Stefan Salvatore

Stefan Salvatore (b. July 5th 1474) was the second son of Giuseppe, Conte di Salvatore and his wife, and younger brother to Damon. The contessa died a couple of years after Stefan's birth, which he would later cite as a reason for Damon's hatred of him, believing that Damon blamed him for it. He and Katherine von Swartzschild (whom he later learned to be a Vampire) fell in love during her stay at the estate, and their fathers spoke of marriage plans before Damon's return from the University. Damon and Katarina also fell in love, leading to a rift between the two brothers. In an attempt to reconcile them, Katarina faked her death. However, Stefan and Damon instead killed one another with Katarina's blood in their systems, Changing them into vampires.
After awaking in his tomb, Stefan attempted to return to the estate, but ran after the servants screamed and asked for a priest. On a dark side street of Florence, Stefan decided not to feed on human blood. He decided to live beyond the gates of the city, feeding on animals, until his life was threatened by Damon and he departed. The two crossed paths a handful of times in the following centuries, when Damon would again threaten him. In 1991, Katherine lured Stefan to Fell's Church, where he fell in love with Elena Gilbert, whom he and Damon, who had followed him, unwittingly turned into a vampire. The brothers were forced to reconcile and work alongside each other to defeat her and defend the town. After Elena's death, the two moved to Florence, returning to combat Klaus, which resulted in Elena's resurrection.
Stefan helped Elena adapt to being alive again, and was imprisoned in the Shi no Shi by Shinichi and Misao after being enticed with the chance to become human again. While being rescued, a fellow kitsune prisoner gave him a bouquet with the power to strip vampirism. Later, Damon accidentally used the bouquet, leading to conflict between the two. After Stefan recovered from his ordeal, he assisted in defeating Inari Saitou and the kitsune twins. In the new world, Stefan erased himself from the memories of those around him after blaming himself for Elena's need for a blood transfusion.Evensong: Paradise Lost 
==Biography==
===Childhood===
Stefan was born to Giuseppe, Conte di Salvatore and his wife in July 5th 1474, as their second son. The contessa did not fully recover from Stefan's birth, dying when Stefan was aged three. Stefan speculated that this was the cause of his older brother Damon's hatred of him, and that he blamed him for his mother's death. After the contessa's death, Giuseppe would get drunk and threaten to beat Stefan. However, Damon would take have him direct his anger at himself instead, taking the beatings for him.
Stefan was given a proper education, learning etiquette and dancing from Marino. He was taught to embrace his place in the nobility of Italy and as a member of the Salvatore family, which he did to please his father. Despite Giuseppe's insistence that Stefan and Damon be respectable, he regularly took mistresses younger even than Stefan and made several disastrous investments.He was still Damon, and he'd be a lot happier without the weight of all that hatred and prejudice and cruelty. He wouldn't keep remembering his youth and the other young blades who'd mocked his father for being an old fool, with his disastrous investments and his mistresses younger than his own sons. Neither would he endlessly dwell on his own childhood, when that same father had beaten him in drunken rages when he neglected his studies or took up with objectionable companions. And, finally, he would not go on savoring and contemplating the many terrible things he'd done himself." (The Return: Nightfall - Chapter 34)
=== Becoming a vampire===
One summer 1492 while Damon was at University, Baron von Swartzschild brought his daughter Katherine to the Salvatore estate to recover from her prolonged illness. Stefan and Katherine fell in love, and, one night beside the fountain, she confided in him that she was a vampire and told her story about how she had been Changed by Klaus. He accepted her identity and promised to keep it a secret. Soon, Giuseppe and the baron spoke of marriage plans for the two of them.
When Damon returned to the estate from the University, he told Giuseppe that he was refusing to go back, an argument that Stefan witnessed. Damon also became close to Katherine, spending as much time with him as she had with Stefan, who became jealous, especially upon learning that she had told him that she was a vampire. The brothers forced her to choose between them, and she declared that she would give an answer the following Saturday. On the Friday, Katarina arrived in Stefan's bedroom and exchanged blood with him, leading him to believe that he had been chosen. On the Saturday night, Katherine told them that she had exchanged blood with, and wished to be with, the both of them, and had had her maid make talismans for them. The two almost came to blows before she stood between them, and she ran away in tears.
