Elena Gilbert

### Turend

* By Damon Salvatore's blood on November 6, 2010 (administered by Meredith Fell)

### Occupation

* High School Student (Graduated/Formerly)
* Cheerleader for the Timberwolves (Formerly)
* The Cure (Formerly)
* College Student (Formerly)
* Hospital Volunteer (Formerly)
* Doctor

### Title(s)

* Pouty, Buffy, Warrior Princess, Scaredy Cat, Judge, Stone Cold Bitch, Baby, Sunshine, Honey, Robert Frost (all by Damon)
* Love, My Lovelies (by Klaus to Elena, Jules and Jenna)
* Cupcake, Dull As Dishwater Doppelganger (by Katherine)
* Elena Williams (an alternate identity)
* Darling, Darling Former Blood Bag (all by Kol)
* Human Blood Bag, Stupid Human Girl (both by Stefan)
* Doppelgänger Bitch, Cow, Doppelgänger Wench (all by Rebekah)

## Physical information

### Species

* Human/Doppelgänger
* Vampire (Niklaus' bloodline) (Currently)
* Augustine Vampire (Cured/Formerly)
* Ghost (Briefly/Formerly)

## Family information

### Family members

* Amara † (Ancestor)
* Tatia † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Tatia's Child † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Mr. Petrov † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Mrs. Petrova † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Katerina Petrova † (Doppelgänger Of, Maternal Ancestor)
* Katerina's Unnamed Sister † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Nadia Petrova † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Nadia's Child † (Maternal Ancestor)
* Johnathan Gilbert † (Paternal Ancestor)
* Christopher Gilbert † (Paternal Ancestor)
* Samantha Gilbert † (Paternal Ancestor)
* Mary † (Adoptive Maternal Ancestor)
* Beth † (Adoptive Maternal Great-Grandmother)
* John Gilbert †

(Biological Father/Adoptive Paternal Uncle)

* Isobel Flemming † (Biological Mother)
* Grayson Gilbert † (Paternal Uncle/Adoptive Father)
* Miranda Sommers-Gilbert † (Paternal Aunt/Adoptive Mother)
* Jenna Sommers † (Adoptive Maternal Aunt)
* Jeremy Gilbert (Paternal Cousin/Adoptive Brother)
* Alaric Saltzman (Legal Guardian/Step-Father)
* Josie Saltzman (Step-Sister)
* Lizzie Saltzman (Step-Sister)
* Giuseppe Salvatore † (Father-In-Law)
* Lillian Salvatore † (Mother-In-Law)
* Zachariah Salvatore † (Nephew-In-Law)
* Zachariah's Father † (Brother-In-Law)
* Stefan Salvatore (Brother-In-Law)
* Caroline Forbes (Sister-In-Law)
* Damon Salvatore (Husband)

## Supernatural Information

### Significant kills

* Alaric Saltzman (5th time/Revived by Gilbert Ring and 8th time, indirectly)
* Connor Jordan
* Jeremy Gilbert (4th time/Revived by Gilbert Ring)
* Jolene
* Jesse (As a vampire)
* Katherine Pierce (Indirectly/Post-Cure Effects/2nd Time as a Traveler Witch)
* The Travelers (including Markos) with Damon

### Cause of death

* Drained of blood (1st time/as a human)
* Drowned (2nd time/as a human)
* Explosion (3rd time/as a vampire)

### Killed by

* Niklaus Mikaelson (1st time/as a human)
* Rebekah Mikaelson (2nd time/as a human)
* Damon Salvatore (with her consent) (3rd time/as a vampire)

## Appearance

### Actor

* Nina Dobrev
* Kayla Madison (Young)

### Episode count

142 (including three physically only and six archive footage only appearances)

### First seen

Pilot

Elena Salvatore (née Gilbert) was the former main female protagonist of *The Vampire Diaries*. At the beginning of the series, Elena appears to be a regular human girl, but is then revealed to be a Petrova doppelgänger. In the Season Three finale, she became a vampire despite never wanting to be one. In *I'd Leave My Happy Home For You*, she takes the Cure to become human again.

Elena had been struggling to live a normal life ever since her adoptive parents, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, died in a car accident when she was seventeen years old. Her life also changed drastically as she and her friends are caught up in the supernatural world that surrounds them and are forced to face powerful supernatural enemies.

Elena was described as a star student. She was popular, sporty, smart, compassionate, empathetic, caring and friendly. She could be very vulnerable and a damsel in distress.

Elena is best friends with Bonnie Bennett, her sister-in-law Caroline Forbes, Matt Donovan, and her husband, Damon Salvatore. She was also close friends with her late brother-in-law/ex-boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore. Her actions and beliefs throughout the series have been most influenced by her on-and-off romantic relationships with the Salvatore brothers, as well as by her antagonistic relationship with Katerina Petrova.

In Season One, Elena was still coping with her parents' death when she meets a mysterious new student at Mystic Falls High School, Stefan Salvatore. Elena and Stefan fall in love with each other. However, not long after that, Elena discovers that both Stefan and his brother, Damon, are vampires. She also becomes aware of the existence of Katherine Pierce, the woman who turned the Salvatore brothers into vampires in 1864, and to whom Elena bears a striking physical resemblance. In the process, Elena discovers a shocking truth - she was adopted, and her real parents are John Gilbert, her "uncle", and Isobel Flemming, Alaric's wife.

In Season Two, Elena learns that she is Katherine's Doppelgänger, which explains their identical appearance. Because of this, an Original Vampire, Klaus, wants to use her in a sacrifice to break an ancient curse. Despite Elena's and her friends' best efforts, the sacrifice takes place. Her biological father, John, sacrificed his own life to keep Elena alive and human. However, Klaus killed Elena's aunt Jenna, after turning her into a vampire, leaving Jeremy her only blood relative left alive.

After Jeremy's death in Season Four, at Damon's command to ease her pain, she turned off her humanity so she wouldn't have to feel all the guilt. Vampires in rare cases form a sire bond to the one who turned them, based on how strong their human feelings were before transitioning. After a brief time, she was finally able to regain her humanity after a surprising plan was carried out by Damon and Matt.

During the events of Season Five, Elena's body was also possessed by Katherine, who was attempting to escape her fate caused by the effects of the cure. It took a while for Elena's friends to discover Katherine's deceit and when she died, she left a 'little present' in the form of infecting Elena's body with a deadly virus, but this was later cured. She and Damon got back together near the end of the season, but it was short-lived. After Stefan's shocking death, in order to bring him and others back from The Other Side, Damon, Elena and Caroline devised a plan, involving Olivia Parker performing a spell that the Travelers had used to bring back their leader, Markos. However, the spell was interrupted before Damon could pass through the Anchor, Bonnie, and as the Other Side began to disintegrate, Elena and her friends were left heartbroken by their impending deaths.

During Season Six, in an effort to cope with Damon's death, Elena turned to abusing drugs to hallucinate him. However, these drugs enhanced her blood thirst and she decided to resort to a different mechanism which involves erasing her memories of loving Damon.

After the memories of their relationship were erased, she began to see him as the selfish and arrogant person who killed her brother. Soon after, Damon came back to life and she decided to give him a chance. She began to fall for him again after seeing his acts of attempting to rescue Bonnie from the prison world, and they start their relationship anew. She later learns of the cure that Bonnie brought back from the prison world and takes it, in the hopes of having a family again and a future with Damon to look forward too.

Things go well until Kai ruins Jo and Alaric's wedding and casts a sleeping spell on Elena, linking her life to Bonnie's. She makes a sacrifice to let Bonnie live out her life until it is her turn. She bids goodbye to her friends and loved ones before parting ways but knows that she will see Damon, Stefan and Caroline again one day.

For most of her life, Elena lived at 2104 Maple Street, in the Gilbert family house. During the fourth season, she briefly moved to the Salvatore Boarding House, when her brother, Jeremy, became a member of The Five and developed an uncontrollable urge to kill vampires, making it impossible for them to live together. Later in the season, after Jeremy's death, Elena burned down the Gilbert house. After that, she lived in the Salvatore Boarding House for several months, before moving to the Whitmore College dorm.

She attended Mystic Falls High School from Seasons One to Four, where she was a cheerleader, honor student, and one of the most popular girls in the school. Elena wanted to become a great writer and she has a diary in which she writes everything that happens in her life. She was originally turned in this direction by her adoptive mother, who gave Elena her first diary when she was ten. In Season Five, she began attending Whitmore College and in Season Six, she majored in pre-med, wanting to become a doctor.

**Elena** is the last living member of the Petrova Family, and a member of the Gilbert Family.

## Early life

* 1990s
* 2007
* 2008 - 2009

Elena was born on June 22, 1992, in Mystic Falls and lived there peacefully for 17 years, with her parents, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, as well as with her brother, Jeremy. They led a quiet small town life, free of the supernatural. However, in Season One Elena learns that she was adopted and her biological parents are John Gilbert, her uncle, and Isobel Flemming. John's brother Grayson and his wife Miranda, who desperately wanted to have children but were having difficulties conceiving, adopted Elena following her birth. Because Grayson was a doctor, he was able to tamper with the birth records, making himself and Miranda appear as Elena's biological parents on her birth certificate. If anyone ever became suspicious, they would have the birth certificate as documentation proof.

Later on, Elena also finds out that her parents were well aware of the existence of vampires and witches, and that, in fact, her father was part of the Augustine Society at Whitmore College, and even experimented on vampires in the basement of his Mystic Falls clinic. In fact, in 1999, when Elena was seven, she almost witnessed one of her father's experiments.
On December 22, 2007, Elena was fifteen years old and a freshman at Mystic Falls High School and was helping her town prepare for the Mystic Falls Lighting of the Tree Ceremony. While she was making hot chocolate, Bonnie threw a snowball at Elena and revealed that her father was taking her on a trip, meaning that Bonnie would miss Christmas with her friends. Caroline also got excited when Elena revealed that she was going to convince her parents to let Bonnie stay for the holidays as they had never spent a holiday away from each other.

During her sophomore year, Elena had a relationship with Matt Donovan, her oldest friend with whom she formerly shared a crib. At a bonfire, the two of them get into an argument where, afterwards, she calls her parents to pick her up. While waiting to be picked up, she meets Damon Salvatore who originally confuses her with Katherine. He tells her she wants a love that consumes her as well as passion, adventure, and even a little danger when she admits she doesn't know what she wants. Damon then compels her to forget their meeting. Elena's parents then arrive to pick her up.

After Elena's parents pick her up from the bonfire, their car unexpectedly drives off Wickery Bridge. Stefan Salvatore, who is nearby, hears the crash and saves an unconscious Elena at Grayson's insistence. Stefan's unable to save her parents and takes Elena to the shore where she's found, with everyone believing Elena somehow made it out of the car and made it to shore. Afterwards, she breaks up with Matt and she and Jeremy begin to live with their aunt, Jenna Sommers, who became their legal guardian.

After her parents death Elena shut Jeremy and everyone else out to deal with her parents' deaths. She and Jeremy moved into Elizabeth Forbes house for a awhile as Jenna wasn't up to the task yet. Liz took her and Jeremy to school as well as tried to cook for them but wasn't good at it, just like Elena's adoptive mother/aunt Miranda.

Unseen, during the events of Season One and December 22, 2009, Elena would be aware of vampires at this point and would have also known about Bonnie's witch heritage. She and Bonnie were watching Elizabeth Forbes speech during the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, until Caroline revealed the disappointing gift that Stefan gave her.
## Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series

* Season 1
* Season 2
* Season 3
* Season 4
* Season 5
* Season 6
* Season 7
* Season 8

At the start of the school year, Elena meets Stefan and is drawn to him. They develop a connection, flaring Matt's jealousy, due to his and Elena's past relationship. Caroline Forbes is also jealous, as she has feelings for Stefan and feels that her and Elena are always in competition. Elena's best friend, Bonnie Bennett, encourages Elena and her feelings for Stefan, but gets a creepy feeling about Stefan when she touches him. Elena later invites Stefan into her house.

Elena meets Stefan's brother, Damon, who tells her about Stefan's first love, Katherine. Elena discovers Stefan's bad relationship with Damon and tells him that they're not going to work out. She leaves the Night of the Comet party early, upsetting Stefan, but later shows up at his house. They watch the comet together and kiss.

Elena tries to convince Bonnie to accept Stefan, as she has reservations about him. At a dinner with Stefan, Bonnie, Damon and Caroline, Elena discovers that Katherine died and both Stefan and Damon loved her. Damon encourages Elena to quit the cheer squad as she no longer loves it and she convinces Stefan to try out for the football team. At a pep rally, Stefan gives Elena a necklace. Damon tries to compel her to kiss him but she slaps him.

Elena attends the Founder's Party with Stefan. Damon apologizes to her and admits he's trying to punish Stefan by lashing out. Elena promises not to get in the middle of it. Frustrated when Stefan won't open up to her, Elena turns her back on him, only to apologize when she sees bite marks on Caroline and confronts Damon.

Three days later, Elena relays her concerns about her relationship with Stefan to Matt. When Stefan arrives, a man claims to know who Stefan is. At a car wash, Elena meets the man again and he claims that he saw Stefan, who has not changed, in 1963. Elena convinces Logan to let her into news archives. She sees Stefan on camera and goes to his house, demanding to know what he is.

Stefan tells Elena that he's a vampire but that it is Damon who is responsible for the recent mysterious deaths. He confesses that Katherine was the one who turned them both in 1864 and tells her that Damon has turned Vicki Donovan into a vampire. Elena promises to keep his secret but breaks up with him, causing her extreme emotional pain.

Elena visits Stefan to see how Vicki is. When Elena tells Vicki that she can't see Jeremy anymore, Vicki attacks and threatens her. Elena takes Jeremy to a Halloween Party to take his mind off of Vicki, unaware that he plans on meeting her there. Elena finds them together and Vicki, furious, bites her so Stefan stakes her. Elena slaps Damon, blaming him. Later, Elena asks Stefan if he can erase Jeremy's memory of Vicki's death. He says he can't, but Damon volunteers instead. Elena tells Stefan that she still has feelings for him.

Bonnie tells Elena that she's a witch. Elena realizes that she still has feelings for Stefan, but when she goes to tell him she meets Lexi Branson and assumes they have begun a relationship. Stefan later arrives at Elena's house and tells her that Lexi's a vampire and his oldest friend. He invites her to Caroline's party, but she refuses only to turn up later by herself. Lexi tells Elena that "when its real, you can't walk away." Elena and Stefan later witness Damon kill Lexi, but when Stefan tries to kill Damon, Elena confesses that she still wants to be with him but he can't kill Damon. He rebuffs her.

Elena watches Bonnie throw her talisman away and is shocked when it resurfaces in Bonnie's bag. Elena tries to repair Caroline and Bonnie's friendship. Caroline suggests holding a séance for Bonnie's ancestor Emily. When Emily possesses Bonnie, Caroline brushes it off as a joke but Elena calls Stefan to warn him. Elena observes Damon almost kill Bonnie in his attempts to stop Emily from destroying the crystal. Elena later tells Bonnie all about vampires.

Stefan tells Elena that he's leaving town to protect her. She's hurt by this. Stefan tells her that Logan's a vampire and that he has taken Caroline hostage, however, when Caroline is freed safely Elena offers to drive him home despite his ability to get home himself. When they arrive at Stefan's house, she confesses her love for him and he kisses her. They sleep together for the first time but, when he leaves to get her some water, she finds a picture of Katherine and discovers she looks exactly like her. She drives away from him, hitting a man on the road who then gets up and attacks her as she screams.

