ran out and Elena, thoroughly pissed off, took her anger out on poor April. She smacked her head into a table then bit her. April dropped. Bonnie succeeded in getting Silas gone, and then bam, Elena swooped in and bit her. But Bonnie's neck healed and Elena projectile-vomited the blood back up. Bonnie rose and started making Elena's bones break. Stefan stopped Bonnie from killing Elena. As Damon held Elena, Stefan vervained her.

Elena was deposited in the Salvatore Cellar and the brothers decided Plan C would be to make her life a living hell since Damon had seen fear in her eyes when Bonnie was about to kill her.

Elena In The Originals, Damon brought a thirsty Elena a blood bag. Only it was tainted with vervain. He's trying to make her angry and scared so she'll feel something and turn on her humanity. She tried to leave, and Stefan was there. "You boys want to play games? Go ahead," she said. "Let's see who breaks first, me or you." Stefan entered the cellar and closed the door.

Stefan and Damon try to make Elena bring her humanity back by exposing her to the light. In She's Come Undone, Damon and Stefan’s plan to torture the humanity back into Elena is not working. After both Caroline’s attempt to kill her with kindness, and burning Elena with sunlight, fail to transform her, they send in Katherine to practice her unique brand of torture. Katherine’s real agenda is to find out what Elena said to Elijah that turned him against her. Elena claims she didn’t have to do anything. Nobody would want Katherine. In retaliation, Katherine leaves her cell door unlocked so she can escape.

Elena gets her humanity back Elena wanders through the woods, near starvation. She lies down in front of a car, planning to attack the driver. But the car belongs to Matt. He says he knows she doesn’t want to hurt him. They are still each other’s first loves. Unmoved, she drinks from him and is about to kill him when the Salvatores arrive. Damon snaps his neck, after warning her, "Turn your emotions on right now or so help me God I will give you something to be sad about." And she thought he was bluffing. Elena is devastated until Damon reveals he is wearing Jeremy’s old ring. Matt and Damon were working together all along. She allows herself to feel relieved and all of her human emotions return. She sobs about the waitress that she killed. Stefan advises her to find the thing inside of her that makes her want to live. She decides that since she blames Katherine for all their problems, dating back to her turning the Salvatores into vampires, she has decided to make it her mission in life to kill Katherine.

Elena with Caroline In The Walking Dead, to distract Elena from her mission to kill Katherine, Stefan began to train her in how to beat a cinder block and she failed to do the number of pull-ups Stefan requested and realized he wasn't going to help her find Katherine. Caroline had everyone mailing their graduation announcements. But Matt has no loved ones left and Elena just has those family friends in Denver.

Elena Elena, having informed Rebekah they were no longer friends and Caroline that she wouldn't apologize because then she'd have to feel bad about everything she'd done when her humanity was off, wanted to go searching for Bonnie with Damon. She wanted him to tell her where Katherine is. Damon ultimately did, because she's with Bonnie. Damon and Elena came inside, but he didn't want her to go underground because he was afraid Katherine would kill her or Elena would kill Katherine and then feel too much. So Elena staked him and went on her way. Elena attacked Katherine and almost killed Katherine including Bonnie in the process until Stefan stopped her. Stefan explained to Elena why he'd stopped her, but she didn't want to hear it. They argued over Katherine, and Stefan told her what she needed to do was not kill her doppelgänger but face her grief. He thought it was good when she transferred her rage onto him. Nope, she said she could hate two people at the same time. She punched him good when he tried to stop her from leaving.

Elena at Jeremy's grave Elena went to see Jeremy's grave and critique the uninspired writing on the stone, "Brother and Friend." She broke down in tears. She realized Stefan was right: Killing Katherine would do nothing for her. Elena said she can't move on and doesn't want to. If that makes her weak, then fine. She can't handle him being gone or feeling like this anymore.

Elena beaten by Kol, for revenge. Kol showed up behind her. They fought and she lost. She told him to kill her, he'd be doing her a favor. He was about to oblige when he had to drop her to catch a stake which was shot by Jeremy. Stefan was there to snap Kol's neck. Jeremy went to Elena, who was lying on the ground. When she reached out to touch him, she began to cry and hugged him. While everyone stood around and tried to figure out what to do with Silas' body, Elena and Bonnie made peace, Bonnie told her they figure things out. She said she'd give Jeremy and Elena as much time as she could, but she was going to have to put up the veil. Stefan told Elena, "Welcome, back." Elena was about to apologize to Damon when he told her, “The most important thing is Jeremy, and saying good-bye.”

Elena In Graduation, Elena Gilbert, her brother Jeremy, and Alaric Saltzman are trying to savor what little time they have together and enjoying a picnic in the cemetery. Elena looks happier than she has in a long while and even laughs when her brother and Ric tease her about burning down the house. However, the moment is ruined when Connor — one of the Five hunters — gives her a call to let her know he’s back in town and he threatens to blow up the Mystic Grill, its patrons who are enjoying a nice pre-graduation brunch.

Elena & Damon When she goes to see Damon, he offers his lovely Elena the cure but she does not accept. Her emotions (along with her guilt for killing actual innocent people) are on full-blast but the sire bond is no longer present so he can’t even order her to gulp it down. Jeremy appears at the doorway and tells her that he’ll love her no matter what she chooses: Cure or no cure. Damon or Stefan. Highlights or no highlights. Damon simply glares at him and asks, “How is it even when you’re dead, you’re the bane of my existence?” When she notices Damon in pain, she orders Damon to remove his shirt so that she can properly examine his wound. She tries to make him take the cure because in a human state, the werewolf venom can’t kill him. She also suggests asking Klaus. Damon walks out with Galen.

Elena graduating Jeremy wants Elena to attend graduation. She sadly explains out that she never applied to college and her own brother won’t be able to cheer her on due to the limitations of the Expression Triangle so what’s the point. However, Jeremy says their parents would have wanted it and convinces his sister to slip into the unflattering cap and gown. Elena ends up going and spots all her friends there. The ceremony begins and Bonnie’s dad, Mayor Hopkins calls the seniors forward one by one to accept their high school diplomas.