The following day, Stefan found Katherine's newest dress filled with ashes near a tree, and her ring on a rock a short distance away, leading him to believe that she had exposed herself to the Sun. He also found a note explaining that she could not bear to cause strife between the two brothers. Damon appeared behind him, read the note, and attempted to take Katarina's ring from him. The two struggled, insulting and blaming one another, and ran to the house before engaging in a duel as their father shouted from a window. Damon stabbed him, but, as he lay dying, he lifted his own sword and stabbed him in the heart.
===Life in the dark===
As the two still had Katherine's blood in their systems, they began to Change. They awoke in their tomb, where they had been laid down side-by-side. They were too weak to fight given the small amount of Katarina's blood that they had, and Damon ran off into the night. Stefan, who found Katherine's ring in his pocket, went home, where the servants screamed and called for a priest. He ran into the dark, blaming himself for forcing Damon to become a vampire.
In the dark side-streets of Florence, Stefan made several vows regarding how he used his Power and how he treated humans. He decided to feed only on animals as Katherine did, eventually choosing to live beyond the city gates in order to do so. Stefan knew that Damon had joined one of the Free Companies and was feeding on the blood of his victims, but went a stretch of time without hearing anything of him.
One day, Stefan heard Damon's voice in his head, telling him that he had become the condottiero of his own company and was returning to Florence, threatening to kill him if he was there when he arrived. Stefan, fearing for his life, left his home outside of the city. He remained mainly if not solely in Italy for centuries, thinking of it as his hiding place, and crossed paths with Damon a small handful of times, receiving threats from him every time. Each time was a result of Damon tracking him down and attempting to make his existence as miserable as possible as revenge, before Stefan managed to escape.
Stefan met other vampires during his life away from humans. From them he heard of the Old Ones, although nobody that he had met had ever actually seen one. He also heard about werewolves and their weakness to silver.
===Katherine's ploy===
====Starting afresh====
In 1991, Katherine secretly found Stefan and Influenced him to travel to Fell's Church, Virginia to start a new life.Katarina von Swartzschild: I brought you here, both of you. I put the thought in your mind, Stefan, the way you put thoughts into a human's. I guided you to this place. And then I made sure Damon followed you. Elena was here. I think she must be related to me somehow; she looks like me. I knew you'd see her and feel guilty. But you weren't supposed to fall in love with her! (The Fury - Chapter 14) He was tired of his life in the darkness, and no longer wished to be alone. He planned to use his Influence to get a place at Robert E. Lee High School, boarding at Theophilia Flowers' boardinghouse on the edge of town and feeding on animals in the Old Wood.
Stefan was followed by Damon (in the form of a crow) on the first day of term. He was forced to Influence the admissions secretary and the headmaster, which tired him. Sensing so many minds around him disoriented him after such a long time in solitude, particularly one mind, which he found belonged to somebody who looked just like Katherine. This disturbed him, not wanting to think about Katherine, and he deliberately avoided her. He also did not appreciate the way that Mr Tanner treated his students, leading him to humiliate him with his superior knowledge of the Italian Renaissance.
When Tyler Smallwood and Dick Carter blocked Stefan's way to his classroom, Matt Honeycutt stuck up for him. Matt attempted to make conversation, which Stefan reciprocated, though he declined his offer to join the football team until deciding to use it as an excuse to avoid Elena.The Awakening - Chapter 3 He watched her and her friends in the cemetery after being pulled there while feeding, feeling an explosion of Power behind him and witnessing them fleeing. He followed them, feeling an intense desire to feed, but instead smelt blood beneath the bridge. There he found a bleeding homeless man, on whom he fed but did not kill. He also picked up Elena's ribbon, putting it with his other relics.
Matt informed Stefan that he had been accepted onto the football team, where he was quite popular. At lunch, Caroline Forbes would drag him to the photography room to spend time with him, and also following him around after school, wanting him to attend the Homecoming Dance with her. As such, he was unable to socialize with fellow members of the football team or eat in the cafeteria. However, he began to talk to Matt, though never about his personal life or his family.
====Falling for Elena====
Stefan attended the Homecoming Dance with Caroline, hiding amongst the other members of the football team. He figured that it was safe to be with Caroline, as she meant nothing to him and he felt no attraction towards her. Elena asked him to dance, which, after a moment, he silently accepted. However, they were interrupted by Caroline. He later heard Elena's friends say that Elena had left for the cemetery with Tyler, Dick and Vickie Bennett, prompting him to go there. He witnessed Tyler assaulting Elena, so he rescued her, throwing Tyler against his grandfather's headstone and hitting him before Elena stopped him. He offered to drive her home, which entailed returning to the boardinghouse where his car was.