Damon saves Elena and, after freeing her from the wreckage, she says "I look like her" before passing out in his arms. He carries her away and, when she wakes up in his car, he tells her that they're going to Atlanta. She ignores a call from Stefan and accepts Damon's offer to have fun for "five minutes". They arrive at Bree's Bar and Elena meets Bree, a witch and former flame of Damon's. Elena and Damon bond and Elena ends up getting drunk. Whilst taking a phone call from Jenna outside, she's kidnapped by Lee. When Damon goes to save her, Lee beats him up and almost kills him until Elena persuades him not to. Lee tells her that he was Lexi's boyfriend and leaves, sparing Damon in Lexi's memory. Damon returns Elena to Stefan and she demands the truth from him. He tells her that he saved her from the crash, learned she was adopted, and that he loves her. They kiss. Elena later confronts Jenna about the fact that she's adopted.

The night before the 50s Decade Dance, Jeremy invites a pizza guy inside, unaware that it is Noah. Noah later attacks Elena, but Stefan arrives in time to chase him off. Damon gives Elena the chance to attend the dance as bait, and she accepts. Whilst there, she receives a phone call from Noah who threatens to kill Jeremy if she doesn't leave the dance. Elena runs away and is able to fend him off until Stefan and Damon arrive. They interrogate him and discover that he's only following Elena because he was in love with Katherine, and he points them in the direction of Emily's grimoire before they kill him. Stefan later tells Elena that he has promised to help Damon use the grimoire to release Katherine from a tomb but it was a lie. Elena promises to help him.

When the vampires capture Stefan as revenge for being the reason they were locked away, Elena, Damon and Alaric help to save him. Elena helps Stefan escape and feeds him her blood as he is too weak. He then kills Frederick. Elena later consoles Matt after Vicki's body is found and he accepts her comfort in favor of Caroline's.

Elena asks Stefan to escort her to the Founder's Ball and, after witnessing Stefan's new out of control nature, he confesses to her that he's having trouble with his bloodlust.

Bonnie returns to town following her grandmother's death and tells Elena that because she blames Stefan and Damon for her death, she's not going to make Elena choose. Stefan agrees to be Elena's escort in the pageant. However, Damon tells her that Stefan is addicted to human blood and is out of control. Elena and Stefan get into a fight, and Stefan disappears. Damon steps in as Elena's escort and they dance together. Damon, Elena and Bonnie find Stefan about to kill Amber but Bonnie stops him. Later, Elena confronts Stefan but he attacks her. Realizing what he's become, he breaks down in her arms, and she injects him with vervain. Elena and Damon lock him in the basement. Elena and Damon begin to bond and Elena tells Stefan that she has faith in him, letting him out and giving him his ring. When she discovers he has left without his ring, planning to kill himself, she finds him by the quarry. She convinces him to keep fighting for her and they kiss.

When Elena's biological vampire mother arrives, demanding a meeting with Elena, she demands to go on a killing spree otherwise. She talks to Elena and reveals she wants the device which Damon has. Elena begins to cry and Bonnie sees her, but walks away. The next day, Bonnie shows up at her door and apologizes. Bonnie agrees to deactivate the device before giving it to Isobel and Elena convinces Damon that it will work. Elena gives the device to Isobel, thanking her for being a disappointment, and Isobel tells Elena that Damon's in love with her. Jeremy discovers that Elena has been lying to him and erased his memory about Vicki, making him act very cold towards her.

On Founder's Day, John activates the device and Elena and Alaric hide Stefan to protect him. They discover that Damon has been caught and Stefan goes in the burning building to find him. Elena confronts John about being her biological father, and tries to follow Stefan, but Bonnie stops her, dimming the flames so that Stefan can rescue Damon.

Elena returns home to discover that Damon is already there. Damon thanks Elena for being the reason Bonnie decided to save him and they end up kissing only to be caught by Jenna. She tells Elena to come inside, where she finds John. John tells her about the truth behind his feelings for Isobel and hatred for vampires. Elena then cuts off John's fingers and stabs him, revealing herself as Katherine. The real Elena returns home, telling Stefan over the phone that somebody stole her things, and hears Katherine and John.

Elena finds John on the kitchen floor. He tells her that his attacker is behind her, but Katherine uses her speed to escape. Elena goes to check on Jeremy who wakes up. She calls Stefan and he confirms that Jeremy is human, Anna's blood having healed the damage of the pills. Elena goes to the hospital and learns from Bonnie that Caroline is in critical condition following a car crash. Damon finds them and offers to give Caroline some of his blood to heal her. Bonnie tells him to do it, despite Elena's reservations, for Elena. Damon later tells Elena that they should talk about what happened, but she is oblivious to the kiss he shared with Katherine. Jenna shows up and, when Elena remains oblivious to where Jenna was (despite Jenna claiming to have told her), Damon discovers that Katherine's back. He and Elena return home to discover that Katherine just attacked Stefan.

 File:Jeremywake.jpg
 File:Damon-parla-con-elena-convinto-di-aver-baciato-lei-sulla-veranda.jpg
Stefan discovers that Damon kissed Katherine, believing her to be Elena, and tries to attack him but Elena stops them and says that they can't let Katherine win. Elena and Stefan visit John in hospital but he refuses to help, telling Elena that she should have staked Stefan by now. Elena tells John that such hatred will get him killed and leaves. Stefan threatens John into leaving, and Elena later tells Stefan that she's glad. At Richard Lockwood's wake, Damon asks Elena why she was surprised that he would kiss her. She reveals that the surprise was that he thought she would kiss him back, and he admits he's hurt. Bonnie arrives and reveals that Katherine left with Stefan.

Damon and Elena find Stefan recovering from a wound Katherine had inflicted for saying he hates her. Elena's jealous that Katherine wants Stefan back. That night, Elena discovers Damon in her room, drunk and depressed. He tries to convince her to tell him she loves him, as he knows she does, and forcefully kisses her. However, when she reveals that she will always love Stefan (similar to Katherine), Damon snaps Jeremy's neck. Elena discovers that John gave Jeremy his ring before leaving, and Stefan arrives to wait with Elena until Jeremy wakes up. Elena declares she hates Damon.

Damon tells Elena that Katherine killed Caroline, making her a vampire. Damon decides they need to kill her to stop her dying like Vicki, but Elena and Stefan refuse. Damon tries to stake Caroline, but Elena jumps between them, and Damon says that she will have to accept the blame for whatever Caroline does. When Bonnie tries to kill Damon for being behind Caroline's death, Elena stops her, telling her that this isn't them.

Elena, Stefan and Damon come up with the idea to go through Isobel's research at Duke. They ask for Alaric's help. Alaric, Damon and Elena travel to Duke where Vanessa Monroe shows them Isobel's research. Vanessa mistakes Elena for Katherine and shoots a crossbow at her, but Damon jumps in front of her. Elena explains her identity to Vanessa and gives her vervain to protect her from Damon after convincing him not to kill her. Discovering that a bite from a werewolf can kill a vampire, Elena calls Stefan to warn him. As they're leaving, Damon gives Elena a book on the Petrova Family, Katherine's original name. He asks her if he's lost her forever, but she just thanks him. Later, Damon confesses to Elena that he got lucky that Jeremy came back to life, as he didn't know that he would. Elena thanks him, but says he's lost her forever, revealing that she was only using him to get information on Katherine.

Katherine tells Stefan that he must stop seeing Elena, or else she will kill everyone Elena loves in front of her before killing her herself. Stefan and Elena stage a break up, but secretly continue dating. After Damon kills Mason, Katherine reveals that she has been compelling Jenna to spy on Elena. Under Katherine's compulsion, Jenna stabs herself. Elena goes to see Stefan and breaks up with him, realizing that she has been selfish. Damon tries to comfort her, but she merely says "Katherine won".

Lucy links Katherine to Elena before she goes to the Masquerade Ball to retrieve the moonstone. Suspicious when she learns that Jeremy and Stefan have both gone to the ball without her, she confronts Alaric, but he tells her to leave it alone. Elena sneaks out and confronts Jeremy and Bonnie. They tell her about their plan to kill Katherine. Elena then starts bleeding and crying out in pain and Bonnie discovers that Elena's linked to Katherine. Jeremy convinces Stefan and Damon to stop for Elena's sake and stays with her whilst Bonnie tries to find Lucy. Elena refuses Jeremy's offer of his ring. Afterwards, Bonnie's able to take the pain away. Elena talks to Stefan and discovers that Katherine is locked in the tomb. He tries to kiss her, but she rejects him, saying that she needs to be by herself and make sure everyone's safe. Heading to her car, she's kidnapped by a man in a clown mask.

 File:Rose-Elena.jpg
 File:Elena has a conversation with Elijah in S2.png
Elena discovers her kidnappers are two old vampires called Rose and Trevor. They reveal that they are handed her over to "Elijah," described as Elena's "worst nightmare". Rose reveals that the Curse of The Sun and The Moon can only be broken by Elena's death. Elena finds a note from Bonnie, telling her that Stefan and Damon are on their way. Elijah arrives and kills Trevor for betraying him, but grants Rose her freedom. Elijah then manages to compel Elena into telling him that the moonstone is in the tomb with Katherine. Stefan and Damon arrive and Damon manages to stake Elijah. Rose escapes and Elena tells Damon to let her go. Elena returns home where she reunites with Jeremy and Bonnie. She discovers Damon in her room and he returns her necklace to her, since Elijah took it. Before he gives it to her, he tells her he loves her but compels her to forget it.

Elena enlists Rose's help in contacting Klaus through Rose's friend Slater. Discovering that Slater's dead, they instead enlist his girlfriend Alice's help. Damon arrives to convince Elena not to offer herself to Klaus, but the three are confronted by two of Klaus' vampires. They are then killed by Elijah, and Rose escapes. Elijah leaves. Jeremy tells Elena that Stefan has been imprisoned in the tomb with Katherine, and Damon stops her from going to see him.

Elijah is able to enter Elena's house by winning favor with Jenna. He tells her of his plans to use Elena as bait to lure Klaus out of hiding so that he can kill him, in return for keeping those she loves safe. Elena decides to make the deal, on the conditions that Elijah frees Stefan from the tomb. He does so, and Stefan immediately visits Elena. They sleep together. Elena and Bonnie support Caroline after Brady tortures her.

Damon makes Elena stay with Rose once she's bitten by Jules. She comforts Damon after he's forced to kill Rose, aware that he cared for her. Stefan tries to contact Isobel to help in keeping Elena safe, but John shows up instead. Elena and Damon confront John.

Elena and Stefan visit the lake house to get away from things. They discover a secret door containing Johnathan Gilbert's journals and weapons to use against vampires.

 File:214VampireDiaries0546.jpg
After discovering the Gilbert journals Elena starts to read them and discovers that Stefan was just like Damon back then whilst Damon was the better brother. She confronts Stefan about it and he tells her the story about what he was like back then, and how Lexi was the one that changed him into a better vampire. Later, Elijah shows up at the lake house and Elena wants to renegotiate, asking him to promise not to harm anyone.

She then says that if he refuses her deal, she will let herself bleed to death so Klaus will never be able to go through with the sacrifice like Elijah wants. He calls her bluff, not believing she would kill herself for so little an issue. She stabs herself in the chest with a knife and he says she has his word if she lets him heal her. As she stumbles forward, she stabs him in the chest with the special dagger, thus killing him. He falls to the ground as Stefan feeds her his blood to cure her and Damon appears.

 File:215VampireDiaries1575.jpg
 File:Elena In S2.png  Elena is shocked and upset that Katherine is free from the tomb. At school, she goes to Alaric and they discuss how Jenna is asking a lot of questions about Isobel. Elena says that after they take care of Klaus they will tell her everything as it may be dangerous for her to not know anymore. Later that evening, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna go to The Grill for a girl's night out as Caroline is upset about her break-up with Matt, Jenna is upset about her situation with Alaric, and Bonnie needs to tell Elena about her relationship with Jeremy. Jonas Martin attacks, looking for Elena but Stefan gets her out and he uses Katherine to pretend to be Elena to save her.
 File:218VampireDiaries1550.jpg
Elena lashes out at John for Isobel's return and the fact that he invited her into the house. Later, Elena sits down and listens to what Isobel has to say. She goes with Stefan to the Lockwood house to accept a check from the Historical Society for her mother's foundation. Katherine then kidnaps her for Isobel. At Grove Hill cemetery, Isobel takes Elena there to show her the grave that Isobel's parents made when they couldn't find Isobel body after her presumed death. Isobel then tells Elena that she is sorry that she was a disappointment to her; she removed her lapis lazuli necklace and burned to death in the sun.

Elena plans on attending the 60's decade dance with her friends and starts receiving disturbing messages from Klaus. She discovers that Bonnie might die if she channels too much power at once, which is what she will have to do if she wants to kill Klaus. Elena confronts Damon when she learns he knew Bonnie had to die and slaps him. After Damon explains what happened she apologizes to him. He then tells her that if it means Elena will be safe, he would not mind letting Bonnie die, even doing it himself, as he will always choose her. Elena, believing she can save Bonnie, sneaks down in the basement and pulls the dagger from Elijah's heart, thus reviving him.

 File:220VampireDiaries1411.jpg
Elena is able to strike up another deal with Elijah. Damon is very unhappy about this, but Stefan accepts that this is what Elena wants to do and decides to trust her judgement. Elijah has a special elixir that would bring Elena back from the dead after the sacrifice as a human, but no one knows if it will work because of how old it is as it was originally intended for Katherine in the 1400's. Damon asks her what she will do if it doesn't work and she concludes that she will just be dead. Upset, he storms off but she follows him. He decides he is the only one who knows how to save Elena and so forces her to drink his blood so he can be sure she will come back, even as a vampire. Elijah puts the elixir away, as it is no longer necessary, and Stefan fights Damon for feeding Elena his blood but Damon stakes Stefan in the chest.

Stefan takes Elena away for the day, and she says she never wanted to be a vampire. Elena then says goodbye to Stefan and is taken away willingly by Klaus for the sacrifice. Elena arrives at the site to find that Klaus had made some changes to the sacrifice and that Jenna was being used as the vampire, having been turned by Klaus. Jules is brought along and all three are placed in fire rings by Greta Martin, Klaus' witch. Klaus then arrives and kills Jules as the first part before adding her blood to the moonstone that has been set ablaze.

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As Klaus is about to kill Jenna, Stefan arrives and asks to take Jenna's place but Klaus refuses and stabs Stefan as he says he has other plans for him. He then moves to kill Jenna but as Greta breaks the flames, Jenna runs towards her and bites her. However, Klaus gets to her and kills her before she can kill Greta. As he brings Elena out for the final part of the sacrifice, he thanks her and Elena tells him to go to Hell. He then drinks her blood and Elena dies as Stefan watches in horror, unable to move since Klaus stabbed him.

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As Klaus starts to turn, Bonnie arrives and starts attacking him with her witchcraft. Damon kills Greta and retrieves Elena so as to bring her back to the witch burial site. Bonnie attacks Klaus to the point of death at which point, Elijah intervenes and goes to finish Klaus but he betrays everyone when Klaus tells him that he can help him find his siblings that Klaus had killed and supposedly buried at sea. Elijah and Klaus escape and Bonnie is unable to stop them.