Elena confesses her love for Damon Later, Damon refuses to apologize to her for being selfish and make choices that have hurt her in the past. He says he’s wrong for her but Elena hushes him because how can something so wrong feel so right. She admits Damon has done bad things but it’s all in the past and she truly, deeply, madly loves him in an all-consuming, twin flames way. They rush into each other’s arms and kiss passionately.

Elena and Katherine fight Elena goes searching for Bonnie in the boiler room, runs into Kol, and then is forced to fight Katherine after Kol vanishes. Katherine vamp speeds out of nowhere and attacks Elena. She’s raging mad that Elena gets to go to prom, graduate from high school, and gets the guy. She accuses Elena of stealing all her happiness to which Elena scoffs. Kat then stabs Elena in the neck and we witness a flashback scene in which Stefan hands the cure back to Elena. Elena shoves the cure down Katherine’s mouth and Katherine becomes human.

Season 5
After spending the summer together with Damon, Elena prepares to leave for college, but has a feeling that something bad is about to happen. Damon told Elena she had to go to Whitmore, which is just a few hours away, and he'd take care of Jeremy. Elena opening the door again to give Damon a quick kiss. Elena leaves with Caroline. Sheriff Forbes drops them off at college, hugs Elena goodbye, and says that her father "fell in love with medicine" there. Caroline and Elena discover they have a roommate, Megan. Elena welcomes her, much to Caroline's chagrin. Caroline drinks Megan's protein water, hoping she'll upset Megan enough to leave, but discovers it's laced with vervain and revealing Megan knows about vampires. Elena and Caroline at the party. Elena, Caroline, and Megan go to a party Jesse invited them to. Elena and Caroline haven't been invited in, however, so decide to go home early. Elena leaves a message on Megan's phone, only to receive a panicked phone call from her. Megan says she's being chased, and moments later her body falls next to them. Elena realizes a vampire killed her. Elena and Caroline learn that Megan's death is being ruled off as a suicide. When asked if they have seen Megan's phone (which Caroline took), they say no. Whilst going through Megan's pictures, Elena finds an image of Megan with Grayson.

Elena Gilbert In True Lies, Elena and Caroline are still wondering about mysterious death of their roommate Megan but they carry on living their new college life and attend their classes as freshmen. Elena signed them up for the class of Wes Maxfield. At the bonfire party, Elena was also able to gather information from Jesse when he gave her some details about Maxfield. Silas visited Elena a little visit at college and revealed what Damon has been hiding from her including Jeremy getting expelled from school. Elena obviously gets upset with Damon lying to her and Silas used that to control Elena to kill Damon. Elena got Damon tied up to a chair and ready for the kill but Damon figured out that Silas used his mind control power over Elena so he tried his best to make Elena resist the "rage" by thinking about her worries of Stefan. Elena and Damon kiss passionately Later, Damon showed her that he'd snagged Stefan's daylight ring back from Silas the day before. And then Damon said he's secure enough in their relationship that her having psychic dreams about her ex-boyfriend doesn't bother him, but it still sucks. They kissed, and Elena told Damon they were going to save Stefan and she would still love him. Then they passionately kissed.

Elena protecting Katherine In Original Sin, Elena had a very strange dream in which she saw Stefan at a bar screaming. Damon, now getting a little annoyed at the connection between Elena and her ex, had no choice but to address things when Katherine walked in the room having had the exact same dream. This called for a road trip. Damon and Elena found the bar from her dream. They left a sleeping Katherine in the backseat while they compelled a bartender. The good news was the bartender remembered a freakish amount about what happened to Stefan. The bad news was that Nadia had found her way to the bar, and she wanted Katherine. Elena distracted her long enough for Katherine to run, but Nadia was stronger than Elena. Before Elena could blink, or Damon could be helpful in any way, shape or form, Katherine and Nadia were both gone. Elena wanted to go after them and leave Damon to find Stefan, and before parting ways, Damon tells Elena not to risk her life in saving Katherine as she is not even worth a hair on Elena's head and then they kiss.

Elena stops Katherine. Elena caught up with Katherine. Elena took the opportunity to explain that, unlike Katherine, she values her humanity and gave her the cure for the chance to find her own after having buried it under "500 years of bad behavior." But chat time ended quickly, when Nadia snapped the necklace belonging to Elena. After finally finding Stefan they take him back to the boarding house where Elena praises Damon for looking out for Stefan but Damon doesn't respond. Elena asks what Qetsiyah said to him back at the cabin. He explained that they didn't have a chance because of the universe. "We're a lost cause no matter what we do," he told Elena. Elena responds by saying that Qetsiyah is crazy and she won't let Silas' 2,000-year-old ex-girlfriend screw things up between them. Damon emotionally tells her how he won't let a stupid idea of destiny stop him from loving Elena or being with her or building a future with her because she is his life. Elena, touched deeply by his words, leans in to kiss him but they are interrupted by Stefan who wakes up and tell them he has no idea who Elena and Damon are.

"I am with Damon." In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Elena along with Damon tries to make Stefan remember his past. She visits them at the Grill but Stefan can't remember her name which upsets her. She discusses with Damon about how to deal with him. Later they go to the cemetery Mystic Falls for the traditional Remembrance Day to honor the dead, Damon has to go and leaves Elena and Stefan alone, they talk about their family tragedies, he asks her how they met and Elena leads him to school to relive the moment. At the school, reliving the moment doesn't really make Stefan remember but Elena continues to try. She then takes him to the Wickery Bridge to show him how she became a vampire. They are having a good time until Stefan tries to kiss her and she stops him saying that she is with Damon. Stefan is hurt by this as both Damon and Elena didn't tell him the truth about them dating. He then disappears leaving Elena alone.

Damon consoles Elena Then Elena calls Damon to help him find Stefan while he is trying to tell her about Bonnie's death. They finally find Stefan back at the house but he is still upset with them and leaves the house. Elena tells Damon that they need Bonnie to fix Stefan's memory and Damon finally tells her about Bonnie's death which shocks her. Later, Elena is freaking out as she can't find a dress for Bonnie's funeral and breaks down into tears telling Damon how she can't do this again. Damon hugs her affectionately and tries to calm her down.