At the boardinghouse, Elena confronted Stefan about how he had repeatedly ignored her, and he told her that it was because she reminded him of a dead girlfriend. He was initially angry at her claim to understand how it felt, but then took her hand and kissed her. He later drove her home, where they found police cars. Vickie had been attacked, and Elena was missing. Stefan worried that he might have been the one to attack Vickie, remembering entering the ruined church but nothing between then and saving Elena.
In school the following day, Stefan and Elena spent lunch together in a corner of the field, though Stefan did not bring any food. Caroline went looking for him, and was not happy about seeing him with Elena. That week, he arrived at Elena's house every evening for a walk in the dusk, or just to sit on her porch and talk. He made sure that they were never together in private, as a way of protecting her honor, as was the case with him and Katherine in the 1491. However, Stefan did not discuss his family or his life before Fell's Church, though he did imply that he missed Italy. He also refused to talk about Katarina's ring, which she felt underneath his shirt. His worrying about being tempted to feed on Elena acted as a wedge between the two, as Elena could feel that there was something getting between them.
====Tanner's murder and confronting Damon====
Stefan took Elena to the Haunted House fund-raiser, where he was dressed as Dracula. He was taken aback by Elena's Italian Renaissance dress, which only made her look more like Katherine. He used Influence on Mr. Tanner when he displayed resistance to acting as the Bloody Corpse. He chose to serve coffee in the locker-room rather than greeting people with Matt, feeling tired from using Influence. He fell unconscious, and was found by Matt, who informed him that Tyler had accused him of killing Mr. Tanner and that everybody was looking for him. Stefan left, asking Matt to look after Elena.
Stefan returned to the boardinghouse, angrily destroying things in his room. He came to believe that he must have been the one to kill Mr. Tanner, as well as the one behind the attacks on the homeless man and Vickie Bennett. He proceeded to go hunting, returning to the widow's walk with two doves, which he killed. Elena climbed up to the roof and saw him, falling back onto a rusty railing and falling to the ground. Stefan caught her and lead her back to his room, where he told her that he was a vampire, and the story behind how he became one.
After telling her about Damon, Elena said that she believed he too was in Fell's Church, and that she had seen him three times, one of which was at the fund-raiser. She also suggested that his memory loss and confusion could have been caused by Damon. Stefan exchanged blood with her per her insistence, and promised that they would be together. After Elena left, Stefan drove along Old Creek Road to where he had fed on the first day of school, where he had been watched by a crow, which he had come to rightly believe was Damon. Damon was, indeed, there, and he admitted to what Stefan and Elena had suspected. He also displayed his Powers, and told him that he wanted Elena. Damon then fed on Stefan before leaving. As Stefan made for his car, he was attacked by an unseen assailant and fell unconscious. It was Katherine, who proceeded to trap him in a well on the Francher property.
The police went looking for Stefan, at the boardinghouse and at Robert E. Lee, finding his car abandoned. They believed that Stefan had gone on the run.
Stefan was rescued from the well by Elena, Meredith, Bonnie and Matt, using a rope to pull him up. He was weak and hungry, and Matt wanted to take him to the clinic to be seen by a doctor. However, Stefan made Elena promise him that they would not take him to a doctor. They instead took him to his room at the boardinghouse. While the others fetched Mary McCullough, Elena fed him her blood. He was able to convince Mary that he did not need to visit the clinic, though she recommended that he did so for a check-up.
==== Recovery====
Stefan was visited by the police. He was weak and unable to use his Powers on them. However, they did not accuse him of anything, acting friendly and only asking some questions. He later returned to school and claimed to be feeling up to football practice (which was cancelled due to recent events), though Elena thought otherwise. He could sense hostility towards Elena in others' minds, and believed that it was a result of their suspecting him. He suggested some time apart, or pretending that they had broken up, but Elena refused to unless he told her that she did not love her. As that was not the case, Stefan would not say it.