At the burial site, Damon whispers to a dead Elena that if she comes back as a vampire, he himself will stake her; he tells her not to, but he will because he couldn't stand the idea of her hating him forever for turning her. Elena awakens as a human because Bonnie and John had found a spell that could return her to life as a human by binding John's life force to hers. As Elena returns to life, John dies. Before the funeral, Jeremy gives her a letter from John and his ring. In the letter, he tells her that it is hard to be an ordinary father to an extraordinary daughter and that he had failed her because of his prejudices but tells her that he will love her nonetheless, if she is reading the letter as a human or as a vampire.

He tells her that he gave his life so that she could remain human and make the choices she wanted to make about having a child and all the choices a human could make. He tells her that the reason he gave her the ring was because he wanted her to give it to her child if she ever had one and that she would therefore succeed where he had failed. Elena is seen crying for both her father, her aunt and her adoptive parents as she places roses on each of their graves.

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She was forced to confront her feelings for Damon after she finds out he is dying from Tyler's Werewolf Bite. In an encounter with Damon he hallucinates and believes she is Katherine offering blood and he drinks Elena's blood until realizing what he is doing.

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Later in Damon's bedroom, as he is dying, he confesses his feelings to her and tells Elena he wishes she could have met him in 1864, because she would have liked him then. He tells her he loves her. Elena answers she likes him now just the way he is, and kisses him. He thanks her for forgiving him for everything, including killing Jeremy and feeding her his blood before the sacrifice. Suddenly Katherine appears with the cure from Klaus and tells them that Stefan traded himself for it.

Three months later after Stefan had left town with Klaus, in *The Birthday*, Elena has just turned eighteen and she is still desperately trying to find Stefan ever since he left Mystic Falls. She gets a lead from Sheriff Forbes and tells Damon. Damon goes with Alaric to Tennessee, while Elena stays with Caroline and Tyler who help plan her party. Later that night, Damon gives Elena the necklace that Stefan gave to her once, which she lost a while ago. He puts it on her, and after Elena discovers that Damon has been looking a lot more for Stefan than she thought, she confronts him about not telling her. Damon tells Elena that the victims are not Klaus', they are in fact Stefan's. Damon tells Elena that Stefan has flipped the switch and that he has become a full blown ripper. Elena continues to be in denial about this but Damon tells her to stop looking for Stefan and to stop waiting for him to come home. Damon then tells her that Stefan is gone and that he is not coming back, not in her lifetime. Devastated and crushed, Elena holds onto her necklace, which is a symbol of their love. At the end of her birthday, she gets a call from Stefan, even though he doesn't speak or say a word, Elena somehow knows that it is him on the other end of the line. Elena tells him that he will be okay, that she loves him and that he needs to hold onto that and never let that go.

In *The Hybrid*, Elena is as determined as ever to find Stefan and bring him back home. After unsuccessfully asking Damon for help, Elena goes and seeks help from Alaric. She then finds out information about werewolves and how certain packs could be hanging out with Tyler, specifically those packs in Tennessee. Alaric and Elena head off to the mountains, where they engage in banter, and her telling Alaric that he's not a lost cause. Damon surprises her and flings her into the lake. Alaric had sold her out, as he didn't want to take her somewhere without protection. The trio find Ray Sutton in the woods, and he attacks Damon. After bombing him with a wolfs bane grenade, they tie him up, and Elena is determined to ask him the whereabouts of Stefan. Ray starts to change into a werewolf while the sun is up. As Damon lures him away, Elena and Alaric run off to the car. Later, in her room, Damon tells Elena that he will help her search for Stefan and bring him back, but he wants her to remember that in Stefan's absence, she was worried about Damon getting hurt, and that she has to remember those feelings.

In *The End of the Affair*, Elena and Damon go to Chicago where they find Stefan and Klaus. They go into their apartment and she sees a list if all Stefan's victims and is in shock. Later, she hides in the closet when Stefan and Klaus enter. Stefan sees her but doesn't say anything. She gets Damon to distract Klaus so she can talk to Stefan and drug him with vervain but it doesn't work. Elena then is extremely heartbroken and hurt when Stefan tells her he doesn't want to see her again and no longer cares for her.

In *Disturbing Behavior*, Damon helps Elena prepare for the Lockwood party. Later, when Damon wants to go after Bill Forbes, Elena and Alaric try to stop him but Damon kills Alaric. Elena calls Caroline for help. After the fight between Damon and Caroline, she yells at Damon and asks him what's wrong with him. He tells her he is not Stefan and that she should stop trying to turn him into him.

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In *The Reckoning*, Elena and the others plan Senior Prank Night when she walks into Klaus and he brings her into the gym. Later, she watches him turn Tyler into a hybrid. When Stefan enters, saying Elena means nothing to him, Klaus hits Elena and as she falls, Stefan attacks Klaus but gets compelled to attack Elena. When "time's up," Elena runs away but while Stefan tries to follow, Klaus makes Stefan "turn it off" and he bites Elena, attempting to drink her blood. Later, Damon saves her from the hospital and brings her to the Salvatore Boarding House where she is upset about all that has happened.

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In *Smells Like Teen Spirit*, Elena is being trained by Alaric. At their first day of senior year, Elena is upset because its her and Stefan's anniversary. Later, she meets Stefan and he tells her he's only there to watch out for her, on Klaus' command. After this, Elena, Damon and Alaric hatch a plan to capture Stefan. Elena is now on the bleachers, pretending to be drunk, and almost falls. Stefan is there as well, telling her not to be stupid. She does end up falling, and he catches her. Alaric shoots Stefan. Elena, Damon, and Alaric load Stefan's body into the car. Vicki's ghost spills some gas and throws a cigarette in it to start a fire. Elena's trapped in the car and Vicki's keeping the car locked so she can't get out. Elena wakes Stefan who kicks the back door open, and they get out just in time. Damon does some first aid on Elena before Alaric prepares to take her home. Stefan is surprised that Elena thinks his humanity can be salvaged; he calls her pathetic. In retaliation, she stabs him.

 File:The-Vampire-Diaries-3x07-Lexi-and-Elena-try-to-break-Stefan.jpg   In *Ghost World*, Elena asks Jeremy to contact Lexi so she can help Stefan like she did the first time. Once Lexi arrives, her and Elena trap Stefan in an old prison. Lexi begins to drain every inch of blood from Stefan and stabs him multiple times in the chest. Stefan then begins to confess his love for Elena but Lexi tells her not to let him in.
In *Ordinary People*, Elena, Alaric, and Damon are investigating the cave with images about the history of the original family. Elena decides to go to the source of the story: Rebekah. Elena and Rebekah have a long conversation about what happened to her family and the beginning of vampires. After discovering what had happened, Elena returns to the cave with Alaric and Bonnie. Elena learns the truth about Esther and her death. Elena returns with Rebekah, who tells her Klaus killed her mother, not Mikael.

In *Homecoming*, Elena neutralizes Mikael so Stefan and Rebekah can attract Klaus back to Mystic Falls. Elena and Damon make preparations for the destruction of Klaus. Damon does not trust Mikael, or Stefan, so tells Elena that has a Plan B: use Katherine to avoid putting her on the battlefield. When Matt is going to pick up Rebekah, Elena tells him that if he does not mind going with "someone" else. Eventually, Matt and Katherine, who is disguised as Elena, arrive at the party, but they learn that Klaus is planning something of his own. When Mikael comes to the celebration, he uses to Elena to attract Klaus but she is "killed" in the process. In the middle of the fight between Klaus and Damon, Katherine is revealed and attacks the hybrids with vervain bombs. Shortly after, Elena finds out what happened and tries to console a distraught Damon over losing Stefan to Klaus and not killing Klaus. Elena tells Damon that she accepts that Stefan is gone and never returning and that they will be fine without him.

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In *The New Deal*, Elena is jogging around town but is being chased by one of Klaus' hybrids, Tony. She then meets Bonnie at the Grill and Bonnie tells her about her weird dreams. Elena hints that these dreams could reveal a way to kill Klaus. Bonnie switches to another topic: Damon. Elena talks with a drunk Damon, who is playing darts. They talk but get interrupted by Klaus who was there with Tony. Klaus orders them to find Stefan so that he can get his family back. Preparing lunch with Alaric, Jeremy comes home and tells them he was hanging out with Tyler. He then invites him in and they talk about his sire bond to Klaus. Elena learns about how serious it was when Tyler said that he would rip his heart out if Klaus demanded that. After Tyler left, Elena and Alaric turn their back on Jeremy and the next moment he was gone, not wearing his ring. They went outside and saw him standing on the street, unable to move. A car comes and was about to hit Jeremy when Alaric pushed him away, saving his live. Instead of Jeremy, Alaric dies but he is wearing his ring. Elena calls Damon and he tells her that Stefan has four coffins. She remembers Bonnie's dream and calls her to prove her guess. Together with Damon, she goes to Stefan. As Damon can't move on, she goes to talk to Stefan. She tells him that Klaus tried to kill Jeremy but when he shows no compassion or emotion, she slaps him and tells him to go to Hell.

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Elena leaves Damon alone and goes back home. There, Alaric awakens but something was wrong with his ring. He calls the ambulance but Tony, who stands in the door, compelled them to leave. He gives Elena the option to let him in but he was then killed by Jeremy who cut his head off. She makes a deal with Klaus to get Jeremy spared. Klaus promises that he can control Rebekah and she tells him that Rebekah knows that Klaus killed her mother. Damon comes to Elena and she tells him what she did. She gets him to compel Jeremy to leave town, as he does. Elena and Damon kiss.

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In *Our Town*, Elena is training at Alaric's. She then goes to school, informing Bonnie that Jeremy was compelled to leave town. Bonnie is not happy to hear it. Together with Bonnie and Matt, Elena prepares a party at the Forbes' House for Caroline as it is her birthday. As they see, she is not in the mood so they throw her a "funeral" at the cemetery instead. She reveals the cake and Bonnie then lights the candles herself. All four have a good time talking about Caroline's achievements and Caroline reveals she is upset because she will be seventeen forever. Bonnie then becomes angry with Elena, claiming she controls everyone's lives because she made Jeremy leave town. Bonnie leaves. Looking for Caroline after she went away with Tyler, Elena is grabbed and thus kidnapped by Stefan.

Elena is in a car with Stefan. Stefan calls Damon to inform him that he has kidnapped Elena. Stefan feeds her his blood and threatens to Klaus that he will transform her into a vampire by driving her off Wickery Bridge. Klaus agrees that he will do what Stefan wants; Stefan wants Klaus' hybrids out of town, causing Stefan to stop the car when Klaus agreed. Elena is sad and angry at Stefan and wants to know his reasons for taking her. Stefan drives off and Damon takes Elena home. They talk about the kiss. In the morning, she says goodbye to Jeremy, who is leaving. Together with Bonnie she watches until Jeremy is gone. Later, she meets Matt at Wickery Bridge, talking about how they have changed.

In *The Ties That Bind*, Elena was taken to the Witch Burial Ground by Bonnie, who showed her the coffins there. Against what Stefan wanted, she brought her there and then says that her mother could help open the coffin. Elena helps Bonnie with research, having the data of every Abby Bennett in town. Damon came and showed them the right one. Bonnie doesn't know why Damon and Elena are behaving so differently. Damon explains that they kissed. Elena goes on a trip with Bonnie to Abby's House. They are let in by Jamie who is Abby's stepson who she raised since she left his father. Abby appears and tells Elena that she knew her adoptive mother and that she was the one who entombed Mikael in the 90's to save the Petrova doppelgänger.

Elena went outside, looking around, and suddenly Stefan appears in front of her. They talk but get interrupted by Jamie who tries to protect Elena from Stefan. Stefan compels Jamie to leave but not long after he returns with a rifle, shooting Stefan. Elena was tied up to a pole by him. Later, Elena knocks him out and helps Stefan to get the wooden bullets out. She admits that she kissed Damon but tells him she's not telling him because she's guilty it happened, instead because she feels guilty that he doesn't know. Stefan tells her that she's better than both of them were, but is clearly hurt. Stefan later punches Damon for kissing her. She later walks in the Gilbert House when Alaric and Meredith Fell were kissing.

In *Bringing Out The Dead*, Sheriff Forbes visits Alaric and Elena, informing them that the stake which was used on the medical examiner is one of the Gilbert arsenal. Later, she calls Damon and informs him about this while he is meeting Elijah because she suspects that Stefan has killed the medical examiner. She goes to him and they talk. Stefan suggests she should ask Damon if he recently killed someone. She meets Caroline in the hospital, visiting her father. After Caroline calls him and hears his phone ringing they find him dead, a Gilbert dagger driven through his heart; he was, however, fed vampire blood before so he awakens in transition. During the dinner with Klaus and Elijah, Elena is mentioned several times. When Elijah talks about Tatia and when Klaus thinks that Elena should grow old with Matt so they can have a children, so that every few hundred years there will be a new Petrova doppelgänger. Because it's only a matter of time before Damon and Stefan will turn her into a vampire, Klaus states that the worst thing for her was the Salvatore brothers. Elena comes home with Matt, finding Alaric bleeding to death. He wanted her to stab him because she's supernatural and he would came back to life. Rebekah threatens to kill Elena.

In *Dangerous Liaisons*, Elena and Matt are at the hospital where Alaric is being taken care of. As Elena is going to her car, Elena is attacked by Rebekah but before she could kill Elena, Elijah came in to save her. The following morning, Elena receives an invitation from Esther, asking her to come to the ball. Elena wants to find out what Esther wants so she tries to go to the ball, but Damon refuses by saying that it was a bit too dangerous for her to go. At the ball, she dances with Damon and Stefan. Later on she asks Stefan to help distract Damon so she can go and see Esther alone.

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After Stefan has Damon distracted by temporarily breaking his neck and rendering him unconscious, Elena goes to Esther, but before she gets there she meets Elijah who asks Elena to tell him what Esther said to her. Elena says that she will find him later and goes to Esther's room. In her room, Esther explains the reason why she is really back from the dead, and she also says that she requires Elena's help to kill all of her children. Esther pricks Elena's finger and takes a few drops of blood. Esther says that she needs the Petrova doppelgänger's blood to complete a spell that will bind all the Originals as one, so if one dies, they all die. Elena goes down the stairs where she meets Elijah who asks what his mother told her, and Elena lies by saying that his mother only wanted to say sorry for trying to kill her. Later, Damon gets upset that Elena went behind his back to meet Esther, and she rejects him. After being dropped home by Stefan she tries to ask him if he felt anything. Stefan denies he feels anything and that if he let himself care, all he would feel is pain. He then leaves Elena at her doorstep in deep thought.

In *All My Children*, Elena tries calling both Stefan and Damon but neither of them want to listen to her. Angry, she goes to the Salvatore boarding house and sees Damon and Rebekah together, she gets upset knowing that they slept together. Angry, she leaves and goes to Caroline's house, where they try a privacy spell with Bonnie.

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Later, Elijah goes to Elena's house where he requests her to join him. He brings her to the forest area correlating with the Lockwood's land, explaining his world prior to the modern change. Elena tries to compose herself, however Elijah points out he knew that she was lying the whole time. Unable to lie anymore, she confesses the truth and her guilt, expressing that she'd do anything to help. Elijah, who has planned everything, grabs her and shatters the ground, trapping her in the underground cellars. While down in the cellars, Elena realizes that Rebekah is down there with her, too.

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After Damon, Stefan, Caroline, and Alaric successfully plan to and dagger Kol, Rebekah drops down, and this gives Elena time to run away. She gets to the cave under the old Lockwood property, where vampires can't enter. Getting creative, Rebekah returns with a tank of gasoline and a box of matches, more than willing to end Elena. Elena, however, stalls her under the guise that Rebekah has always wanted to see her suffer so what would it be for her if she were to end it right in the present. Elena hears the news and the price of saving her, leading her to seek Bonnie who is watching over Abby who is in transition.