Bonnie's funeral Elena later along with Jeremy, Caroline, Damon, and Matt attend a funeral in Bonnie's honor. She scatters white feathers over the stump, then she backs out crying and Caroline hugs her. Then Bonnie through Jeremy talks to them from the Other Side. Bonnie tells Elena that she saw her happy and she wants her to go to college and continue to live a normal life. Elena continues to cry as Damon consoles her.

Elena In Monster's Ball, Elena has been avoiding talking to Damon on the phone. Instead, she's been sharing her exposition with her diary: "Dear Diary, do you ever get sick of me writing about death?" It's been four days since Bonnie's funeral, and Elena is back at school trying to move on by discovering what Maxfield, who covered up Megan's death, really knows. Damon popped up at the school to accept Elena's invitation to the Whitmore Historical Ball. It's the one time of year that the college's entire collection of artifacts is put on display and people dress up as historical figures. Aaron was out on campus paying his respects to Megan, Elena and Caroline's dead roommate, at a sad makeshift memorial. He seemed to know her death wasn't a suicide and that Megan's flower of choice was sunflowers. Damon and Elena dance He wouldn't give Elena his name. Elena and Damon were dressed as Anne Boleyn and and Henry VIII. Damon wanted to dance but Elena wasn't in the mood. She said it's not her fault that Bonnie died but it is her fault that she didn't figure it out sooner. She's not gonna let Megan's death fall through the cracks, too. She talked to Aaron and compelled him to tell her whether he killed Megan (no) and why he's avoiding her -- because everyone around him dies. It's a curse, he said, and if she had any idea about survivor's guilt, she'd leave him alone. She compelled him to forget the conversation. Elena with Damon. Dr. Maxfield was dressed as Dr. Jekyll. He wasn't responsible for the whereabouts of his darker half, Mr. Hyde, he joked to Elena. Then she danced with him. Maxfield told Elena his theory that a vampire hunted Megan down, ripped her throat out and threw her off the building. And then he said they were never going to see each other again because there are people at this school watching her and her friends and asking questions she doesn't want them to ask. He suggested she pack her things, drop out, and move back to Mystic Falls. Damon and Elena found Silas. Elena thought it was good that Silas is out of commission. But Damon knew it wasn't. Back at Salvatore Mansion, desiccated Silas was on the couch as Elena and Damon talked. The only way for Silas to trade his life for Bonnie's is if he's a witch. The only way to become a witch is to have the cure. Someone was knocking on the door and it turned out to be Katherine. Katherine thought she was there so they could show her that she'd eluded death yet again. They finally did something right for once. How did it feel? "Thrilling," Damon said. And she figured it out. Damon bit her neck and she begged him: She said Silas would need all of her blood and she didn't want to die. "Goodbye, Katherine," he said, and he held her head down to Silas' mouth. Silas' hand came up to her head. Katherine dropped to the floor. But then Damon heard something. Her heartbeat. She awoke. "Am I in hell?" she asked. Elena and Damon cuddling. In Handle with Care, when Damon and Elena are snuggling on the couch and having a sweet moment, Silas comes in ruins their blissful moment to discuss their plans for his death. Elena is having trouble trusting Silas’ word that he will bring Bonnie back before he departs the mortal world for good, so he snarkily offers to pinky swear. Everyone is looking for the anchor now. Silas wants to die and find peace. Silas then refuses to allow Elena to come along when she looks like his true love and doesn't want to stare at her all day. As Elena gets annoyed, Silas uses his magic to shoot the crossbow at Elena's leg. This upsets Damon and he hurries to help her. Elena trapped with Tessa & Stefan Later,Elena calls Stefan's phone, which Qetsiyah answers. She implies that she and Stefan slept together, luring Elena into the cabin. Once there, she uses Stefan's phone to call Damon and threatens to kill Elena if he doesn't kill Silas. Stefan tells Elena that he wouldn't let to Qetsiyah hurt her. When Qetsiyah is distracted, Stefan stabs her and he escapes with Elena. Elena is grateful to Stefan for having protected her, as he always does and then says goodbye to him. Elena then joins Damon and Jeremy who are throwing a pity party for themselves due to their failure to bring Bonnie back. They let Elena in on the big twist for the episode though, and Damon introduces Elena to Amara.

Elena showing off In Death and the Maiden, Elena told Stefan how she lost a friend when he lost his memory, so she wanted to start over. But that didn't exactly work for Stefan, considering he could suddenly remember everything.After learning Stefan's plan, Elena was worried that Stefan would get himself killed by going after Silas. But if Stefan didn't get to kill him, Silas would win. Stefan told her about moments of stillness in the safe. Every time he closed his eyes now, he relived those three months, and if he didn't kill Silas and make it stop, he'd lose his mind or flip his switch... or both.

Elena was used in a spell, to transfer Amara from being the anchor to The Other Side to Bonnie being the new anchor and Qetsiyah had to have doppelgänger blood to do the spell. Amara, Katherine, Elena, and Tessa all stood around Bonnie's grimoire (a talisman) as Tessa cut their palms and started chanting. But then Silas showed up and knocked the power out. Elena, as if she had just overheard Stefan's thoughts, told Damon to go find Stefan because he wasn't thinking right. Silas might have put him in that safe, "but we were the ones who were supposed to get him out of it."

Elena & Caroline unite with Bonnie Tessa was able to perform the spell in time and bring Bonnie back to life. Elena and Carloine were reunited with Bonnie. Later, Elena asked Stefan if killing Silas worked and if he is now OK. Stefan doesn't respond but rather asks her why is this all so important to her. She told him the truth that while he was drowning she was happy, she got everything she wanted, she got to be in love and had the summer of her dreams, she even got Bonnie back and she needs to know that he is going to be okay too. Stefan then admitted that he wanted it to be Damon and Elena to get him out of that safe.