Stefan and Elena attended Alaric Saltzman's party at the Ramsey house, though he still had not fully recovered and specifically asked Elena to wear something with a high neck so as to reduce his temptation. At the party, he asked Bonnie about why Alaric had asked her to stay behind after class, as he was mistrustful of him. Stefan saw Damon with Elena and confronted him, but Elena suggested they leave, fearing that Stefan's actions might make him seem more suspicious.The Struggle - Chapter 6 Before leaving her at her house, he explained the rules of vampires to her.The Struggle - Chapter 7
Worried that Damon might go after Elena, Stefan phoned Meredith and asked her and Bonnie to walk with her to school. He visited Matt and asked him if he could borrow his car (since the police still had his) in order to collect some vervain. Matt instead offered to drive him.The Struggle - Chapter 8 The trip was successful, and Stefan felt with Matt a feeling of acceptance that, aside from with Elena, he had not felt since he was alive.The Struggle - Chapter 9
Stefan gave the vervain to Elena, and told her that he would attempt to extract vervain oil for future use. In school, he saw Vickie Bennett attacking Tyler Smallwood and helped to restrain her, using Influence to put her to sleep before his Power was suddenly broken. He instead helped to hold her down until the police arrived to take her away. Stefan told Elena that he believed that Damon (who had attacked Vickie at the ruined church) was still using her, and that her will was now his. He also admitted that he had still not fully recovered from the attack, and that his Powers were failing him.The Struggle - Chapter 11
====Proposal and Elena's drowning====
Elena eventually told Stefan that Caroline Forbes had stolen her diary and was, with Tyler Smallwood, planning to use its contents to ruin Founders' Day, humiliate Elena, and to provide evidence that Stefan was in the cemetery when the homeless man was attacked. Stefan did not like that she had kept it from him, but finally told her that he loved her and proposed using Katherine's ring.The Struggle - Chapter 13
Stefan pointed out that Caroline would have to hide Elena's diary in Mrs Grimesby's house (where she was to get dressed), as anything that was not part of her costume would be forbidden during the Founders' Day parade. He planned to, with Meredith, break into the house to find it. However, the plan was a failure, as Caroline carried the diary with her in a reticule. Stefan had a brief conversation with Caroline during the Founders' Day dinner, but Caroline was curt and Tyler made an angry gesture to send him away. Stefan stood at the back of the cafeteria while Caroline was on stage, and refused Elena's wordless commands to go. After Caroline threw the diary at Elena and left the stage, Stefan was bewildered, and learnt that Damon had replaced Elena's diary with Caroline's.The Struggle - Chapter 14
Stefan was cornered by Tyler and his friends in a Quonset hut on the school grounds, with Caroline insisting that he must have switched the diaries. Bonnie and Meredith arrived, and Bonnie had a psychic feeling that Elena was drowning at Wickery Bridge. Stefan immediately left with them in Meredith's car. The road was blocked by a fallen oak tree, and they ran out of the car to the bridge, which they found had collapsed. They saw the headlights of Matt's car, which Elena had been driving, in Drowning Creek. Stefan dove into the water despite Meredith's protests, and he recovered Elena's drowned body. He attempted to revive her, without success, and cried before laying her body beneath the willow trees.The Struggle - Chapter 15
Believing that Damon had killed her, Stefan returned to the Quonset hut to feed in order to increase his strength to make him a match for Damon. He attempted to kill Tyler, but was attacked by one of his friends before he could. He attacked each member of Tyler's gang, only leaving Caroline after she fainted. He then transformed into bird-form and flew to Damon, fighting him.The Struggle - Chapter 16 They were interrupted by Elena, who was Changing into a vampire. She had exchanged blood with both Stefan and Damon, and had died with enough vampire blood in her system to begin the Change.The Fury - Chapter 1
====Elena's Change====
Stefan was attacked by Elena, who was suffering memory loss and confusion, and believed that Damon was her beloved. Damon pulled her away from him, and Stefan accused him of Changing her, though he insisted he had not. Stefan agreed that Elena needed human blood to complete the Change, but told Damon that there had been enough attacks in the town and that she should feed on someone willing instead. They returned to the cafeteria, where they found Matt.The Fury - Chapter 2 Stefan told Matt Elena's situation, and Matt allowed Elena to feed on him. Damon left with Elena, leaving Stefan to give further explanations to Matt.The Fury - Chapter 3
Remembering when he attacked Tyler and his five friends, Stefan returned to the Quonset hut, where Mr. Shelby had found the injured. Stefan used his Influence to make them forget their whole afternoon, including the identity of their attacker. Matt realized that Stefan had been the one to attack them, and decided to keep his distance, disgusted with his behavior.