Caroline asks her to leave, because even though Bonnie is alright since the goal was to save her friend it seems that Bonnie is the one who always gets hurt. Elena decides to leave but asks Caroline to tell Bonnie about her gratitude and love. Elijah leaves Elena a letter of apology saying that his actions were to preserve the one thing that matters most to him, his family. He tells Elena that her compassion is a gift and that he truly regrets what he has done.

In *1912*, Elena and Matt go on a run. She's upset. He mentions he's talked to Bonnie. Abby has decided to complete the transformation and become a vampire. Caroline's going to help her through it. Damon turned her mother into a vampire to save Elena's life. She feels responsible. Elena gets a call from Elizabeth and goes to the courthouse. Damon tells Elena he plans to stay out of it. He needles her and says everything is back to normal as he is mean and she hates him. She tells him if he keeps pushing people away, he's going to end up alone. Elena goes to meet Meredith at the hospital, but Meredith doesn't want to listen to her. Matt helps Elena break into Meredith's.

Elena checks the closet and finds a secret compartment. There are boxes of files. There are files on Brian Walters, Bill, and Alaric. In Meredith's box, they find an old Gilbert journal. A country coroner's report contradicts the ME's time of death. They hear footsteps and hide in the closet. Meredith arrives home. They wait until it's quiet and open the door. Meredith is standing outside it. After being released from the Sheriff's, Matt and Elena go around the corner of the Grill and see Stefan having just drank blood. Elena is aghast and walks off. Back at Elena's, Matt doesn't understand her thing with the Salvatores. She says she felt safe with Stefan after he parents died, which she realizes sounds crazy. She knew he would never stop loving her and he would never die. Damon just sneaked up on her, she says. Matt says you can't shake someone once you fall in love with them. He gives her the old Gilbert journal he swiped from Meredith. Elizabeth didn't notice he took it. Matt says it's a good thing he's the only normal person amongst vampires, as it makes him invisible. As Alaric arrives home, Elena runs to hug him. Elena reads through the old Gilbert journal. Alaric tells her he doesn't want her getting in trouble for him. She suggests they agree to take care of each other. She thought it was Johnathan Gilbert's diary, but it is actually his granddaughter, Samantha's, who went just as crazy as he did. Elena reads the journal, in which Samantha says she's losing time and doesn't feel like herself. Elena and Meredith realize that Alaric's ring makes him commit murders.

In *Break On Through*, Meredith and Elena are talking about Alaric's condition and how it can be cured. Elena asks Meredith when she found out Alaric was the killer and why she didn't tell anyone. Meredith then replies that she found out when Alaric told her about the ring, and it's because she's a doctor and she doesn't enjoy seeing people suffer for things that they have no control over and that it's because when she met Alaric, she knew that she just had to help him. Damon shows up at the hospital to come and get Alaric and he promises Elena that he will make sure that Alaric won't kill anyone else.

Elena is angry because Damon let Stefan feed on an innocent girl. Damon tells her that he is helping him by teaching Stefan how to control his blood lust. Elena then tells him that he is the last person who should teach Stefan about self-control. Elena arrives at the Salvatore boarding house and is surprised when she sees Stefan. Stefan tells her the story of Samantha. Elena calls Bonnie and asks if she can help Alaric.

In *The Murder of One*, Elena drops by Alaric's apartment and asks Damon if she can see him, but he refuses and she leaves. Later, in the woods, Elena tells Caroline that Alaric might have killed her father. Matt, Damon, and Stefan arrive. Damon and Stefan tell the others that they found more, and all of them quickly make a plan to kill the Originals. Finn and Sage arrive in the middle of town, where Caroline and Matt ask Elena to call Stefan and tell him of the Originals being in the area. Stefan comes to the Grill, where Finn and Sage are taking shots.

In *Heart of Darkness*, on Stefan's suggestion, Elena and Damon go to Denver to see Jeremy. Elena still seems to struggle with her feelings for Damon. They share a passionate kiss in the motel but are interrupted by Jeremy and end up fighting later.

In *Do Not Go Gentle*, Elena follows Caroline's advice and asks Stefan to accompany her to the dance. She encounters Esther at the dance, and tells Jeremy to warn Stefan and Damon. Esther tells Elena that she means her no harm, but she must leave the dance and follow her, willingly or not. Elena decides to follow Esther to the site where the Originals were created. She is surprised to see Alaric there, but realizes that he is possessed by the Darkness of the Gilbert Ring. Esther informs Elena that she still plans on killing her children, and to ensure her plan a success this time, she will tap into the dark magic she used to turn her family into vampires. By turning Alaric into an Original, he will have strength and speed that surpasses her children, making him the "ultimate vampire hunter". Esther tells Elena that her blood is necessary for the spell, as Tatia's blood was used in the ritual a thousand years previously. Elena says she won't donate blood, but Esther uses a spell that draws blood from Elena's heart and makes her finger bleed. Elena's blood is added to the mixture, which Alaric drinks. Esther then stabs Alaric in the heart with the White Oak Stake. Esther tells Rebekah that when Alaric wakes up, he will be himself for some time. Elena, horrified, tells Esther her methods are despicable, since she is not only getting rid of bad vampires, but good vampires as well. Esther criticizes Elena for saying so, stating that she desires a world where mankind will no longer fall victim to vampires, and uses Jenna as an example. Elena scolds Esther, telling her not to use Jenna as an excuse for her actions. Esther tries to console Elena, informing her that Jenna isn't trapped on the Other Side like she was.

She explains that even though Jenna was turned into a vampire, she remained pure, and knows peace, which is what everybody hopes for. Esther hears sounds coming from outside, where she finds Matt and Jeremy aiming rifles at her. Just as Esther is about to kill them, Alaric awakens and stabs her from behind, killing her. Alaric informs Elena and Jeremy that he doesn't want to complete the transition and Elena and Jeremy say their goodbyes.

In *Before Sunset*, Elena and Jeremy repaint Alaric's bedroom. Stefan comes by to check on them, and Jeremy criticizes Stefan for not giving them a reprieve from vampires for one day. Jeremy then leaves Alaric's room. Elena tells Stefan that Jeremy didn't mean it, but Stefan disagrees. Later, Elena receives a call from Alaric's cell, and she tells them that the joke is not funny. She is startled when she hears Alaric who she thought was dead. Alaric tells her to come to school and not inform anyone of her whereabouts, otherwise he will kill Caroline. Elena complies with his demands, and finds Caroline held captive in his classroom. Elena tells Alaric to let Caroline go, and he allows Elena to free her. However, Alaric goes against his word, berating Elena for trusting vampires. He goes on a tangent about how Elena's parents joined the Founder's council to protect the town from vampires and that Miranda and Grayson would be disappointed in her for protecting vampires instead. He hands Elena the White Oak Stake and tells her to kill Caroline or else he will and ensure Caroline a painful death. Elena pretends to stake Caroline, but attacks Alaric instead. She sees a cup filled with vervain solution sitting on his desk and splashes it all over his face, giving her enough time to free Caroline. Caroline manages to escape, but Alaric recovers, blocking the classroom door. He holds Elena against the lockers, informing her that he should kill her just as he killed Brian and Bill. Stefan and Damon arrive, trying to hold Alaric down, but he overpowers them and knocks them both out. Klaus appears out of nowhere, plunging his fist into Alaric's chest and making a connection with his bloodstream. This prompts Bonnie to commence her desiccation spell. However, Alaric overpowers Klaus, and the connection is broken. Just as Alaric is about to kill Klaus with the White Oak Stake, Elena tells him to stop, brandishing a knife and threatening to kill herself. Alaric tells Elena to put her weapon down, but Elena questions why, asking if its just because he still needs her alive. Elena figures out that when Esther turned Alaric into an Original, she didn't want him to be truly immortal. To prevent this, she linked his life to Elena. That way, he only has one lifespan to kill the other Originals. Alaric doesn't confirm this, but panics when Elena starts to pierce her neck with the knife. This gives Klaus the chance to escape, and he takes Elena with him.

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Elena wakes up strapped to a chair and hooked up with IVs in Klaus' mansion. Klaus is intent on killing Elena by draining her of blood. That way, Alaric will die and his greatest threat will be gone. Elena tells Klaus that by killing her, he won't have enough blood to create a hybrid army like he wants. Klaus says whatever amount of blood he receives from her will have to suffice, and that it doesn't really matter to him because he has his family. Elena asks him that if he believes that, then why he has to take blood from her at all. She explains that Klaus wants a back-up family, since he knows his siblings will never trust him again. Klaus changes the subject to Stefan and Damon, telling Elena that Stefan blamed him for splitting him and Damon apart. He says that he's not the one responsible, but she is. He knows that once Elena chooses a Salvatore, she will break their bond. He explains that by killing her, she won't have to choose and neither brother will get hurt. He then asks her which brother she would choose, and Elena responds by telling him to go to Hell. Tyler enters the scene, shocked at the state of Elena's condition. He attempts to rescue her, but is caught by Klaus who previously asked him to leave. Klaus asks Tyler how he broke the sire bond and just as he is about to kill Tyler, Stefan and Damon arrive to save them. Stefan plunges his fist into Klaus' chest and Bonnie performs her desiccation spell. Then Damon helps Elena up. After Klaus is desiccated, Elena returns home to find the others celebrating a Klaus-free life. After the party, Elena mysteriously faints, and she begins to bleed. with a booty

In *The Departed*, Elena returns from Mystic Falls hospital and remembers about how her life was before vampires: she was a popular high school cheerleader and all she had to deal with was her relationship with Matt. Elena wakes up from her sleep and sees Matt watching over her, and she tells him she was sorry for leading him on. Elena remarks that she's doing the same thing with Stefan and Damon, but she knows that if she chooses a brother, she'll lose the other. Elijah visits the Gilbert house to make a deal with Elena.

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Elijah requests that Elena hand Klaus over to them, and in return, promises not to awaken for the remainder of her lifetime or her children's lifetimes. Elena agrees to the deal, much to Damon's dismay. Matt and Jeremy realize that Elena's in danger because of Alaric so they plan to send Elena out of town. Matt secretly drugs Elena's tea, and Elena wakes up to find herself in Matt's car, both of them driving away from Mystic Falls. Eventually, the two find out that Klaus was killed by Alaric and that Tyler died. Matt delivers Elena an ultimatum: she can choose to head to the warehouse to be with Damon or she can return home to her friends, and Stefan. Elena chooses to head back to town, and calls Damon, informing him that she chooses Stefan. She tells him that Stefan came into her life at a time when she really needed someone, and even though she developed feelings for him, her feelings for Stefan still remained. Elena says things may be different if she had met him before Stefan. Elena tells him she'll see him soon, and Damon gives his goodbye. Damon then remembers how he had, in fact, met Elena before Stefan but had compelled her to forget. While heading back to Mystic Falls, Elena and Matt drive off Wickery Bridge when Rebekah stands in the middle of the bridge. Elena experiences flashbacks of when her parents were underwater and died in the first accident. While Stefan goes into the water, trying to save Elena first, Elena refuses and points to Matt, wanting Stefan to save him first; in the past, he tried to save Grayson first, who motioned for him to save Elena instead. During a fight between Damon and Alaric, Alaric suddenly falls onto to ground not knowing what is happening to him. Damon does, however.

Damon isn't able to believe he's dying, knowing that if Alaric is dying, then Elena must be dying. Damon then cries, repeating, "You are not dead." Later, Stefan is seen at Elena's side, mourning over her death. Damon rushes to the hospital, demanding to know where Elena is. Meredith stops him, telling him she gave Elena vampire blood earlier that day because of a cerebral hemorrhage, (bleeding of the brain) as she would have died otherwise. After that, Elena awakens as a vampire 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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".

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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 has not 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.

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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.

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Before the memorial mass starts, the Mayor invites April to speak. When the girl does not 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.

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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 did not think I was capable of hate. But. I. Hate. Her. ... And I hate that I hate her."

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When Elena goes to the bathroom to clean up, Rebekah sends a bleeding classmate into the ladies' room after her. Elena does not 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.

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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 is not 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.

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.

Only this time she does not 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*".

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 does not 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.

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.

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 does not 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 insult 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 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.

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.

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 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 should not 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 have 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 sneaked 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 could not 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, 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 would not 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 could not 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.

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 did not 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. Yo have 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.

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 would not play nice: She said she did not care if Elena died, but if it was going to happen, it should be epic.

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 is not 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 does not 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 could not 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.

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 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 could not 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.

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 would not 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 was not 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 does not go crazy like Alaric had. Meredith went into doctor mode and told her how Jeremy's body would start to bloat if they did not 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.

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 did not 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.

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 have 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."

Elena went upstairs and now smelled what everyone else had. Damon came in, and she would not 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 did not 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.

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 would not. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 does not buy it. She knows Damon is only there for the cure and she has decided to find go find it herself.

Special musical guest, Dead Sara, performs while Damon, Rebekah and Elena do shots. He tells the girls that Lexi was not allowed to feed with Stefan but he did not 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 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 does not 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.

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 did not 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.

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 does not 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 does not want the cure but she does.

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.

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 was not herself, and it was not 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 had not know that. Katherine had not 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 did not 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.

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 have 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 20's. 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.

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 suddenly 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.

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.

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 did not have to do anything. Nobody would want Katherine. In retaliation, Katherine leaves her cell door unlocked so she can escape.

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 does not 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.

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, 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 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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. File:5x05-02.jpg   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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Tessa was able to perform the spell in time and bring Bonnie back to life. Elena and Caroline 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 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.

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.

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.

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 snapped 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.

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.

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. File:5x16.jpg   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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 doppelgänger prophecy is not true and the reason why doppelgängers are drawn together is because of a spell that he casted 1500 years ago because travelers needed their blood.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 doppelgänger 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, 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.

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 doppelgängers 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.

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.

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.

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'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.

In *I'll Remember*, four months after Damon and Bonnie's death, Elena returns to the border of Mystic Falls and attacks a couple who were leaving their camp site. She spends her time in the woods and is planning on becoming a doctor. The teacher Jo Laughlin asks Elena a question and her answer is completely irrelevant, this is when she meets Liam who tells her he was impressed, this position gives her an advantage because she gets unlimited blood bag supply. She meets Alaric in his new classroom, commenting on how weird it is seeing him as her college teacher.

She pretends everything is normal and tells Caroline (via phone call) to come to Whitmore and support the football team. But she refuses because she's spending time with her mother. Luke signals her, revealing the herbs she wanted, but she shakes her head because she's with Tyler. It is revealed that she has been using the herbs to hallucinate none-other than 'Damon'. During Alaric's class, Elena drinks blood, but Alaric tells her to put it away because he can't control his bloodlust around other students. After class she meets up with Luke and tells him that she wants a different batch of herbs because the other ones make her hungry. Later on the phone with Matt, she (on loud speaker) tells Jeremy to do something productive but he's being stubborn.

Luke tells Elena that he can't help her anymore because the stuff makes her crazy. However, she begins to emotionally blackmail him about being responsible for Damon's death and she begins to frantically search his room. Frustrated, she resorts to violence and threatens him. Later in the car, with 'Damon' she has a normal conversation with him but 'Damon' tells her she is living in denial, which makes her upset but shrugs it off.