Elena & Caroline In Dead Man on Campus, Elena and Caroline plan Bonnie a blow-out "welcome back from the dead" party. Elena calls Damon to come to her party, but pauses to hand Aaron a flyer inviting him. She accidentally mentions something she compelled out of him before and has to do it again, but makes him agree to come to the party.Damon teases her about Aaron and then agrees to go to the party tonight.At the dorm, Caroline and Elena are getting ready for the party when Caroline gets a call from Jesse. They learn that Jesse has now become a vampire and decides to help him.

Elena bonds with Aaron At the party Elena and Caroline are keeping an eye on things and Elena tells her that Damon is with Wes making him questions about his experiments but Caroline is pretty sure that means Damon is going to kill him. Aaron arrives at the party and bonds with Elena over Jell-o shots and stories of how their parents died. He got passed around among relatives until he ended up with Maxfield. Elena calls Damon and he tells Elena about Jesse feeding on vampires, and she makes him promise not to kill Maxfield.

Elena saves Damon Later, Elena arrives at the laboratory of Professor Maxfield and finds Jesse feeding on Damon. Damon tells her that Jesse is going to kill him and so she grabs a shard of the broken door and stakes Jesse, killing him, just as Caroline runs up in time to see it. Elena feels awful, but Damon tells Caroline she had no choice and leaves to deal with Maxfield. Caroline and Elena are cleaning up after the party. Elena apologizes but Caroline is still upset as she doesn't trust Damon. She tells Elena that when she stops telling her how she really feels is when they will no longer be best friends.

Elena and Aaron In The Cell, Elena drops in on Aaron, who is reeling over the death of his roommate, Jesse. Even though Elena killed him, she pretends to be shocked. Aaron is overwhelmed by the fact that someone else close to him died.She asks about Wes, who became his legal guardian after his aunt Sarah died. She tells Aaron that Damon went to talk to Wes last night and no one has seen either of them since. She asks for his help finding Wes. Aaron thinks he knows a place. He takes Elena to the Whitmore House. He confesses that he owns the house as part of the Whitmore Trust he inherited when his parents died. His name's Aaron Whitmore. Elena looks at a picture and recognizes her father. Wes joins them, and says Grayson Gilbert was one of the best doctors the Augustine Society ever had. He then injects Elena with vervain.

Damon comforts Elena Elena wakes up in a cell next to Damon. Damon confesses he's been there before and tells her about Whitmore's torture, including cutting up pieces of them every day. He was there for about five years. He made a friend, Enzo, a soldier in Europe during WWII, who was also a vampire. Elena tells Damon that her dad worked with Whitmore and was an Augustine. She doesn't want to believe he'd be part of a place that would cut Damon's eyes out and breaks down. Damon confronts her and promises her that he'll get her out of there.

Elena learns of Damon's past. Elena thinks Stefan will figure it out and come rescue them, but Damon never told him he was locked up. Elena wants to know how he escaped, but Damon is not forthcoming with the details, saying only that it wasn't pretty. Elena convinces him to tell her by saying that she loves him and doesn't care what he did to escape. Damon finally tells Elena his shameful secret: he left Enzo to die during his escape. After massacring the party on New Years Eve and knocking over a candle, he tried to break the cage to free Enzo but the bars were laced with vervain and he couldn't get him out. Damon flipped his humanity switch so he would stop caring about Enzo, and left him to die in the ensuing fire. Elena was horrified that Damon left Enzo.

Elena and Enzo Aaron comes down to the cells in the basement with his gun. He accuses Elena of killing Megan and possibly of killing his parents. Damon stops him, and says it was him. Damon explains that with Enzo dead, he had to carry out his revenge plan himself. He planned to kill all the Whitmores in a generation, except one, then let him grow up and start a family, and then kill all of them except one, and so on. And he did. Elena is disgusted and asks when the last one was. A few months ago, Sarah in Charleston. It was a weekend trip. Elena realizes they were together then. Aaron shoots Damon leaving Elena upset. Later, Elena wakes up strapped to an exam table next to another vampire. He introduces himself, "My name is Enzo."

Wes and Elena In Fifty Shades of Grayson, Elena wakes up on the surgical table in a familiar lab. Dr. Maxfield knocks her out to begin blood dialysis. Elena struggles to get free as Maxfield asks her how she justifies Damon systematically killing off members of Aaron's family tree. He justifies his torture in the name of science. He reads to her from a journal about electrocuting a vampire to see how much he could take. She's horrified, then he tells her its her father's journal. Everything Maxfield is doing, he learned from her dad. Elena realizes shes in her dads old clinic, which is now burned out from when the town tried to kill a bunch of vampires. Elena remembers following a soccer ball down the stairs when she was a child and seeing her dad's files and hearing the sounds of electricity.

Stefan saves Elena Elena remembers going down her dads clinic and hearing thrashing and screaming behind a door. Her dad found her and tells her everything is fine and today is a good day because he is going to save a little girl's life. In the burned out clinic, Wes is pleased to see her sample cells mutated with his compound. He plans to condition her to crave vampire blood, like he did with Jesse. She begs him not to turn her into a ripper. He jabs the needle into her chest and she hears Stefan's voice. She bashes Wes in the head and knocks him out and the needle falls from her chest. Stefan comes down and frees her. She grabs her dad's journal on the way out.

Elena crying after Damon's confession Back at the house, Damon finds Elena reading through her dads journal. She found a reference to Megan in her dads journal. He cured her from a congenital heart defect, which is why Megan had a picture of Grayson Gilbert in her phone. Damon isn't surprised Elena is able to find the one positive thing out of all the torture in the journal. He doesn't understand how Elena can keep looking past all the terrible things that he has done. She says she loves him and accepts him and because she chose him. Damon replies that now he is choosing and he chooses to let her go. Elena begs him not to run away because she has done horrible things too and that she won't judge him after finding out that he was tortured for 5 years. He shouts at her to stop defending him. Damon confesses that he can't change who he is but he refuses to change Elena and leaves. Elena is devastated and starts crying.

In 500 Years of Solitude, Elena is trying to deal with her break up. She doesn't want to get out of her bed. Caroline and Bonnie bring Elena a "break up breakfast." Caroline does not even try to pretend she's not happy about the break-up, she even memorized what Damon said to her while Bonnie questions Elena as to why she is giving up. They are interrupted by Stefan's call who informs them about Katherine's terrible condition.