Four days later, Stefan approached Elena in the church loft during her memorial service, where they apologized to one another for their actions. Damon interrupted, alerting them to the attacking dogs outside of the church. Stefan attempted to Influence Doug Carson to safety, but was too far away. He returned to Elena injured by the dogs, and heard Damon swear that he had not been the one to trap Stefan in the well.The Fury - Chapter 5 Though Stefan did not believe him, Elena theorised that there was Another Power in Fell's Church who had trapped him and killed her, and made him promise to stick with her and Damon as a three. He was forced to leave them together when Mr. Carson called after him.The Fury - Chapter 6
Stefan took Elena hunting in the Old Wood, as she vowed to feed on animals and never feed on a human, or kill. Damon joined them reluctantly, wanting Elena to feed on humans with him instead.The Fury - Chapter 7
====Hunt for the Other Power ====
Stefan returned to Robert E. Lee to spy on Alaric Saltzman, whom Elena, Bonnie and Meredith suspected of being the Other Power, alongside Mrs Flowers, Robert Maxwell and Vickie Bennett. On his first day back, Sue Carson thanked him for saving Doug, having been told about it by her mother. From her he first learnt of the Snow Dance, where he suspected the Other Power might make an appearance, as it had at various other town functions. He also stated that he did not want Elena to return to Alaric's attic, where she had been staying since the Change, due to their discovery that he was hunting vampires. She was instead moved to the barn behind the boardinghouse.The Fury - Chapter 8
Stefan attempted to reconcile with Matt, who had resorted to denial to deal with Elena's Change. As part of the investigation into identifying the Other Power he spent time tailing Mrs Flowers, though he found nothing,The Fury - Chapter 9 and Alaric, whom he found regularly visited Brian Newcastle. However, he was not able to get close enough to hear their conversations.The Fury - Chapter 10 He also became suspicious of Meredith, sensing that she was hiding something but unable to discover what, possibly due to her Counter-Influence.
Stefan was attacked outside of the school by a mob that included Mr. Bennett, Mr. Forbes and Mr. Smallwood after Caroline identified Stefan as the attacker at the Quonset hut under hypnosis. He was approaching Caroline when one of the man knocked him in the back of the head.The Fury - Chapter 11 One man attempted to stake him, but Damon, in the form of a black wolf, saved him. Alaric and Meredith managed to put doubt in the mob's heads, and they dispersed.
Stefan was concerned to hear that Newcastle intended for the Snow Dance to go on. He and Damon took turns patrolling the school's perimeter. He and the others followed Bonnie, who was possessed by Honoria Fell, to the Fell crypt.The Fury - Chapter 12 He and Damon used their vampiric strength to reveal the entrance to the crypt, and heard Honoria discuss the Other Power and the impending animal attack at the Snow Dance. He told Alaric to take Bonnie and Meredith to the school, while he, Damon and Elena went after the Other Power, which they felt was close. A white tiger attacked them, which Damon fought as a wolf. He, Damon and Elena were rendered unconscious and tied up. Stefan's throat was torn.The Fury - Chapter 13
====Katherine and Elena's deaths====
When Stefan awoke, he saw that Katherine was alive and realized that she was the Other Power. Katarina told them of how she had been the one to trap Stefan in the well. As she approached Elena, Stefan sought to keep her occupied by asking about what else she had done. She told them about how she had been the one to attack Vickie Bennett and had been the one tormenting her since then, and that she had been the one to kill Elena in a rage after seeing Stefan give Elena her ring. Stefan asked her about her supposed death in the 1491, and she went on to explain how and why she had faked her death, and about the time she had spent with Klaus. He offered himself for Elena and Damon's release, but she was angry with him for giving Elena her ring and refused.The Fury - Chapter 14
While Katherine was checking on the status of her dogs' attack on the school, Stefan and Elena conversed telepathically. Stefan told her that, after Damon refused Katherine's offer of companionship, he no longer hated his brother. Katherine returned, saying that she was going to kill them and revealing that she had stolen their rings, but Elena, who had managed to liberate herself, rushed at her, removing her talisman and knocking her into the sunlight. Katherine went up in flames, while Elena too was harmed by the sunlight. Stefan pulled Elena back into the darkness and spoke to her as she died, promising to make peace with Damon for her sake. Stefan attempted to kill himself by entering the sunlight but Damon stopped him, giving him back his ring. Stefan remembered his promise and decided to leave.The Fury - Chapter 15
===Keeping his promise===
After Elena's death, Stefan gave away a lot of the possessions he kept in his room at the boardinghouse, including a diary that he gave to Bonnie. He did not attend Elena's funeral, but met with Bonnie after the service, telling her that Damon had left. He planned to follow him to honor his promise to Elena, whose ring he had recovered and kept on a chain around his neck. Bonnie, Matt, Meredith and Alaric saw Stefan off as he left on Damon's trail.The Fury - Chapter 16