Alaric leaves her a message as she becomes more hungry and feeds on Monique. Caroline stops her and Sarah gets away. Elena tries to stop her but can't because of the anti-magic spell. Caroline then realizes that Elena is the "boarder lurker". Elena reveals that the herbs help her see Damon but Caroline begins to understand Elena's problem and tells her that there are better ways to get through it. However, Elena says that everyone else has their way of grieving and this is hers.

She then contacts Stefan to get find solace from him but he tells her that there she should move on, this makes Elena very upset. Later on, Elena takes more of the herbs to have a final talk with 'Damon' and tells him that she has to let go but he he makes her angry and she throws everything temple about and eventually breaks down but is comforted by 'Damon'. Finally, she asks Alaric to compel her to erase Damon out of her mind, since he is an Enhanced Original.

In *Yellow Ledbetter*, in order to forget Damon, Elena packs up all her photos of Damon, along with his old clothes. She tells Matt and Jeremy her plan to have Alaric compel away her feelings for Damon and asks that they keep the truth from her. Alaric sits down with Elena and tells her that in order to erase her feeling for Damon, she needs to go back to when she first realized she loved him. He explains that the signature memory about Damon will affect all the others when he alters it. She's sad to be losing her memories of Damon as she doesn't want to stop loving him, but knows she needs to. Elena begins to relive old memories of her and Damon. She first tells him about their first meeting and how exciting she felt. Alaric changes it to meeting a stranger.

Later, Elena talks to Caroline, who surprises her by objecting to her plan, but then tells her to do what's best for her. Caroline is on the road with Enzo, who won't tell her where they're going.Elena shares more Damon memories with Alaric, including when he stepped in as her escort for Miss Mystic Falls. She remembers it was the first time she noticed how sexy he was. But erasing that doesn't change things. They go through every moment she can come up with but none of them undo how she feels. Every time Alaric asks *"Who is Damon Salvatore?"*, each time Elena responds with *"He was my boyfriend, I loved him, he died."* Eventually, Alaric tells Elena that it will not work if she does not admit when she fell for Damon, Elena says she cannot carry on and wants to stop.

After consulting Caroline, Alaric is told that she denies when she fell for him because she was with Stefan. When consulting Elena, he tells her it is ok to love them both, Elena responds with *"It's ok to love them both, that's what Katherine said."* Elena finally admits the day she realized her love for him was her birthday after she and Damon spent all summer looking for Stefan. He gave her the necklace Stefan gave her that she had lost. She knew how much it hurt him as he loved her but he still gave her a thing that represented hope for her and Stefan. She says how selfless he was and in that moment she loved him. Alaric then alters this memory, and she remembers the night ending with Damon snapping Jeremy's neck in front of her. Finally, she doesn't remember Damon as her lover, but as a monster who died. At the end, a compelled Elena calls Caroline and tells her she feels like things are taking a turn for the better and is ready to go to a party. Caroline offers to come spend the night in the dorms.

In *Welcome to Paradise*, its the day after Elena has lost her memories of loving Damon which means the party day. Elena tries to convince Caroline to stay at school and come to a party at the swimming hole. Caroline tells her about having breakfast with Enzo and Elena asks her to invite him as well. Elena invites one of her fellow hospital volunteers, Liam, to the party. Then she sees Stefan standing in the hallway and is happy to see him after four months. They catch up in classroom and Elena tells Stefan how much she's enjoying her volunteer time at the hospital. When Elena mentions how it has been to get over losing Bonnie, Stefan notices that she doesn't mention Damon. When he says he wants to talk to Caroline, Elena invites Stefan to the party. Stefan agrees to come once he hears Enzo will be there. On the way to the swimming hole, Stefan and Elena tell about Caroline to Liam. When they reach the swim hole, the party is in full effect, with beer, booze and bikinis. Elena strips down then shows off by doing a back flip from the rope swim. When she comes up, she sees Jeremy making out with Sarah. With Sarah gone, Elena asks him why he'd risk hanging out with the girl she attacked. Jeremy says that Sarah is compelled so it doesn't matter. Elena calls Stefan but doesn't reach him which doesn't surprise Caroline.

Elena summons Matt and Tyler for Jell-o shots, but Tyler declines for "rage issue" reasons and Matt says he has to deal with Jay. Elena thinks they're drifting apart and Caroline makes a subtle reference to Elena choosing to forget about Damon, and all her problems. The boys excuse themselves. Caroline bites her tongue, but leaves Elena by herself.

Later, at the swimming hole, Elena apologizes to Liam that he didn't meet Caroline, but he's fine with it. He kisses Elena. She thinks it's a red flag given that she's trying to set him up with her friend, but he has a sneaking suspicion that's her type. Later, Elena hears Stefan and Caroline arguing, she goes and hugs Caroline after Stefan leaves her heartbroken. Jeremy tells Caroline and Elena that compulsion is magic and doesn't work inside Mystic Falls which means Sarah knows what Elena is and has been lying this whole time.

At Whitmore, Elena receives a call from Jeremy informing her about Sarah leaving Salvatore house and is nowhere to be found. Elena and Caroline prepare to go search for her. Caroline tells Elena she's going to stay and Elena is happy to know that. She admits to Elena that she misses Stefan. Elena asks Caroline if she has feelings for him. Caroline confesses maybe she did.

In *Black Hole Sun*, Elena along with Stefan is searching for Sarah at Mystic Falls' border. When she sees him leaving to go to Savannah she stops him and asks him not to leave. He claims he has a system for starting over. She tells him to prove that he's ok and if this system actually works she'll let him go, otherwise she'll subject him to "Enzo-sized" harassment. At Savannah, Stefan explains to Elena that he tries to live as human a life as possible. He finds it odd when Elena remarks on how much Damon liked to torture people. He tells her the next step to starting over is deciding who you want to be for the next 30 years.

Stefan takes her to a bar and asks for Elena's daylight ring. He gets down on one knee and proposes to Elena Williams (an alternate identity). She goes along with it, asking Stefan Cooper if he is only proposing because she's pregnant. He says she's stood by him through his the multiple rehabs, the jail time, the bullfighting injury. She tries to keep from cracking up as she accepts his proposal and hugs him. The fellow customers at bar believe their joke and start clapping for the "happy couple".

While eating, they talk about life and what made Stefan return to Mystic Falls. After believing that Stefan's way of moving on works she says good-bye to him and leaves. Few minutes later, she returns to take back her jacket and sees a guy hitting Stefan Elena rushes in and ends it by compelling the man to go home and forget everything. Elena realizes that Stefan letting himself get beat up was part of his system. He tells her she's the last person who should be giving him advice on coping mechanisms. He scoffs when she says she fought through her grief over Bonnie all by herself. She asks Stefan why he's inflicting so much pain on himself for such a hateful person (Damon). *"He doesn't deserve your grief"* Elena says. Finally, Stefan can't take it anymore and tells her that she had Alaric compel her to forget loving Damon.

Elena goes back to Alaric for answers and he gives her her own journal, which is a diary dedicated to her and Damon. She wrote an entry to herself just in case someone spills her about her decision to forget her love for Damon. She had written *"Facing an eternity without your soul mate, you turned into someone you're not-A monster"*. She wrote that she hopes she won't have Alaric restore her memories and she'll find a way to start over. She decides to follow her own advice and gives Alaric the journal back for safe keeping just in case she needs it again.

In *The World Has Turned and Left Me Here*, Elena invites Liam to attend the Corn Maize with her. She also convinces both Alaric and Jo to attend the event in order to set them up.

At the Corn Maze, Elena tries to get to know Liam. He guesses she's not over the guy who dumped her. She tells him that the guy was Damon and he actually died. Liam is surprised to hear this as he thought her ex was Stefan. Elena then changes the topic and says that tonight is not about her ex but them. Later, Tyler runs his truck inside the Maize to save himself from killing a guy. But he ends up injuring several people at the Maize.

Liam calls Elena to stop a girl who's bleeding to death. She sends Liam off so she can feed the girl her blood. Then she compels her to leave. Tyler calls Elena and tells her he was driving. He begs her to come heal the guy he was earlier trying to save but she says there are injured people all around the Maize so she has to help them. With another victim in the corn, Liam diagnoses a gasping girl as having a deviated windpipe. Elena tries to intervene with her blood, but he cuts a small hole in the girl's neck and is able to save her surprising Elena.

Later, Liam is dropping Elena at her dorm room when he asks her about the girl she cured. She says it was beginners luck. Liam can't believe her but Elena changes the topic by kissing him. Liam is surprised and she says that he was a hero tonight and that is the kind of guy she likes.

In *The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get*, Caroline tells Elena about Damon's returns who is not so thrilled about it and refuses to meet him. Alaric then talks to her and tries to convince her she loves Damon, but she makes him promise he won't lift the compulsion. She tells him that she has planned to be at the Hospital for the whole day to avoid Damon. Alaric warns her to also avoid Jo, because his compulsion didn't work on her. He suggests Elena to try to figure out why. Elena agrees and asks him to call Jeremy as she had to break the news to him about Bonnie over the phone, which did not go well.

While getting ready to leave, Elena hears a knock at her door. When she hears Damon she refuses to open the door and let him in. He tries to remind her how she felt about him and that the compulsion is a lie. Elena is about to open the door when Damon says *"I hear you breathing. You have no idea how long I wanted to hear you breathe."* This makes her scared again and she stops. Damon tries a little more but at last says he is gonna kick the door open. Elena then finally opens the door, but jumps out of the window before he can see her.

From the hospital, Elena calls Stefan, worried that her feelings will come back for Damon if she sees him. She says she's happy since she's started over. She also tells Stefan she kissed Liam, which he advises her not to tell Damon as he will be heartbroken. Elena says bye when she sees Dr. Jo with a coffee. She sneaks a sip of it to check for vervain, but it's clean. Elena asks Jo questions about her bracelet. Instead, Jo asks her about the miraculous recovery of the woman near-death at the corn maze. Elena tries to downplay the woman's injuries, but Jo tells her not to bother and reveals she knows who Alaric and her are. Elena asks Jo why she's not fazed by her at all, or even afraid. There's only one thing that can resist compulsion without vervain, a witch. Jo suggests they not ask too many questions about each other and Elena agrees. Jo also tells her to tell Alaric that to avoid a complicated relationship he doesn't need a compulsion.

Jo's words convinces Elena to see Damon. She calls him and asks him to come by her dorm room. Not knowing that Tripp has kidnapped him, Elena enters her room and is shocked to find his phone and blood on the floor. She calls Alaric who calms her down by saying they will go and save him. While waiting for Alaric and Stefan to save Damon from Tripp, Elena confesses to Caroline that she wants her memories back. She can't imagine loving him, but doesn't want to ignore the truth. Unfortunately, while trying to save Damon from Tripp, Alaric crosses the border and turns human. Though Jo manages to save him, he is now a human which means he can't return Elena her memories.

Elena tells Alaric that she is glad that he got his human life back as he hated being a vampire. She says its okay if he can't give her memories back and that she will try and figure out her feelings for Damon on her own. Later, in her dorm room, Elena finds her photos of Damon in her journal when he knocks on her door. They both take a deep breath and Elena finally opens the door. The episode ends with a cliffhanger of Damon and Elena coming face to face for the first time since his return. Damon has a look of awe on his face while Elena looks at him nervously.

In *Do You Remember the First Time?*, Damon and Elena finally talk with each other face to face. Damon is hopeful that Elena might be remembering something but she confesses that all she remembers is the pain he has caused all the people she loves. She apologies and says she just doesn't feel anything anymore. A heartbroken Damon leaves. Elena describes seeing Damon to Caroline and says she mostly felt fear and guilt, but no old feelings. Although she admitted that she found his eyes really pretty. Caroline is in favor of a break from the Salvatore brothers for both of them. Caroline then sees Liam coming and leaves. He tells Elena that "Lady Whitmore" from the corn maze came in to the hospital for regular treatment of an old shoulder injury. He says he is intrigued and wants to do some digging. He also asks Elena to go to the fundraiser as his date.

At the fundraiser, Damon introduces himself to Liam, prompting Elena to have to explain why Damon isn't actually dead. Damon says it was more of an emotional death. He compels Liam away to dance with Elena. During the dance, Damon tells Elena about the first time they danced at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and how they both got lost in that moment. She tries to explain again that she doesn't remember them and leaves to get some air. However after some time, Elena finds Damon and tells him she wants to try to remember them. She asks him to take him to the last place she told him she loved him.

Damon takes her to the Mystic Falls border, the last place she told him she loved him. But Elena doesn't remember joining him in the car to crash into the Grill. He tells her about their most memorable moments, a motel ice machine, the night of her graduation when she told him she was in love with him, and his favorite, the summer night before she went off to college when she took him to watch a meteor shower and it started raining. Elena stops him and says that this is not working and confesses that all she sees in him is a stranger. Elena then takes a deep breath and crosses the Mystic Falls border while Damon tries to stop her. Memories come flooding back but unfortunately she starts drowning. Damon yanks her back across just in time and tells her that he wont risk her life for her to remember their love.

Damon walks Elena back to her room and she tells him she remembered a tiny bit of the meteor showers and the rain. She asks him what happened after that, but he tells her that she's better off without him and he lets her go. She again asks him what happens after it starts raining but he lies and says they both got wet and muddy and hence drove home. Liam comes by Elena's dorm room with medical records for "Lady Whitmore", the old wound she came to the hospital for doesn't exist anymore. After her "dead" boyfriend showed up, he thinks she's not just a liar, she's a liar with secrets and leaves. During the end of the episode, Damon remembers what actually happened the night it rained under the stars. She wanted to wait for it to stop raining but they ended up kissing each other. In between their kisses, she asks him to promise her that this is forever and he does that.

In *Fade Into You*, Elena and Caroline host a Thanksgiving lunch at their dorm room. While preparing the table, Elena tries to figure out the best way to tell Liam she's a vampire. Jo arrives and Elena learns that Alaric isn't attending. Over the phone, Alaric explains that he, Stefan and Damon are in Portland, tracking down the Gemini Coven in the hopes of finding the ascendant and Bonnie. Elena is surprised and happy to hear this while Caroline over hears. They both share a huge grin as they realize that Bonnie is still alive.

Elena is surprised when Liam shows up and apologizes. He double checked Lady Whitmore's medical records and found the injury was never there. Elena realizes Jo switched the files and thanks her. During the lunch, they discover that Jo is Luke and Liv's elder sister and that Kai, who was there with Damon in the other world, is actually Jo's twin brother. The three then reveal their past to the gang. Jo explains that they all came to Whitmore because they knew Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's Grams. She helped them put Kai away. Jo explains that Kai killed four of their siblings, but he was really targeting Luke and Liv because in their coven, twins are in line to be leaders. Kai wanted to lead, but never would have with them alive. She says that the coven's tradition is that after their 22nd birthday, the twins' merge their power and the stronger one is decided who then becomes the leader of the coven while the weaken one dies.

Stefan calls Elena to fill in her. He says that Damon has gone missing and Elena worries. Stefan teases her about worrying for her brother while she teases him bout Caroline. As Liam returns, Elena wants to know how Stefan knew he could trust her with the fact he was a vampire. He says it was simple, he was in love with her. She says bye to him and goes towards Liam. Jo then starts coughing blood and Elena and Liam try to help her. She says its her dad who is trying to kill her as she has the ascendant which can bring Bonnie and with her Kai back. Liam chooses that moment to demand Elena tell him what's going on. They see that Jo's eyes are filled with blood and Liam tells Elena to call 911. Elena realizes there isn't enough time and feeds Jo his blood instead. Jo recovers and Elena confesses to him that she is a vampire. Then she compels Liam to forget everything, including her.