Everybody toast to Katherine's impending death Elena, Caroline and Bonnie arrive at the Salvatore house and join the drinking game of toasting to all of Katherine's bad deeds with Damon, Matt and Jeremy. Stefan comes downstairs to tell everyone they're being insensitive, but Damon warns him not to let the fact she's an Elena lookalike could the fact she's a manipulative psycho. Stefan mentions her seducing both him and Damon, turning them into vampires and starting a war with the town that got them killed. But he goes on to say that before that she was just a frightened girl shunned by her family, and she became a survivor, so that's what he'll drink to. Damon mocks Stefan for being so easy on her after one night of passion. Elena who doesn't know about this is evidently shocked. Their moment is interrupted by Nadia who explains she has found a way to save her mother. Damon forbids anyone to help, which Nadia expected, which is why she buried Matt in the safe somewhere on the property, without his ring. Elena and Stefan then willingly volunteer to save Matt's life.

Elena and Stefan are stuck with the Travelers Stefan and Elena arrive with Nadia to a old house, she tells them that is looking for a Traveler for do a spell where Katherine take her body. Within in the house, is revealed that Elena and Stefan are needed to perform the spell for their doppelgänger's blood, they are surrounded by many Travelers that begin to perform the spell, they are stuck unable to leave because their rings of light stopped working. Elena apologizes to Stefan for judging him. They are huddled in a corner to escape the sun's rays streaming through the dilapidated house. Stefan tells her that she should not to give up on Damon. After the Travelers have completely filled a pot each with their blood, their wounds begin to heal and they are released.

Katherine in Elena's body. Later, Elena visits Katherine on her death bed. Elena forgives her. “You weren’t born evil. You lost everyone way too young and didn’t have a family to look after you. Sound familiar?” Elena wanted to get out that “I forgive you” part before Katherine actually died so she didn’t lose that part of herself. Katherine wants Elena to give her the final sedative injection - “If anyone is going to inject me, it should be you.” She also does something very uncharacteristic: she thanks Elena for her forgiveness. But this is Katherine we are talking about, so as Elena injects her, she grabs her and says the traveler’s incantation. Both girls close their eyes, and “Elena” wakes to a phone ringing. Mia is on the other end, and she says some key word to activate Katherine. Nadia comes on the line and checks that it is Katherine. “Of course. I'm Katherine Pierce. I survive.” The episode ends with Katherine impersonating Elena.

Elena regains control. In The Devil Inside, Elena is possessed by Katherine and is fighting to get her body back. She breaks through as she is trapped by Nadia, but she pushes her back. She breaks through once more as Mia is casting a spell to give her body permanently for Katherine, a spell which would apparently destroy Elena's soul in the process. She hurts Mia and Nadia and runs off as she tries to stop them. She tries to call for help but Katherine has changed her password. Elena's last moment with Damon. She tries to run but Katherine works her way into her head as she runs. Elena reaches the edge of the party and runs into Damon's arms. She gets as far as "Damon, thank god," then Mia announces it's done. Elena's eyes gloss over black again and she seems to be Katherine again. Now fully in control of Elena's body, Katherine breaks up with Damon so now Damon thinks that they are over. Katherine also plans to take over her life as she knows that as long as she seems to be Elena, she is safe there, because everyone in this town always protect Elena.

Elena was absent in Total Eclipse of the Heart. She is referred to quite often as people are fooled by Katherine's imitation, however Elena was only shown in pictures with Damon on her cell phone from when she was still a human and after becoming a vampire which Katherine deleted and replaced her home-screen wallpaper with an image of Stefan and Elena.

Elena greets Damon Elena returns in Gone Girl after being absent for two episodes. After Katherine is daggered by the Traveler's Knife she dies for good and Elena gets her body back. Elena wakes up and greets Damon with a smile. She is happy to be back and assures Damon and Stefan that its her. However, it is revealed that Katherine injected her body with an enhanced Ripper Virus created by Wes turning Elena into a vampire ripper just like Damon.

Damon and Elena flirt on the phone. In While You Were Sleeping, Elena is informed by Stefan of her current Augustine situation and that she has been sealed in her room by a spell so that she doesn't feed on anyone. Elena instantly calls Damon and they are both happy to hear each other. They are flirting when Elena asks him how Katherine broke his heart. He shrugs it off saying he doesn't remember. She then says "The last thing I remember is I was running into your arms and I felt so safe," and he replies "It was all downhill from there." Elena then tells him how she wanted to fight for him and still wants to, Damon joyfully replies "Oh Elena..the second we are cured of this and don't want to rip each other's heads off, I am going to hunt you down and give you the most mind-blowing night of your life." Elena excitedly says that she can schedule him in.

Elena tries to feed on Stefan. On the phone, Elena realizes she's probably flunking her classes, and adds that to the list of things she needs to fix, including talking to Aaron Whitmore. The last time she saw him he had just learned she was a vampire and thought she wanted to kill him. Damon hems and haws and doesn't confess to killing him, only saying he doesn't think she'll find him. Elena gets off the phone when Stefan arrives with a new cell phone for her, and 4 oz. of his blood. She's woozy and starving and drains it. She asks for more, insisting she's fine. Stefan bites his wrist and shows it to her and she quickly loses control and charges him, but is trapped by the spell. ""You're not fine, Elena,"" he says. Elena realizes Katherine has turned her into a ripper. She's angry at herself for forgiving Katherine on her supposed death bed. Elena asks Stefan why Katherine stayed in town, and he confesses that Katherine was trying to get with him. He tells Elena they kissed, but he stopped it and realized what was going on. Elena then reads Katherine's entries in her journal and starts hallucinating Katherine and Stefan in the motel. She is angry because Stefan didn't realize that it wasn't her.