Stefan caught up with Damon, and went with him to Florence. They stayed at an exclusive place on Via Tornabuoni. In June, Stefan was forced to Influence an American student whom Damon had fed on to cover their tracks. He admonished Damon and noticed that the student had been similar in appearance to Elena and Katherine, which he remarked on. His mind was then psychically connected to Bonnie thanks to her summoning spell. The two were briefly able to communicate, long enough for Bonnie to tell him that she was in trouble and that she had made contact with Elena.Dark Reunion - Chapter 4
===Return to Fell's Church ===
Stefan travelled to Fell's Church with Damon, who claimed to have also been summoned by the spell. Stefan went to Robert E. Lee to find Bonnie. However, he was still wanted in the town and Bonnie made him hide in a closet until she could find Matt and Meredith. He told them to catch up with him at the Flowers boardinghouse, where they expressed their distrust of Damon and informed the brothers of the murder of Sue Carson. Stefan suggested that Bonnie go into trance to communicate with Elena again, but she refused because of the chance of the killer taking advantage. The discussion was briefly interrupted by Mrs Flowers, who offered Stefan his room at the boardinghouse. After she left, Stefan decided that they should visit Vickie Bennett, who had been attacked by the killer.Dark Reunion - Chapter 5
==Physical description==
Stefan had black and wavy hair, pale skin," He had the same dark hair, the same pale skin, the same disturbing good looks." (The Struggle - Chapter 1) eyes as green as oak leaves," And for an instant his eyes had lightened, the green sparkling like oak leaves reflected in a running stream." (The Awakening - Chapter 11) and a lean, flat-muscled body"From where she stood, Elena could see he had a lean, flat-muscled body." (The Awakening - Chapter 2) and long legs."That lithe, flat-muscled body, those long legs..." (The Awakening - Chapter 4) While he was considered tall during his life,Bonnie McCullough: Dark, yes, and a stranger... but not tall. Although, he was tall, once. (The Awakening - Chapter 2) he was just average in comparison to those of the 20th century."He wasn't tall, though. Just average height." (The Awakening - Chapter 2) He had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a sensitive and sensual upper lip, looking like an Emperor from a Roman coin."The dark curly hair framed features so fine that they might have been taken from an old Roman coin or medallion. High cheekbones, classical straight nose... and a mouth to keep you awake at night, Elena thought. The upper lip was beautifully sculpted, a little sensitive, a whole lot sensual." (The Awakening - Chapter 2)
In the 15th century, Stefan wore high-necked shirts,"They were hidden by the high neck of his shirt." (The Awakening - Chapter 13) and was taught by Signore Marino to dress as befit his position."His tutor had often said it: An aristocrat should dress as befits his position. If he does not, he is showing contempt for others. Everyone had a place in the world, and his place had once been among the nobility." (The Awakening - Chapter 3) He also wore Katarina's ring on a chain under his clothes until giving it to Elena. In the 20th century, he often wore tight, white T-shirts, faded jeans, and black leather jackets of a cut considered unusual in America,"Faded jeans he probably had to peel off at night, tight T-shirt, and a leather jacket of unusual cut." (The Awakening - Chapter 2) usually with his collar up."Every night this week he'd come to her house, appearing at the door around sunset, hands in pockets, wearing his jacket with the collar turned up." (The Awakening - Chapter 10)"He was dressed for outdoors, his jacket collar turned up." (The Struggle - Chapter 13) Most of the time, he would wear rough woollen sweaters under his jacket."The roughness of his woollen sweater under her cheek, the smell of his leather jacket, the strength of his arms around her." (The Struggle - Chapter 2) He also wore boots."He'd just returned from the woods, and a few scraps of wet leaf clung to the side of his boot." (The Awakening - The Awakening#Chapter 3)
At formal occasions, Stefan would wear something such as a white cashmere sweater underneath a black blazer of a subtly different and more elegant cut to those worn by his classmates."His black blazer was of a subtly different cut than the other boys', more elegant, and he wore a white cashmere sweater under it." (The Awakening - Chapter 6)
==Personality and traits==
Stefan was protective of his friends, going so far as to manipulate them in order to keep them safe, as he did when pretending not to care about Matt Honeycutt, Meredith Sulez and Bonnie McCullough and saying that they only got in his way to protect them from Klaus.Meredith Sulez: Don't you see what he's doing, Matt? Yelling at us, making us hate him to try and chase us away. Being as nasty as possible so we'll stay mad and let him do this alone. (Dark Reunion - Chapter 14) 
He had a strong sense of duty to Florence during his life,Damon Salvatore: He is too attached to ordinary things: his friends, his family, his duty to Florence. The darkness would destroy him. (The Awakening - Chapter 13) unlike Damon, but he was willing to give it up for Katherine. He had strong morals that he lived by, such as his policies on how to use Power and how to treat humans, though he was not above breaking his own rules when roused to great anger.The Struggle - Chapter 16 After Elena's supposed death at Wickery Bridge, he attacked Tyler Smallwood, Caroline Forbes and their friends in order to equal or exceed Damon in terms of Power.