Later, Elena joins Damon at the bar. She tells him that he should have told her about Bonnie and then taken her to their search trip. He continues to taunt her about the compulsion thing. Elena then asks him about what did he and Bonnie did for months. He says bicker mostly. He tells how he still can't really believe she sacrificed herself so he could come back, but knows it was because of how much he talked about Elena. Elena tells him about her break up with Liam and then says there is this feeling inside her that she can't seem to shake. But she is at a crossroads if she should live a normal life or risk everything for this feeling. Damon asks what is its gonna be and she asks Damon to help her bring Bonnie back so Bonnie can help her decide what to do with her feelings. She holds his hands and Damon smiles and says sure.

In *I Alone*, Elena goes on a jog with Jeremy. He tells her he finally canceled Bonnie's cell phone, cried a lot and is moving on. She then breaks the news of Bonnie being alive and that they will bring her back. Jeremy doesn't show any excitement and says it will be another failed mission. Later, Elena and Damon meet Liv with the ascendant and blood from Lucy. Liv gives them vials of her blood to drink to link them to her so she can find them and bring them back, plus an extra for Bonnie. She tells them they have about eight hours to find Bonnie and bring her back. Damon and Elena drink her blood and then Liv pours the Bennett blood on the ascendant and recites the spell. They both land up in the Prison world.

Elena and Damon first go to Salvatore House and search for her but she isn't there which makes Elena wonder if Kai has done something to her. Damon tells her to not be negative but Elena finds Bonnie's blood on the cushion. Damon then uses a pager to contact Kai. While waiting for Kai's call, Elena wonders around the house and comes across Damon's video journals which he made during his time in the prison world. She starts playing it but Damon stops her from seeing it. He tries to cover it up by saying its an audition tape but Elena doesn't believe him. She tries to ask the truth but then the phone rings. Its Bonnie and she reveals to them how Kai left her to die in Portland and stole her blood. She tells them that she can make it to Mystic Falls in seven hours. As she hangs up, Damon starts to worry that Kai might be already out.

Later, Damon and Elena make blueberry pancakes together in the Salvatore kitchen. They sit down to eat them but before Damon can eat his, Elena makes fangs with the cream just like he used to do. Damon smiles and they start eating. Elena sees the news story about Kai's murderous rampage and wonders why Jo would hand over the ascendant. Damon tries to change the topic but is finally forced to admit that he compelled Alaric to steal it from her. Elena storms out of the kitchen and Damon goes after her. She thinks that his dedication to bring Bonnie back is only for her to see what a great guy he is and so she falls for him all over again. Elena lashes out at Damon for being so selfish and leaves.

Elena is sitting on a swing on the Gilbert porch, when Damon finds her. He tells her that on May 10, 1994 he was mad at Stefan and acted out and a lot of people died. He has felt guilty ever since, which is why he thought that this was his personal hell. But Bonnie wouldn't let him believe it and had hope for both of them. He tells Elena that he is doing this for Bonnie and not for her. He confesses that they finally managed to become friends. Elena smiles at this and Damon goes and sits beside her at the swing. When Elena says that the swing used to squeak, Damon says it did but he fixed it. He confesses that he used to come here everyday because this was the closest he had of a picture of her. Elena starts to get nostalgic about her old house and confesses, despite so many good memories, it took only one bad memory for her to burn it down. Damon asks her to go inside the house and she agrees. Before opening the gate, she apologizes to Damon for compelling away the memories saying it was of both of them. He smiles and say they will make new ones and touches her face gently. They both smile and are having a moment when they feel something changing around them. They find themselves back in the cemetery in real world. Tyler and Liv are there and they both look sorry as Tyler says Kai is after Liv and they have to go to Mystic Falls. Elena starts to follow them, but the border of Mystic Falls stops her.

Elena and Damon are sitting beside the grave site, sad that their plan failed. But Damon gives her hope saying that as long as they have the ascendant they can try anytime. But then Kai finds them and uses magic to break the ascendant. Damon is eager to kill him, but Kai still has Liv's magic and incapacitates him. He goes towards Elena who is trying to fix the ascendant but he starts a spell to burn both of them. He uses invisibility to protect himself from Damon but he menages to locate him and sends Kai across the border to Mystic Falls. The fire stops but the ascendant is destroyed. Damon comforts Elena and asks if she is okay as Kai tells them he is ready to create havoc in Mystic Falls without any vampire to stop him.

Later, Elena calls Jeremy to tell him about the sad news but he was already expecting it. She then sees Alaric punching Damon for compelling him and Damon isn't fighting him back. She goes and tries to comfort a sad Damon. He tells her he left Bonnie a note to meet them at the porch and knows she has probably reached their right now. He confesses how she sacrificed so much for all of them and now is left all alone in the prison world. Both feel sad over their failed mission to bring Bonnie back.

In *Christmas Through Your Eyes*, Elena and Damon are still looking for a way to bring back Bonnie. They are looking in Alaric's books for something that resembles an ascendant. Elena is watching Damon while he is sleeping. When he sees her gazing he smiles and asks her if she is watching him sleep. She teases him that she is watching him drool all over Alaric's textbook. Damon continues to search while Elena keeps staring him. When Damon notices it, she thanks him for helping Bonnie. Alaric then calls them to inform that Jo has gone missing. They all gather at Jo's apartment and Elena reports about the stabbing victims brought into the hospital last night and now one of them is missing. She also says that no one has seen Jo. Damon says they should find Kai and kill him. He thinks that since he hid the knife in a painting at Jo's apartment, Kai will come looking for it and he will kill him. But when he sees the back of the painting the knife is not there.

Later, Elena goes to visit Liz at the hospital who had fainted while decorating Caroline's Dorm room. Elena tries to distract Caroline from worrying about Liz. They talk about how Bonnie never likes to stay away from them on Christmas and feel sad. When Elena mentions how Damon and her spend the night trying to find a way to bring back Bonnie, Caroline surprises her by saying that its great how Damon is always there for Elena. In the hospital, Stefan tells Elena that he overheard a radiologist mentioning cancer. Elena compels the doctor to tell her the truth and she says that they found a lesion on Liz's brain stem a few weeks ago and think it might have spread and that it is impossible to operate if it has. Liz knows, but apparently hasn't told Caroline.

She and Stefan, later, have a heart to heart about how Caroline doesn't deserve this. Stefan offers to break this news to Caroline, saying he has not been a friend to her in a long time and now he needs to do this. Elena calls Damon to inform him but is unable to hear him because of the poor reception as Kai is taking all the travelers magic which was used in the anti magic spell in Mystic Falls. As he takes away all the magic, Mystic Falls is no longer magic free which means they all can go home again. Damon tells this to Elena over phone and she says that she doesn't know what they were or are supposed to be but after a horrible day she wants to see him and has something to tell him. Damon asks her to come over, he will cook her dinner and they can talk about their crappy days.

When Elena reaches the Salvatore house, she sees a Mistletoe hanging on the door and laughs at Damon's clever antics. She knocks and Damon opens the door but he sees no one there. He closes the door and Elena is shocked when Kai appears behind her saying that he put a cloaking spell on them and then knocks her out.

In *Woke Up With a Monster*, Elena awakes at a table in the Mystic Grill, accompanied by Kai. Elena asks Kai why he kidnapped her and what his plans were. Kai explains that he needs to get his magic under control before merging with Jo because if he kills her before the merge, it won't work. So he is going to learn to control his magic by practicing it on Elena. He then removes his cloaking spell and Elena sees the dead body of the Grill's manager who Kai had killed.

Later, Elena wakes up in Mystic Falls High School and realizes that Kai has cuffed her hands to the ceiling of the school. He tries to turn her blood into acid and in the process melts her daylight ring. She manages to break free of the chains and runs into a classroom and tries to save her ring from melting but fails. Kai follows her and Elena gets an idea. She sees sunlight streaming through the windows then sticks her hand in it. When her hand bursts into flames, she lights a nearby gas burner and uses the impromptu flame thrower to burn Kai and runs.

She finds a phone booth and calls Damon. She gives him a quick message saying that Kai has her at the Mystic Falls High School. Kai then finds her and manages to knock her out. She wakes up after sometime and tries to knock some sense into Kai saying him he cares for an in animated object but not for the people he killed. Kai mocks her saying he did cared about someone but then eventually killed him. He then continues to practice magic on her. After sometime, Damon arrives with Jo to rescue Elena. Jo casts a cloaking spell on them so that Kai is unable to see them. Damon finds Elena and frees her. Jo is able to make Elena invisible as well but she isn't strong enough to hold the spell for long.

While in the hallway, Jo is ready to fall over and Kai finds the trio after her cloaking spell wears off. Damon tells her to run as he faces Kai, not prepared for how powerful he is. Kai cloaks Elena then stops Damon in his tracks. Damon is able to throw a broom handle into Kai, but it's only an illusion of him and it is actually Elena. Kai brings Damon to his knees then he takes off after Jo. However, Alaric and Jeremy arrive in time and manage to knock down Kai.

Later, Damon removes the spear from Elena, but she is still weak and gasping. She thinks there is a splinter still insider her. As Damon tries to find it, she gasps for breath and tells him if there is anything he wants to say, now is the time. Damon starts panicking but then she starts laughing, revealing that she was tricking him. They both hold hands as they smile at each other. Alaric and Jo arrive and he asks Elena if she is okay. Elena looks at Damon and says *"I have never felt more alive"*.

Later, they all are at Alaric's apartment, making arrangements to keep Kai unconscious. Elena asks Damon on a dinner but Damon tries to tease her saying that every time they try to go on a date, something bad happens like him being sent to a prison world or Elena's feelings getting compelled. Elena tells him to stop sulking and let her take him to dinner tomorrow. Damon replies that they are going to find out about it tomorrow and both share a flirtatious smile. Jo then offers to help Elena clean up the blood.

In *Prayer For the Dying*, at Alaric's apartment, Elena is getting ready for her shift at the hospital when Damon arrives with a sandwich for her. She says she is in a hurry and takes a bite from his hand. She shows him her new daylight ring which Jo made for her but Damon is still not sure about her magic. Elena asks him to believe in her and then reminds him that his job is to babysit Kai and not to kill him. She is then leaving when Damon gets her ID card and asks her out for a dinner tonight. Elena agrees but when Damon makes a suggestion for watching a French flick to throw popcorn at hipsters, Elena realizes that they have already been there. She tells him that this is cheating and says they have to start over from the beginning. She tells him to pick her up once her shift gets over and he agrees. They say their goodbyes and Elena leaves for work.

At the hospital, Elena happily tells Jo that the daylight ring which she made for her is working fine but they are interrupted by Stefan who needs help with Colin. He is a vampire who is affected with cancer and since Caroline fed Liz her blood, it is going to happen to Liz too. Elena tells Stefan that he should have known better than to let Caroline feed Liz her blood. But Stefan tries to defend himself saying that when he saw hope in Caroline's eyes about Liz surviving, he didn't want to take that away. He also calls her out on compelling away her memories of Damon because she couldn't move on post his death. Caroline then arrives and tell them about Jo's new idea. Jo has suggested a complete blood transfusion of human blood.

While Jo is going on with the blood transfusion, Elena tries to comfort Damon saying they will do their best to save Liz. Jo then arrives and tells them that the blood transfusion didn't work. Elena goes to see Liz and is forced to tell her this news. When liz asks about Caroline, Elena sadly tells her the truth saying she just took off. Later, Damon gets an idea of making Kai take away all the magic inside Liz which will stop her accelerating cancer. Kai agrees on the condition that he will merge with Jo tonight. Damon brings Kai to the hospital and Elena and Damon watches over him while he tries to suck the magic out of Liz. When Jo sees them, she starts panicking and Elena asks Damon to explain to Jo while she decides to stay with Liz and watch over Kai.

Kai is successful in taking away the magic from Liz but unfortunately Liz is not able to handle it and starts suffering from a heart attack. Elena performs chest compression's on Liz but it doesn't work. Caroline and Stefan arrive as well and Liz somehow finds strength to survive. After witnessing Liz almost dying in her arms, Elena is freaked out. Damon tries to be there for her and she kisses him. Damon tells her that he thought she wanted to start over because this is exactly where they left off. Elena surprises him by saying that life is too short whether immortal or not and so she doesn't want to waste another minute. Damon smiles and they kiss again.

In *The Day I Tried To Live*, Elena shows up with balloons to see Jeremy. He knows its Bonnie's birthday today but is not at all enthusiastic for the birthday party as he knows the guest of honor won't show up. Elena then brings up the question of art school but Jeremy is skeptical as his school performance isn't good. Elena tries to encourage him saying his portfolio is really good but Jeremy says he can't leave without knowing if Bonnie is okay.

Later, at Salvatore house, Elena arrives with groceries and meets Damon who is in the kitchen arranging cupcakes. She is tempted to taste one but Damon warns her that Caroline will kill them. Elena says its worth the risk and Damon feeds her one. Damon finds some cream left on her mouth and wipes it off and then licks his finger. Elena brings up their kiss and says she is completely okay with it. Damon smiles and they start kissing but are interrupted by Kai. Kai, who is now all powerful after winning the merge has suddenly started feeling bad as an after effect of merging with Luke. He tried writing a letter to Jo and found himself crying over it. He tells them to give this to Jo and Elena asks for something in return, help in bringing Bonnie back.

Kai says he can't repair the ascendant. Damon plays on Kai's new found emotions about it being Bonnie's birthday and convinces him to send a message to her about where to find magic, that is Nova Scotia, Qetsiyah's magic-soaked blood on Silas' tombstone. Jeremy joins them and is still skeptical over Kai's new found goodness. Kai says it's possible and cites an example of Elena, how she was dating the good Salvatore when she was human and after turning into a vampire, she stopped caring about right and wrong and began dating the bad one. He finally manages to do the spell and they are all back in the prison world but Bonnie can't see them and they can't touch anything. They see Bonnie watching footage of her with Damon and then drinking the oldest bourbon in the house. Damon tells them about a pact they made if they couldn't take solitude anymore, they will drain the bourbon and then kill themselves.

Suddenly they're all back in the real world. Kai's nose is bleeding from the magic drain. Damon then tells him that he had scribbled notes about Nova Scotia in a book, they just need to get her to see it. Jeremy volunteers to go alone, even though it could mean he gets stuck there. Later, Damon goes to his room and drinks the same bourbon. Elena joins him and then asks him if she would be with Damon if she was still human. He says she wouldn't. Elena doesn't love the answer and tries to leave the room, but she is blocked by a spell. They hear Liv fighting with Kai. After sometime, Damon hears Liv below them and kicks a hole in the fire place, then drops the bottle of bourbon down. The booze hits the flame below and knocks Liv off her feet and frees them.

They rush to the kitchen and find Kai and Jeremy in an unconscious stage. Damon heals Kai by giving him some of his blood while Elena helps Jeremy wake up. He tells them that Bonnie is okay and both of them share a relieved smile. Later, Elena is cleaning the house along with Jeremy and he tells her about his experience with Bonnie in the prison world. He understands what she is going through. Elena then encourages him to move on and go to art school. She says that she knows Bonnie would have wanted him to do the same.