Elena meets Luke. She then calls Damon again and ask him to distract her. He mischievously asks what she's wearing making Elena blush. He then tells her about Klaus and Caroline. Elena asks why they don't just hunt down Wes for the antidote and Damon confesses he killed him. Elena is upset saying that he was the only family that Aaron has. Elena's hallucinations start going worse and makes her believe she killed Aaron. Elena is snaps out of her hallucination when a guy named Luke comes back early from spring break. She met him at the Bitter Ball as Katherine, but of course doesn't remember him. He thinks she's drunk. She tells him she's just starving. She compels him, feeds him her blood and is about to kill him to turn him when she notices bite marks on his neck and realizes Katherine must have been feeding on him. She stops and compels him to go get Bonnie. Elena calls Damon in a panic, she can't tell what's real anymore. She tells Damon she thinks she killed Aaron. Damon promises to tell her everything, but says now isn't a good time. She freaks out, yelling that everyone is lying to her. Damon gets worried and manages to free himself from the cell while Elena threatens Liv to drop the seal and then goes out of the campus.

Damon tries to help Elena. Elena wanders outside her dorm, still coughing up blood and hallucinating. She sees Aaron and thinks it means he's ok, but it's really Damon. Damon gives her Stefan's blood to drink. "She won, Katherine won," Elena said. She rants about nearly killing Liv and killing Aaron Whitmore. Finally, Damon tells her she didn't kill Aaron but he did. Damon then reveals why he did, because the only person he believed could change him from being a cold blooded killer to a better person instead told him that he could never change. He waits for her to say something, but she sees Enzo there with the antidotes.

Damon and Elena decide to end their relationship. Back at the Salvatore Mansion, Damon offers Elena a drink to which she declines and then goes says how Damon should have noticed that it was Katherine not Elena. If he had, Aaron would still be alive, there'd be no virus. Damon points out she's blaming Katherine for his mistakes and making excuses for him. Damon says he killed Aaron because she broke his heart and this is how much control she has over him while Elena says that even after all this she is still here and this is how much control he has over her. Damon and Elena have break up sex. He calls their relationship toxic and Elena confesses how she has to compromise her morals again to make excuses for him and she does it because she loves him. He tells her to stop loving him, but she yells that she can't. Damon replies that this is the problem and they mutually decide to end their relationship. However they both gaze at each other longingly and Damon then kisses Elena to which she reciprocates. They begin to make out and Elena rips his shirt. They are then in Damon's bed and end up having hot passionate break up sex. Elena & Damon's awkward morning. In Rescue Me, Elena and Damon stay woken up for 3 hours without saying anything after their night together, post break up. Elena's phone buzzes to remind her to go to Jeremy's parent-teacher conference. She starts putting on her clothes while Damon greets her. Elena says they're still bad for each other and still broken up and last night was a mistake. "Maybe we should keep making mistakes," Damon replies. She leaves, despite his offer of a naked breakfast. Meanwhile, Elena calls Bonnie from school. She tells her about breaking up with Damon and then sleeping with him. They realize that neither of them knows where Jeremy was last night. Elena sits down to talk to Jeremy's guidance counselor and finds she's not his primary contact but Damon is. Damon joins them.

Elena and Damon at Jeremy's PTM. Waiting for the teacher at school, Damon flirts with Elena whom tries to keep him on task. Damon mentions seeing Jeremy with Liv and a bottle of booze this morning at the Grill. Elena is sure Jeremy's not a cheater. Then the teacher comes in and complains about Jeremy saying "Jeremy's missed 11 days of school, he's started three fights and he's been caught cheating in math class twice." When the teacher realizes that Damon and Elena have broken up, she tells them that Jeremy needs a stable living situation. After talking with his teacher, Damon points out that Elena is making excuses for Jeremy, just like she always does with people she loves. She thinks he wants to talk about last night. He corners her near the locker and admits he doesn't know what to say, but just wants to take her into one of the classrooms and kiss every square inch of her body while people who drive minivans listen and wish they were them but then adds that it is probably a bad idea. Elena tries hard to breathe and with great difficulty whispers right. Damon leaves by saying see you in class while Elena is left completely shaken.

Later at the chemistry presentation, Elena fantasizes about making out with Damon in a class room. She is snapped out of it by Damon who taunts her that she is missing a incredibly boring presentation. Frustrated with their sexual tension, Elena leaves the presentation saying she needs some air. Elena runs into Liv who almost kills her but Damon comes in time and saves Elena. Damon tortures Liv for information despite Elena's request to stop. Finally, Liv tells them that Elena is the last female doppelgänger and that Stefan might soon be the last male and if that happens, the Travelers will come to use Elena. Damon is ready to kill Liv, but Jeremy shows up and says Damon will have to go through him. Jeremy convinces Elena and Damon that Liv knows a lot about the Travelers and will help them in protecting Elena.

Damon lets Elena go. At the Salvatore house, Jeremy tells Elena and Damon that he has decided to live with Matt and Tyler leaving both of them upset. Later, Elena is packing her stuff and Damon asks her to not leave but she says that when they are together they do bad things for each other and she can't live with that. Damon offers to drive her to Whitmore but Elena confesses that if he does that then she won't be able to control herself around him and thus they are gonna end up back here. Damon then slowly walks up to Elena, then she believes he is going to kiss her. Instead, Damon then shushes her and does the selfless/right thing, he takes his hands around her neck then slowly kisses her forehead and tells her Travel safe. Elena then seems shocked by Damon's act of selflessness as he walks away, she then seems upset that he finally let her go.

Elena and Caroline In Resident Evil, Elena and Stefan are having visions of each other in an alternate reality. Elena and Caroline call Damon to inform him about this and he asks them to bring a witch. When they reach the Salvatore house, Damon and Elena have an awkward post-break up reunion. Caroline and Enzo leave them alone and eavesdrop their conversation from another room. Elena and Damon try to act normal but when she suggests to be friends, Damon cringes at the idea. Damon asks Elena about the visions and then grits his teeth as he asks if the visions that show her with Stefan are really, really happy. Elena doesn't know how to reply and Damon uncomfortably states that Stefan and Elena are fated to be together. They are interrupted by Liv's brother Luke who happens to be a witch as well.