Stefan felt guilty about killing Damon and condemning him to live as a vampire,The Awakening - Chapter 14 but was most affected by Katherine's supposed suicide, blaming himself for having caused it.Stefan Salvatore: She gave her life... for that. We killed her. (The Awakening - Chapter 14) He carried Katherine's ring with him always. Because of this guilt, Stefan could not, initially, bear to be around Elena, who was similar to her in appearance.The Awakening - Chapter 8
Stefan had a strong connection to his friends and family during his life, and became incredibly lonely after becoming a vampire and leaving Florence."But he was tired of living in shadows. He was tired of the darkness, and of the things that lived in it. Most of all, he was tired of being alone. (The Awakening - Chapter 1) He hoped to find a place to belong in Fell's Church, though he did not believe that he would ever truly be accepted there."Most of all, he was tired of being alone. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen Fell's Church, Virginia. It was a young town, by his standards; the oldest buildings had been put up only a century and a half ago. But memories and ghosts of the Civil War still lived here, as real as the supermarkets and fast-food joints. Stefan appreciated respect for the past. He thought he might come to like the people of Fell's Church. And perhaps—just perhaps—he might find a place among them. He'd never be accepted completely, of course. A bitter smile curved his lips at the idea. He knew better than to hope for that. There would never be a place where he could belong completely, where he could truly be himself." (The Awakening - Chapter 1) Despite this longing, he avoided people while at Robert E. Lee.Elena Gilbert: He seems so isolated, so lonely. Even though it's his own choice. He's made quite a hit on the football team, but he doesn't hang around with any of the guys, except maybe Matt. Matt's the only one he talks to. He doesn't hang around with any girls, either, that I can see, so maybe the narc rumor is doing some good. But it's more like he's avoiding other people than they're avoiding him. He disappears in between classes and after football practice, and I've never once seen him in the cafeteria. (The Awakening - Chapter 6)
== Behind the scenes ==
*Although Stefan transforms into a falcon in The Struggle, it is a hawk that he can transform into in The Return: Nightfall. However, given L.J. Smith's confusion between falcons and hawks (Talon is referred to as both multiple times) it is uncertain which is correct.
*In The Awakening, Stefan tells Elena that he crossed paths with Damon "once or twice" between becoming vampires and meeting at Fell's Church, with Damon threatening to kill him. However, in The Return: Nightfall, it is said that Damon had spent those five centuries repeatedly tracking him down and making his life miserable, with Stefan escaping each time.
==Appearances==
*The Awakening 
*After Hours 
*The Struggle
*The Fury
*Dark Reunion
*Blood Will Tell
*The Return: Nightfall
*The Return: Shadow Souls
*The Return: Midnight
*Evensong: Paradise Lost
*Evensong: The War of Roses
==Notes and references==
Category:Salvatore family
Category:Vampires
Category:Italian individuals
Category:Fell's Church residents
Category:15th century births
Category:16th century changes
Category:Changed by Katarina von Swartzschild
Category:Elena Gilbert's romantic interests
Category:Dalcrest College students
Category:Robert E. Lee High School students