The Vampire Diaries never failed to deliver drama and action, but what kept Mystic Falls together was love. Without it, what's the point of killing the bad guys, finding the cure for vampirism, or dismantling the Other Side? Every decision, good or bad, our beloved characters make ultimately come down to love. Besides family bonds, The Vampire Diaries has many great couples. However, there's one that triumphed above the rest.
The creators made the love triangle between Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Stefan (Paul Wesley), and Elena (Nina Dobrev) the focal point. They wanted Elena to be with Stefan, at least for a few seasons, before she fell into Damon's arms. However, their plan of keeping Damon evil failed. Fans fell in love with him completely, and eventually, so did Elena. Some episodes show their romantic love story better than others.
11 "Rose" - Season 2, Episode 8
When Isobel (Mia Kirchner) revealed Damon's love for Elena, it sent shock waves through The Vampire Diaries' fandom. Sure, they occasionally flirted, and Damon had earned Elena's friendship, but love? Was he capable of it yet? He certainly proved as much going into Season 2.
Damon's only intentions are to protect Elena. It's obvious he loves her. However, we don't hear him say the words until Episode 8, "Rose." The moment is so beautiful yet heartbreaking. Damon has to be selfish this one time to tell her of his love but knows he's not worthy of it in return. Careful, Damon, your humanity is showing.
10 "As I Lay Dying" - Season 2, Episode 22
After all of Damon's efforts to keep Elena alive throughout The Vampire Diaries Season 2, he's rewarded with a lethal werewolf bite. However, Damon's brush with death has one purpose, to give fans one of the best cliffhangers and to set up the following season. He was never going to die.
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Elena is still angry with Damon for feeding her his blood, but once she learns he's dying, she rushes over to care for him. It shows how deep their relationship truly is and what they're willing to do for each other. Damon gets to tell Elena he loves her for real this time, and just as he's about to die, Katherine (Nina Dobrev) hands him the cure. It's all very poetic.
8 "The New Deal" - Season 3, Episode 10
Damon keeps Elena afloat after Stefan leaves town with Klaus (Joseph Morgan) at the end of Season 2. Once Stefan returns with the villain, Damon protects Elena from his brother, too. All Stefan cares about is hiding the coffins full of dead Mikaelsons and getting revenge on Klaus.
After a long day, Elena thanks Damon for everything. Damon admits Stefan is on their side, which is annoying because he thought he didn't have to feel guilty for loving Elena anymore. If he's going to feel guilty, though, he might as well be guilty of kissing Elena. The couple's first kiss oozes romance.
7 "Heart of Darkness" - Season 3, Episode 19
Stefan advises Elena to figure out if she has romantic feelings for Damon in The Vampire Diaries Season 3, Episode 19, "Heart of Darkness." They pick Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) up in Denver and stay in a motel where things get steamy.
However, Elena isn't just looking to see if she has feelings for Damon; she's looking to see if Damon will sabotage himself like he usually does. It ruins the trip, but the episode is no less romantic. Damon explains there'll be no bumps in the road if they're together. He has more convincing to do, unfortunately.
6 "The Departed" - Season 3, Episode 22
Season 3, Episode 22, "The Departed" is one of The Vampire Diaries' best season finales. Damon and Elena don't have any screen time together except in a flashback at the end, but that doesn't mean the episode isn't romantic.
Damon tries to hide Klaus' body from Alaric (Matt Davis) but fails. Everyone fears extinction if Klaus is the sire of their bloodline. During the wait, Elena calls Damon to let him go. Maybe if she'd met him first, they'd be together. It's heartbreaking, but what's incredibly romantic is that they did. In the flashback, Damon meets Elena first. He's evil Damon, yet he wants her to get everything she's looking for. They don't realize that's eventually him.
5 "My Brother's Keeper" - Season 4, Episode 7
Season 4, Episode 7, "My Brother's Keeper," is pivotal for Damon and Elena. Elena has feelings for Damon and breaks up with Stefan. When she sees Damon at the Miss Mystic pageant, she tells him. The look of genuine surprise and awe on his face made this moment worth the wait.
They longingly stare at each other during the event but get their chance to dance later that night. Jeremy wants to kill her, and her best friend and former boyfriend want to change her, but Damon thinks she's perfect the way she is. He loves her either way. Delena steaminess ensues.
4 "Graduation" - Season 4, Episode 23
After a rollercoaster of a season, Elena's emotions are back on, and she's finally free of the sire bond. She knows her true feelings again, without its influence, but doesn't reveal her love for Damon until the end.
Their tension-fueled speeches about how wrong they are for each other are passionate. Damon says he's selfish and isn't sorry that he'd choose to die instead of being human. Elena isn't sorry she loves him. They kiss, and everything is okay again. They can finally be together despite their faults.
3 "Home" - Season 5, Episode 22
Katherine might've sabotaged their relationship with another doppelganger hijinx, but Damon and Elena find their way back to each other by the end of Season 5. Unfortunately, they have to die to succeed in "Project Kaboom," and Damon doesn't get to return from the Other Side. It's one of The Vampire Diaries' biggest plot twists.
Elena is hysterical, but at least Damon says goodbye in a tragically beautiful way. Sadly, Elena can't hear one of the most romantic things he's ever said to her, that she's the greatest thing that ever happened to him in his 173 years. Damon died knowing Elena loves him.
2 "Do You Remember The First Time?" - Season 6, Episode 7
After Damon's death, Elena is an emotional wreck at the beginning of The Vampire Diaries Season 6. Thankfully, she doesn't turn off her humanity, but she does come up with another annoying way to kill her pain. She asks Alaric to compel her memories of Damon away. By Episode 7, Damon is back and tries to get Elena to remember him. Eventually, she's willing to try.
Damon takes her places to jog her memory and tells her about one summer night. They went to see a meteor shower but got stuck in a downpour. Before Damon can finish the story, Elena tries to cross the town border to remember. It doesn't work, and Damon heartbreakingly decides to let her go. He says the night in the rain ended horribly, but it didn't. They shared a romantic kiss and promised forever to each other.
1 "I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime" - Season 6, Episode 21
In the Season 4 finale, Damon told Elena he was selfish and wasn't going to change. He liked being a vampire and would die instead of being human. By the end of The Vampire Diaries Season 6, Damon has changed so much. He's willing to do anything to stay with Elena, even take the cure.
Damon bares his soul in his speech about becoming human. It's one of his most beautiful. "I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime" is full of perfect Delena moments, but it's thrilling to hear Damon telling Elena he'll take the cure to become her husband, partner, and father to her kids.
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