"The universe doesn't control anything" Luke tells them about Traveler's leader Markos and how he is back from the other side. "Perfect. A dead old guy with a mysterious evil plan," Elena says. Luke suggests the visions are the Travelers drawing Stefan and Elena to them, but they need more clues. Later that night, Elena finds Damon drinking outside, "listening to the universe laugh at me," he tells her. "We were doomed from the beginning, Elena. We were always going to end up here." She assures him the universe doesn't control anything and the dreams are not real. She then has another vision in which she sees the house address and hence announces where to find Markos. Damon and Enzo go in search of Markos and he explains to them that the doppelganger prophecy is not true and the reason why doppelgangers are drawn together is because of a spell that he casted 1500 years ago because travellers needed their blood.

"You think Damon and I will ever be able to talk like this, like friends?" As Markos is performing a spell to end the visions, Elena and Stefan have a last vision of a happy human life where they are married with kids. As the spell ends, Elena comes out of it crying and sees Stefan at the boarding house. They both felt it just end. They weren't vampires, her family was still alive it was a fantasy that they could never have. But it felt amazing to both of them. Stefan says the life they really had was amazing, too, and it was real, even when they grew apart. Stefan says he'll always love her, and she says the same. Elena wonders if she'll ever be able to talk to Damon like this as friends. "I think you can either be friends with someone or in love with them," Stefan says.

Damon can't be Elena's friend. Elena waits for Damon in his room. He shows up and she tells him that the visions were indeed a fantasy but they weren't real and even though Damon and her are messy and complicated they are real. But Damon replies they are still bad for each other. Elena says she still wants him in her life but Damon becomes flustered and tells Elena that he doesn't want anything to do with her as he can't be friends with her. Elena then leaves the room while trying to control her tears.

Enzo captures Elena and Stefan. In Man on Fire, Elena is having a hard time dealing with Damon's decision of no longer being around her. She is having a study date with Bonnie and Stefan when Enzo interrupts them and claims that Stefan is responsible for killing the love of his life Maggie. Enzo compels all the students around them and ties Stefan and Elena with vervain ropes. He calls Damon to inform him about the situation and warns him about killing either Elena or Stefan. Stefan insists that he didn't kill Maggie and just bit her to warn her for going against Damon. Then Enzo takes Bonnie hostage and Stefan lies saying he actually did kill Maggie and just forgot about it until now. Enzo drives a stake into Stefan's stomach while Elena watches in panic.

Elena fights with Enzo. Later, Damon joins them and tries to calm Enzo. He then taunts Elena asking if her and Stefan are study buddies now while she whispers to him "What are you doing". He shrugs and finally reveals the truth to them about killing Maggie. Enzo is not able to deal with the fact that his best friend killed the love of his life and switches off his humanity. A fight takes place between Enzo and the Salvatore boys and Enzo ends up running away with Elena. She tries to calm Enzo as he drags her across campus. She breaks off a campus sign and attacks him, but with her hands still bound, he snaps her neck and Elena becomes unconscious. Stefan finds them and fights with Enzo.

Damon carries Elena. Damon finds an unconscious Elena outside Whitmore College and carries her to her dorm room. He lays her on the bed and caresses her face. As she starts gaining conscious he vamps speed out before she can see him. Elena wakes up and wonders how she reached here while staring at the window. Later, Stefan checks on Elena in her room. He tells her Enzo's dead and he killed him. He tells her that Damon thinks Enzo left town and knowing otherwise would destroy him. He begs Elena to keep this between them and not tell Damon and she agrees reluctantly.

Elena, Stefan and Caroline at Bill's cabin. In What Lies Beneath, Elena, Damon, Stefan and Caroline decide to make a trip to Caroline's father's remote cabin to hide Stefan and Elena from the travelers. They take Luke along with them so that he is able to perform an anti-locator spell which will hide them from the travelers. At Caroline's dad's cabin, Elena worries about Damon and tells Stefan that keeping the secret of Enzo's death is a terrible idea. Stefan convinces her by saying that Damon won't be able to handle it. Caroline interrupts them and becomes suspicious of them hiding something.

Elena and Damon While Elena is unpacking her stuff, Damon visits her and they talk about the cabin and Caroline's father. Damon then mentions how he should be avoiding her and Elena asks him if that is what he still wants. Damon replies "Yes. No. I don't know." Elena offers him an out and Damon asks if she is kicking him out. She repeats his words saying "Yes. No. I don't know." They share a flirtatious smile and the conversation soon becomes awkward when Damon mentions Enzo. Elena is feeling guilty about lying to Damon about Enzo's death by the hands of Stefan and leaves making an excuse of helping Stefan with collecting firewood. Once again Elena is unsure of lying to Damon and Stefan still thinks its better to hide Enzo's death.

Damon saves Elena. In the evening, the gang is playing charade and team Stefan and Elena are beating team Damon and Caroline. Damon suggests to play "Never have I ever." It goes around until Caroline says "Never have I ever kissed a Salvatore brother -- today." Elena is surprised and asks Caroline if she is trying to imply something. Then Damon says "Never have I lied about where Enzo is." Stefan and Elena are silent and the evening comes to a screeching halt. Elena gets up and leaves for bed. While Elena is taking a bath, a ghost Enzo who now has the power of touching things in the real world tries to drown her for revenge. When she's able to come up for air, she screams for Damon. He comes to rescue her and wraps a towel around her. He tries to calm her down while Elena panics about what happened. Damon then wonders why a ghost would wanna attack Elena. She finally admits the truth about Enzo's death.

Elena and Caroline. The group figures out that drowning Elena was just a distraction, Enzo figured out a way to kill them all. He has taken Luke somewhere making it possible for the travelers to track them. Out in the woods looking for Luke, Caroline asks Elena why she didn't tell her about Enzo. Elena replies that she didn't want to put her in an awkward position and asks where Caroline accusing her of being with Stefan came from. Caroline is unable to give an answer and admits she is over it.