After cleaning up the house with Jeremy, Elena visits Damon in his room. He asks her about Jeremy applying to an Art School and jokes how they should compel him a descent portfolio. Elena smiles and then says he is moving on with his life and so should she. She reveals to him that despite the fact that Matt was taking her back to Stefan that night, she found her way back to Damon. She says she somehow always finds her way back to him, it doesn't matter if she is human or a vampire, if she is with memories or without them. She says if past is a place without them being together, then they should stop living in it. Damon completely moved by her confession, rushes to kiss her and they start making out passionately. Damon then begins to undress her and pushes her on the bed. After making love for the first time ever since Damon's return, Elena is feeling content and is gazing at a sleeping Damon. She then snuggles close to him.

In *Stay*, Elena and Damon meet Jeremy's Principal to try to convince him to let him graduate early to go to art school. The principal refuses, citing his various bad behavior in the past years. Having no choice, they decide to compel the Principal to allow Jeremy an early graduation. They visit Jeremy at the Grill and announce the good news to him. Though Elena confesses to their act of compulsion. She the leaves to get a drink while Damon gifts Jeremy a joint as a going away present and asks him to not tell Elena.

Later, Elena catches Jeremy with the joint. She takes the joint and surprises him by asking for a lighter. She tells him that smoking a joint might be the most normal thing they did together since past few years. After smoking the joint, Elena is feeling the effects of it. Jeremy asks her to gift her car but Elena refuses. They then talk about their time after their parents' death when Liz calls Elena. Scared that Liz will see her buzzed, Elena declines the call. But few minutes later she gets a call from Damon. He asks her to come visit Liz's office. Elena tells him it won't be a good idea right now as she is buzzed. Damon tells her to freshen up and then come as this is something important.

At Liz's office, Elena tells Liz and Damon that she has no idea why her parents took Wickery Bridge and that there was luggage in the trunk. She asks Liz if she really thinks there was something up with her parents' crash. Liz says that she knows she should have brought this up sooner but post her parents' death, she was busy looking after her and Jeremy. They then reminisce about the that time. Elena then leaves after saying she will ask Jeremy if he knows anything.

Later, at Salvatore house, she finds Jeremy with an ice pack and sees his wound. He tells her about the Enzo incident. Elena tells him that she is going to kick Enzo's ass but Jeremy says he doesn't need his big sister beating up Enzo. He then asks about Liz. Elena tells him about their parents' crash investigation. She asks him if there was anything unusual about the night. Jeremy tells her that their Mom found out that he was smoking and this why she called Liz to complain about Jeremy. She then informs Damon about this who conveys the news to Liz.

After Damon calls Elena to inform her about Liz's worsen situation, Elena sees Jeremy in the living room of the house with his bags. He is all set to leave but he overheard her conversation with Damon and asks about Liz. When he hears about her condition, he refuses to leave. Elena manages to convince him that it is for the best. Alaric then shows up and offers to leave Jeremy to the airport. Elena tells him to expect a SUV size gift from her. Jeremy is surprised that she is gifting him her car. She tells him to not crash him and gives him a goodbye hug. Later, Elena and Damon hold on to each while being there for Liz and Caroline during Liz's last moments.

In *Let Her Go*, a funeral for Liz is being organized. Caroline has assigned task to all of her friends and asks Elena to go with her for Casket shopping. While shopping, Elena saves Caroline from a women offering her sympathy. Caroline asks Elena how she survived all this. Elena starts to guide her on how to deal with all this when Caroline blurts out that she kissed Stefan. She says she wants to talk about it but is not sure if Stefan will be honest about it today. Elena advises her to talk tomorrow but Caroline wants to know today.

Later, in the Salvatore kitchen, Elena notices that Damon hasn't finished Liz's eulogy. Damon tells her how he is not a nice person and can't finish this up. Elena then tells him that this is not about Liz or Damon himself but about Caroline and what she needs to hear. She then kisses him and leaves. This works as Damon is finally able to complete the eulogy. At the funeral, Elena sees Caroline crying while looking at Liz's body and tells her that it is time for the funeral. During the ceremony, Elena sits between Damon and Caroline as they all pay their respects to Liz.

After the ceremony, Elena offers to drop Caroline home but she wants to be alone tonight. They hug and Caroline thanks Elena for being there for her today and leaves. After thinking for sometime, Elena realizes that Caroline's plan is to shut off her humanity after today. She goes to her house to confront her but Caroline makes reasonable arguments about how Elena turned it off after Jeremy's death and compelled away her memories of loving Damon after Damon's death. Elena confesses that these were the two biggest mistakes of her life and so tries to convince Caroline to let go of her plan. When Caroline starts having a break down, Elena hugs her and says she is not going to let Caroline do this but Caroline snaps her neck and says its not Elena's choice to make.

In *The Downward Spiral*, Elena and Stefan are talking on the phone about Caroline's whereabouts. Stefan tells her how Caroline's house is completely cleared out and Elena notices the same about their dorm room. They agree to ask around about Caroline and to tell each other if they find something. After getting off the phone, Elena sees Bonnie entering their dorm room. She is surprised to see her and the girls happily hug each other.

Elena celebrates Bonnie's return by giving her a toast. They talk about Jeremy and Elena tells Bonnie to tell him about her return. Bonnie, however says she wants to wait for sometime as coming back from dead is complicated. They are interrupted by Caroline who had gone for shopping to start over by purchasing everything new. She mentions about Liam and how she was with him last night. Elena panics, wondering if she killed him. But Caroline says she stopped because she didn't want to deal with hiding his body. She then asks Elena and Bonnie to give her a year of no humanity and she will then turn her humanity back on but says if anyone tries to disturb her plan she will become their worst nightmare.

Later, Elena gets a call from Stefan who asks her to come to Caroline's rave party after he finds about it from Liam. Elena and Bonnie arrive at the party and split up to look for Caroline. When Elena finds Caroline dancing with a guy, Caroline warns her by showing her vampire teeth and so she is forced to leave Caroline alone. When Stefan shows up and starts blaming himself for Caroline's current situation, Elena tries to defend him by saying Caroline did this because of pain. But Stefan is still certain that it was his fault and knew he could have stopped this. Elena understands, knowing that this was the truth and asks him about his plan.

Sometime later, Elena is unable to find Bonnie and leaves a message on her phone. Stefan then comes and tells her about how their plan seems to be working. He is being able to bring out Caroline's emotions. Elena gets very happy but then Stefan tells her that Caroline left which makes Elena think that now Caroline will retaliate against them. Stefan then gets a call from Enzo, which is in fact Caroline who informs Stefan that she has Sarah's number now and plans on killing her. They rush to find Caroline at the Whitmore bar and ask about Sarah's whereabouts, Stefan has now told Elena about his secret niece Sarah Salvatore. Caroline tells them she has Liam performing a surgery on Sarah and if they want to save her life, all he has to do is turn off his humanity but he refuses.

Caroline has Liam on speaker phone and Stefan manages to get him to tell his location. He says they are at Whitmore medical. Elena leaves to find them while Stefan stays with Caroline. Elena tries to find them but is running behind on time. She calls Stefan and Caroline picks up. Elena informs Stefan that she can't find Liam and Sarah and Stefan gives her a message saying that she needs to remember to bring him back. Elena then tries again and is finally able to find them. She heals Sarah by giving her vampire blood and then calls Stefan but he answers her strangely. Elena realizes that Stefan has shut off his humanity and Caroline confirms it for her.

In *A Bird in a Gilded Cage*, Elena comes home to find Damon working out his rage by breaking things. He tells her about how Stefan's loss of humanity is going to be a big problem for them. Elena agrees and says it is not their only problem as now they have lost a chance to trigger Caroline's emotions since Stefan was her emotional trigger. Damon then shows her the video footage of his mother, Lily Salvatore, alive and trapped in 1903 prison world. Elena is really happy after hearing this but Damon tells her that she is a ripper. He says, *"It makes perfect sense, Stefan was always a Mama's boy."* Elena gets an idea and gives Damon a knowing expression. Damon understands what she means and says that they can't solve a ripper problem by unleashing another. But Elena manages to convince him by saying that this doesn't only solve their Caroline and Stefan problem but Damon also gets a chance to be with his mother again.

Later, with the help of Bonnie and Kai, Elena and Damon travel to 1903 prison world. Bonnie and Kai go to find the ascendant while Elena and Damon visit his mother. They are in Damon's childhood home and looking around when his mother shows up and is shocked to see him. Lily serves them tea and tells them about her life. She was turned after a nurse fed her vampire blood in 1858. Damon sarcastically comments on how she never visited them making Lily uncomfortable. Elena tries to change the topic and asks Lily about how she was trapped in here. Lily tells them how a group of witches trapped her here. When Damon tells her about how Stefan killed his father, she is amused and confesses how she hated their father.

When Lily asks about Stefan, they explain his current condition and how they think she will be able to bring back his humanity. She agrees to help and Damon tells her to pack her bags. Lily then says she will alert the others as well. She sees their shocked expressions and tells them about her traveling companions. She introduces them to a table full of mummified vampires and Damon and Elena are disturbed by this. Lilly explains that these vampires saved her from herself and her ripper tendencies. She says they gave up their blood rations for her and she learned to control her blood lust so that she will be able to save enough amount of blood to wake them up someday. When Lilly goes to get the last of the blood to revive them, Damon comments on how she is an insane ripper while Elena tries to defend her. She then notices the ascendant is on the table and Damon tells her about Bonnie's plan to trap Kai here.

Elena and Damon get ready to leave the place and Damon informs Lily that they are down a witch so she her traveling companions will have to take the next trip. She disagrees and Damon promises her that they will come back for them. But Lily doesn't listen and goes to revive them. Damon tells Elena and Bonnie to start the spell and he will get Lily. Damon manages to convince Lily and they all return to the real world.

Later, at night, in the Salvatore kitchen, Elena is staring at Damon's childhood picture when Damon enters. She excitedly says he has got her eyes from his mother and Damon asks her she brought this back from the prison. Elena comments how its the only baby picture of her boyfriend in existence, so of course she brought it back. He takes the picture and Elena tells him how she liked seeing this side of him today, *"A mothers' son"*. Damon says how she is just a tool to bring back Stefan's humanity but Elena encourages him to give her sometime. Damon teases her that she is lucky she is so adorable because her eternal optimism is super annoying. Elena blushes and says that she knows it from experience that it is never too late to look for good in someone. Damon comments on how they will be looking for a very long time. Elena then says that then it is a good thing they have forever. Damon is surprised since this is the first time that Elena has talked about her future after her memory loss. They both then smile and lean in to kiss each other. They start making out and Damon places her on the kitchen counter. He continues to kiss her when they notice that Bonnie has arrived. Bonnie apologizes but Elena says its okay and says she has to go ask Alaric about Caroline and Stefan. She gives a quick kiss to Damon and leaves.

In *I Never Could Love Like That*, she and Damon are both taking a shower together and they smell someone cooking breakfast. She asks where her shirt is and Damon tells her to wear one of his until she heads towards his dresser where the cure is. As she, Lily and Damon eat breakfast, she is asked if she ever misses being human and Elena replies she sometimes does. Jo texts Elena about the victims piling up from humanity-free Stefan and Caroline and then leaves. Elena gives a patient some of her blood as more come in, and tells Jo about Lily and how Kai is now in a 1903 Prison World. She notices Jo put her hand on her abdomen and then realizes she is pregnant. She then hugs Jo and is really happy for her, but also somewhat jealous. She and Jo then talk about the victims and where they come from, while Elena tells her she's not shocked because she went through the same thing as they did and that she is very well capable of becoming like that again. Jo points out she saw her react to how she felt about the pregnancy and asks if she and Damon have talked about it. Elena says there really is no reason as there's not much they could do about it anyways.

When Damon calls her, he tells her what Lily said and Elena asks him if Lily's a good liar, and they hang up. Tyler arrives at the medical center and asks for her help as Matt was injured by Caroline. She bites her wrist to give some blood but he refuses it while Tyler is trying to get him to take it. She later walks in Matt's hospital room and asks him why he was refusing her blood. He tells her and she tells him he has every right to be mad, but why he wouldn't let her, and he says he can't hate vampires and then use them to his advantage. Later on, she and Damon meet up across the street from the bar. She tells him she was a little jealous after hearing about Jo's pregnancy and tells him how much she's wanted a family, and he asks her if things could be different. Unfortunately, Damon doesn't tell her he has the cure and she gets a text from Jo saying to come to the medical center. Jo tells them they have to destroy the Ascendant and Damon tells them he gave it to his mother as he promised her she could get her companions out. Jo tells them they need to get it back as Lily's companions are a group of siphoners called the Heretics that were turned into vampires and they are a lot more dangerous.

In *Because*, she hears about Stefan's plan on how to turn Caroline's humanity back on and she then finds out that Stefan and Caroline had sex. She pulls out a letter from Liz and it was intended to arrive after the funeral, but Caroline flipped her switch before she could read it. Elena comes to the B&B where Stefan and Caroline are being held at, while she walks into Jo and Alaric kissing, saying she's relieving them of their duty. She tells Alaric she's happy for them and then opens the window of the door open and tells Caroline they all want her back. Caroline tells her of all the stuff she did when her humanity was off and Elena tells her she's not there to preach but to give her the letter that Liz left for her to read. After Caroline tells Stefan to burn the letter, Elena is shocked and tells him no, but Stefan wants to keep the ruse up and does. She tells Damon that they burned the letter and he tells her she sucks at torturing people. She then talks about her fictional to-do list and pretend they're human. She asks about his fantasy and before he says anything, Caroline yells and makes noise. They go up and Damon puts the crime photos through the window. Caroline starts making Elena feel badly and then leaves after she can't handle much more of it. She admits Caroline is right and says they wouldn't work as human her chose Stefan instead of him. She says that she's not going to be okay being a vampire for the rest of her life but as long as she's with him she doesn't care. Afterwards, Lily tells her that Damon wasn't going to tell her about the cure as she left it in the room for Elena to find. Elena is hurt and Lily leaves, saying they have a lot to talk about. Damon tells her that game they played was a subtle hint about the cure and admitted it scared the hell out of him because it would've possibly have came true. He also admits he's an idiot, is selfish and he doesn't want to lose her and tells she's going to take it. He then says she's going to take it and so will he.

In *I'd Leave My Happy Home For You*, she and Bonnie throw Jo a bachelorette party at the diner and they have fun. When Jo gets up to get ketchup, Bonnie tells her she knows about the cure and that Damon told her about it. Elena tells her she needed some time to process it and and tells her she wants to be but it's complicated. They then tell Jo about the cure and tells her she wasn't really sure what to do after he kind of proposed to her about it. She gets a call from Damon and they then go out together with each other. She and Damon are on top of the clock tower eating french fries and then asks if he meant what he said about taking the cure or losing her. He admits he was afraid to lose her and he says a little bit of both. She says she's afraid that he'll lose a bit of himself if he takes the cure and that he'll resent her for it. He tells her he wants to show her something and they both jump off the clock tower. They talk to each other about what they each like about being a vampire and he puts the image of the Gilbert house in her head. They walk up the steps and Damon says he'll give up all his 100+ lifetimes to be with her. He then reveals that he brought the cure with him and he gives it to her. She then drinks the cure in one gulp and then gets a rush of memories in her mind. In reality though, she passes out and he carries her to a car. She comes to and she tells him what memory have come to her. She gets the bachelorette party pin out and pricks her finger, and it doesn't heal. They then kiss and Damon gets a call from Stefan. Before he can tell Elena anything Stefan is saying, Lily comes up and snaps Damon's neck. Elena tells Lily her sons were trying to help, but Lily is angry and notices Elena's blood on her finger. She figures out she took the cure and is now human and comes closer to her. She begs her not to bite her and stabs Lily in the eye with the pin, then runs away. She runs to the Mystic Grill, heads straight towards the kitchen and starts moving the shelves towards the door, even though she's having difficulty with her human strength now. Elena calls Stefan and tells Stefan Lily came through the Grill, while she is safe now. After the brothers lock Lily up, Damon goes to Elena and she tells him that she remembers everything. She tells him that they already had the conversation about being human again and says he didn't want it. After Damon gets angry about it, Elena squeezes his shoulder and then leaves.