Damon and Elena kiss. Later, Damon is packing up the car in order to move to a new location when Elena approaches him. He tries to brush her off and warns her to hurry as the travelers must be coming. She apologizes for keeping Enzo's death a secret and he says he doesn't care about her lies. She is confused and asks him why is he behaving like this. He then confesses that he knew she lied because she was afraid that he will spiral out of control again but he didn't this time despite every nerve in his body wanting him to because for her. Elena smiles slightly to herself and playfully asks if he is still mad at her. He further confuses her when he says "Of course I'm still mad at you because being around you drives me nuts, and not being around you drives me nuts." They stare at each other for a while when Damon finally runs towards her and kisses her passionately. Elena whispers what was that for and he mentions how he had a really bad day and he needed it. He goes inside the cabin while Elena has a brief moment to enjoy the glow when suddenly the travelers arrive there paralyzing her brain and Markos grabs her from behind.

Markos and Elena. In Promised Land, it has been four days since the travelers have captured Elena and Stefan. They have been taking their blood to an extent where Elena is barely conscious. When Markos visits her, Elena asks him to let her go as he has enough blood. He replies that he will have enough when she will no longer be able to speak. Someone frees Stefan and he rescues Elena. They both run and decide to hunt squirrels in the middle of nowhere. Stefan calls Damon to inform him that they are both safe while Elena struggles to hunt a squirrel.

Elena and Stefan asking for a ride. Later, on a country road somewhere, Stefan and Elena are weak and don't know where they are. Stefan tells Elena that Damon sounded ready to save the world. When she says she likes that Damon, he tells her that there are different rules for vampires and difficult relationships and if she and Damon want to be together, they should be together. After sometime, Elena say that she think that she just hallucinated a unicorn and Stefan jokes saying that maybe Caroline's nearby. They joke about Caroline's delusional pomposity and Control-freakiness. They finally see a car approaching and Elena adjusts her shirt to show more cleavage, flips her hair and throws her jacket over her shoulder. Then she sticks her thumb up and the car stops. When they reach to the driver, Stefan tries to compel her but is unable to. She reveals that she is Maria, the traveler who freed them. She asks them to get inside saying the travelers are coming for them.

Elena and Liv fight. While in the car, Maria tells them that she is looking for her husband, Julian, who is permanently passengered in Tyler. She's hoping to get to him before Markos gets very far with his spell, which will strip away magic layer by layer and hence will kill all the vampires. When they reach Mystic Falls, their truck nearly runs into Liv and Luke, standing in the street. They use magic to fling the truck around which kills Maria. When Stefan and Elena stumble out of the truck, the magic twins explain one of them has to die to make the doppleganger blood useless. Stefan and Elena struggle to fight with them but suddenly Liv and Luke's magic stops and they realize that the travelers have started their spell which is resulting is the unraveling of their magic. Stefan and Elena's rings also stops working and they run to Matt in the Grill who leads them through the caves. As Elena is running, she starts to drown, the way she died before she turned. Stefan gets bullet wounds in his chest from his father. Matt asks them to keep walking.

Elena kisses Damon. Elena, Damon, Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline plan to meet in Whitmore and travel far away so that they are unaffected from the traveler's spell. Matt brings blood bags for them and give it to Stefan and Elena. Then a car arrives, Damon and Jeremy get out. Elena asks Jeremy if he is okay and then looks at Damon. Elena then rushes to him and kisses him passionately. When he asks what was that for, she repeats his word from their last kiss, "I had a really crappy day and I needed it". She also confesses that she thought she would never see him again and couldn't think of a worse way to die. They are both enjoying their little happiness when Stefan says that he will wait for Caroline and Bonnie. Damon and Elena then leave in the car together and Elena says her goodbye to Jeremy. Elena and Caroline In Home, Elena and Damon find out about Stefan's death and are devastated. Everyone works together to find a way to save their loved stuck on the Other Side. Elena and Caroline stop Liv and Luke from leaving. Elena tells Liv that Stefan is dead so they got what they wanted. Liv says she is sorry about it and Elena says she’s going to help bring him back. Liv says if both doppelgangers are alive again, the spell will reboot and all magic will be gone. Elena says it won’t happen because they will have to kill all the Travelers to boot the spell. Caroline reminds Luke that Stefan saved her life but he says he can’t risk it. Caroline breaks Luke’s neck killing him instantly to motivate Liv and tells her that since he’s now on the Other Side she should help. "I will make it back to you. I promise." Later, Damon tells Elena that Matt and Jeremy are going to blow up the Grill and then he tells her that someone has to set off the explosion. Elena says no and asks if he sees a future with her. He says it’s all he has seen since the moment he met her. She asks why then would he go on a suicide mission and he says it’s only half of one because if he dies, he will get brought back with the others. He tells her it’s his choice and she has to respect it. He kisses her and tells her he promises to come back to her. He repeats his promise.

Elena and Damon before dying. At night, Elena joins Damon and tells him she’s respecting his choice but he has to respect hers too. She tells him she’s all in even though he reminds her she’s about to relive her drowning. She tells him drive which he does. She starts to choke on water and as she is about to tell him that she loves him, he tells her that he knows. They hold hands as they drive the car head on into the Mystic Grill. On the Other Side, she is reunited with Alaric. He tells her to find Bonnie and promises to find Damon.

Elena sees Liv and Luke gone. With everyone almost there, Elena says she can’t find Damon and won’t leave without him. She says no but Bonnie grabs her and forces her through. Bonnie tells Damon that Elena made it through. She touches him but nothing happens. Elena rushes into the crypt and sees that Liv has stopped. She says they can’t stop because Damon is still on the Other Side. Bonnie says it’s too late and they missed their one shot. Elena breaks down. Bonnie tells her that Damon is there and that she can say goodbye. She leaves to give them privacy.

Elena devastated by Damon's death. Elena's grief becomes unbearable for herself as she struggles to string together words of significance as she slinks down to the ground and cries. "You lied to me." she says, as ghost Damon appears in front of her. "Even if I wanted to apologize, you couldn't hear me, so I won't." he says, stroking her face, she appears to feel his touch, yet continues to cry, Damon then says to Elena, "You are by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to me...The fact that I got to die knowing I was loved... is the epitome of a fulfilled life...It is never going to get better than this. I peaked." Elena distraught with grief makes one small plea to Damon: "Please, please come back to me." Damon then says goodbye and disappears. Alaric appears and comforts her and says to Alaric "He's gone." A broken Elena then hugs Alaric for comfort and he also begins to mourns Damon's death.