In *I'll Wed You in the Golden Summertime*, she wakes Bonnie up from her dream and tells her to get ready as Jo's wedding was in a few hours. As Elena, Jo and Bonnie prepare for the wedding, Jo is worried and can't find her shoes. As Jo panics, Elena tries to get her calm down and Jo's cell rings. Unfortunately her wedding coordinator, Danielle, has the flu and can't make it. Jo starts pacing and Caroline soon shows up, saving the day. Elena smiles and hugs her saying that she missed her and Caroline missed her too. Caroline tells her to have a drink and not to pass out. Elena and Caroline talk, with Caroline trying to make sure Elena doesn't hurt herself or anything. She tells Caroline how it feels to be human again and not a "monster" like her, but Elena actually says she's relieved not having to wear a daylight ring. Caroline apologizes to her for hurting her and the words she said and Elena forgives her. Elena tells her that Damon is on a road trip with Stefan since he wants to take the cure with her and she agrees she can't really picture Damon being a human. Elena is later revealed by Stefan to make sure the hallucinations are brutal to show Damon what their life could be like later in the years. Elena is seen with Bonnie trying to cover up the bruises on Bonnie's neck when Lily tried to choke her to death. After Bonnie tells her Lily was rambling on about her "family", Elena tells her that after you get dried out and start desiccating, the mind starts playing tricks on the vampire. Elena also tells her Stefan has a plan that will get Lily back on track, but Bonnie says that's highly unlikely. Jo walks in and they tell her they were discussing about Lily and Matt arrives. As Elena is on her third glass of champagne, Stefan calls her and tells her that Damon is very serious about taking the cure and asks Jo if it was mistake to take the cure. Jo then faints and Elena takes her to the hospital, as it dawns on her that she can't give her blood anymore to help. Jo tells her to keep her acute panic attack to herself as she doesn't want to Ric to worry. Elena tells Ric anyway and tells him of what dawned on her before. He asks her if she's having second thoughts and she says she actually isn't, as it felt oddly empowering to her. She says she feels connected to the world again and he tells her life has purpose again.

Elena arrives to the wedding location and walks to Caroline telling her that Jo's fine. She spots Stefan and Caroline then moves away trying to avoid him. Elena asks him if Damon is with him and he tells her Damon needed some time to think. She asks him if he doesn't want Damon to take the cure and he tells her Damon's his brother and the thought of losing him scares him. Elena is at the altar making last minute arrangements and Damon walks in, asking her that it was apparently her fault that Stefan didn't take it easy on him and he tells her that after thinking, he's taking it since he would give up being a vampire to be her husband and a father, but also because he will love her until his last breath, they both smile, kiss and have sex. After they get done, Damon tells her the wedding is starting and they start putting their clothes back on. They make it downstairs and Caroline tells them to go and they walk down the aisle. As Jo and Alaric are exchanging their vows, Jo is stabbed by Kai and he uses magic to make a high-pitched noise that shatters windows and glass. With the impact being so bad, Elena falls to the ground and when she makes contact, she hits her head and is knocked unconscious.

Elena bids farewell to all her loved ones in her final episode of the season. After Kai's attack, Elena who is still unconscious, is found by Damon who begins to panic at the fact that his blood isn't waking Elena up. Stefan tells Damon to take Elena to the hospital. Later, Kai shows up and reveals to Damon that he linked Bonnie and Elena. So as long as Bonnie's alive, Elena won't wake up. Bonnie has to die for Elena to wake up and if Bonnie even attempts to find a loophole, they'll both die. In his thoughts, Elena meets with Damon to where they first met and she asks him how bad it is. He tells her the truth and she asks him what he is going to do. Damon could not bring himself to let Bonnie die after everything she had been through.

The next day, Elena is in a coffin at the Salvatore House. Each person gets a chance to let her inside their minds and say goodbye. Bonnie and Caroline go up first. Back in Elena's old room at the Gilbert House, the girls have a sleepover and Elena asks them both to start writing a journal. She wants them to write it all down so that she can read it one day and feel like she was there. She then says goodbye to Caroline whom she'll see again and thanks Bonnie for every time she's made a sacrifice for her. Now it's Elena's turn to repay the favor. Her only request is that Bonnie performs their favorite pillow-feather trick one last time.

Elena meets with an officer Matt next at the Wickery Bridge. She tells him that this is how she sees him in the future. As a loyal and good human who spends the rest of his life fighting for others like him. Although Matt can't handle the idea of never seeing her again, Elena tells him that based on their odds, she thinks they will.

Elena and Alaric are out in the woods for one of their training sessions. Elena tells Alaric that he can't fight the pain that comes with losing Jo. He has to let himself drown in it, and eventually, he'll start to swim and every breath he takes will make him stronger. She promises him that he'll beat it and they hug each other goodbye.

Jeremy returns and they go to the stoner den at the high school. Jeremy assures her that he only came back to tell her that he's happy and doing what he was born to do.

When Elena is with Tyler, she unchains him and she tells him to get out of Mystic Falls and embrace his wolf side. "*Let it be the thing that makes you extraordinary*", she tells him.

During their hike, Elena thanks Stefan for bumping into her in that hallway that day. After her parents died, she never thought she'd be happy again, but Stefan changed everything. "*You quite literally saved my life. I love you so much*"., she says. But she assures him that she looks forward to seeing the life he builds for himself while she's away. She tells him to "just be happy" before saying she'll see him soon. His final words: "*I'll see you, Elena*", as they part ways.

As for Elena's body, she will rest in the Salvatore crypt, where Bonnie will put a spell around her to protect her from any vampires who might want to suck the cure out of her. Stefan leaves his brother so that he can say goodbye. In the street, Elena tells Damon that she knew he'd do the right thing and stand by Bonnie even if it meant living without her for a little while. She then tells him not to sit around and wait for her. She tells him to live a life, enjoy it, and be happy. They have their one final dance. They share their "I love you's" one last time and he dips her, having one last kiss.

In *Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take*, Damon tells Bonnie that he plans on waiting for Elena to wake up in about 22,916 days. Unless of course Bonnie dies of an old persons disease. At some point before 2016 Damon gets desiccated, wishing not to be revived by Stefan until Elena wakes up. Both her coffin and Damon's wind up in Brooklyn, NY. Both Caroline and Bonnie are keeping there promise to her in writing down everything she's missing while she's sleeping because of Kai's spell linking her to her friends life. Stefan tells Caroline he's a little concerned about Damon while Elena is sleeping, reminding her of him waiting for Katherine for 145 years.

In *Never Let Me Go*, Lily removes her body from the Salvatore family crypt so as to place the ashes of Malcolm, the member of the Heretics that was killed by Damon with help from Bonnie. Originally Lily told her family to remove Elena's casket from the crypt then remove her body from it to dump her under the falls so she could spend the next 60 years in the river. Elena's life is instead used as a bargaining chip by Lily to force him to Mystic Falls for good and never return or she will die. But Damon plans on getting her back by finding Oscar and exchanging him for both Elena and Caroline who they also have taken hostage. Earlier two Whitmore students, Ryan and Amanda, entered Mystic Falls near the Salvatore crypt to investigate the stories about the town since it was evacuated. For some unknown reason Amanda's EMF meter leads her & Ryan to Elena's casket, as she states the EMF meter would only go off around something supernatural.

In *Age of Innocence*, Elena's casket is seen in the back of a hearse driven by Lily. Where Lily is driving the casket containing her body is unknown. Damon with help from Bonnie and Alaric have taken Oscar, the last member of the Heretics, hostage to make a prisoner exchange so that he can get Elena's body back from Lily. Damon makes the deal to trade Oscar for Elena with his mother.

In *I Carry Your Heart With Me*, after Damon saves Lily from Oscar, they talk and Lily gives him Elena's casket back, but tells him he can't keep on having her physically in his life as it will put him in danger. Damon decides to take Lily's advice and begins to say his goodbye's to Elena. Damon stats to write a diary entry, in the entry Damon confesses his love for Elena, he goes onto explaining that he does not know who he is without her. Damon says goodbye and calls Tyler to take Elena's casket away.

In *Live Through This*, it was revealed that Lily gave Kai the idea to put Elena in the coma as revenge for Damon for not wanting to help rescue the Heretics from the Prison World.

In *Best Served Cold*, Elena's friend Bonnie tells Lily Salvatore that she won't make amends with her, telling her that because of the part she played in Elena being placed into the "Sleeping Beauty" spell coma by Kai links her life to her best friend. Bonnie then says because of that, she can't have her best friend Elena in her life.

In *Hell Is Other People*, Elena's coffin is seen her boyfriends personal Hell inside the Phoenix Stone. Though a version of her isn't seen in this one loop of his Hell. In this loop a version of Stefan tells him that he's lost without Elena in his life, he has no direction.

In *Things We Lost in the Fire*, Elena's body is set on fire by her boyfriend Damon while he's suffering from the after effects of his own personal hell inside the Phoenix Stone. He set her body on fire in her coffin believing it was the body of Henry a friend of his that he had seen within his personal Hell and who he had killed in 2010. Damon is horrified when the post Hell hallucination of Henry was replaced with her body as the person he had set on fire.

In *Postcards from the Edge*, her friend Caroline writes in her diary for Elena for the first time in a while by using the excuse of her mystical pregnancy of carrying Alaric and Jo's twin girls. Caroline writes to Elena that Stefan is still adjusting to his post-Phoenix Stone personal Hell but she doesn't mention anything about her boyfriend Damon's post Hell adjustment. Damon has hit rock bottom believing he has killed her by setting her on fire. Going so far as to kill innocent people as well fighting fellow vampires in Julian's own vampire fight killing his opponets. Stefan learns from Damon that he apparently killed Elena as something so bad he can't look himself in the mirror, Stefan then punches him in the face.

In *This Woman's Work*, her boyfriend Damon learns he did not kill her as he thought. Enzo informs him that Elena's coffin is now in New York protected by his new friends. Damon learns that Tyler and Enzo used an empty decoy as as they knew he was still suffering from his post-Phoenix Stone personal hell. According to Damon, Rayna looks like Elena and her three doppelgangers.

In *Moonlight on the Bayou*, Damon decides to keep the people he loves safe by removing himself from the world. Damon comes to this decision when Bonnie gets hurt and so their mutual friends won't have to risk their lives trying to help him before Elena awakens in 60 years or so.

In *I Would for You*, Elena's boyfriend Damon after having to stop from killing Rayna Cruz for good and who bears a resemblance to her without killing Stefan whose mark with an X from her sword as his life is linked to hers. Damon gets her coffin from Enzo which was being held by The Armory somewhere in New York where it's placed in a warehouse in Brooklyn. Before he can place himself into his coffin next to hers a mutual friend of theirs Bonnie confronts him about saying goodbye to her through a letter instead of face to face. Like Elena Bonnie tells him that she won't see him again after this as she'll be dead when Elena wakes up and he's revived from desiccation in 60 or so years.

In *Days of Future Past*, Elena has been sleeping for 3 years by 2016 when her boyfriend Damon is revived by his brother Stefan her friend/ex-boyfriend to help him with Rayna Cruz. While later in Dallas, Texas her boyfriend Damon is willing to sacrifice his happiness with her by taking on the X scar from Rayna's Phoenix Sword as a result when she died if she lived 60 to 70 years like Bonnie would die with Rayna when she died. Thus when she woke up Damon would be dead.

In *I Went to the Woods*, Stefan tells Damon that he used Elena as an excuse for leaving him but telling her boyfriend Damon he did that 160 years before she came into his life as well.

In *Somebody That I Used to Know*, Elena's friend Bonnie tells Enzo she believes the reason why the Armory wanted Elena was because she was a doppelganger.

In *Gods and Monsters*, The Armory's Monster uses Elena's voice and memories of her moments with Damon, to lure the same into The Armory's Vault.

In *Hello, Brother*, Damon is revealed to holding on to Elena as anchor to humanity during his first few months of serving Sybil until she figured out his resistance.

In *Today Will Be Different*, Sybil erases Elena out of Damon's memories and makes herself the lead female role in Damon's head.

In *You Decided That I Was Worth Saving*, Elena appears in a flashback caused by Sybil. This flashback, however, is altered, and Elena dies along with her parents in the crash on Wickery Bridge. Damon believes Elena to be lost, therefore falls under the impression that the two never actually had a relationship.
## Personality

### Human

As a human, she's the sociable popular girl in school and the girl next door. She's compassionate, caring, empathetic, kind, intelligent, beautiful, friendly but she can also be pushy, judgmental, selfish, at times prying into other peoples' business, Elena is also athletic and a cheerleader. Her favorite hobby is writing in her journal and says that she's always wanted to be a writer. Elena's "dark side" from the books as a human is never explored because it "didn't ever feel like a characteristic" the show wanted for their heroine. Elena's actual dark side is her "deep, deep connection to other people". Elena's always surrounded by drama. She's always helping around in her community events and Caroline calls her the mothering type.

Like her mother before her, Elena believes in family, honor, loyalty and community. She is shown to be consistently polite, calm and composed, though prone to great anxiety and panic. Despite being something of a skeptic, she has a vivid internal life. She is extremely introverted. She is brave and self-sacrificing, though much of her willingness to save others seems to come from survivor's guilt over her parent's death. She has a strong back bone and never displays a sense of inferiority. However, Elena can also be a hypocrite, and gradually becomes more and more self-absorbed as the seasons continue, but undergoes several huge changes due to trauma, stress, loss and finally healing. She is flawed; not always able to treat her friends with proper respect, and acting in a smothering, if not controlling, manner toward her brother, Jeremy. Elena exalts personal choice and is known for her forgiving nature.

Before her parents' death, Elena used to be "way more fun" and "into everything, very busy".

### Vampire

* With Humanity
* Without Humanity

As a vampire, Elena's personality is amplified. In some ways, Elena is considered to be the opposite of Katherine. In terms of blood consumption, Elena wants to live on a diet of animal blood, like Stefan, in an attempt to avoid hurting someone. However, after she is unable to keep down animal blood, human blood from a blood bag or vampire blood, she begins to feed from Matt. It is discovered that her inability to consume other sources of blood was unintentionally due to her sire bond with Damon, and eventually begins to live on a diet of blood bags from a human blood bank. Now that Elena is a vampire, her feelings are magnified, including her feelings for Damon, and they're much harder for her to ignore and push aside.

She also struggles with magnified grief from the loss of so many family members, and anger towards those who put her remaining friends and family in danger. As she's learning to live as a vampire, she begins to learn that she has more in common with Damon than she does with Stefan, and while it scares her, it also makes things more exciting and opens her eyes a bit. These feelings eventually lead to her break up with Stefan as well as the discovery of the sire bond, which pushes everyone to find the cure, hidden with Silas in a tomb. Elena has now accepted being a vampire. With her humanity back, she becomes more determined than she wants, she goes back to being tearful in situations of pain and suffering. And more determined to discover mysterious situations making use of their gifts of compulsion.

Elena had gone through a drastic change after Damon's death.

When Elena's brother Jeremy dies during their failed attempt at obtaining the cure, Elena's in denial that he's dead, believing the Gilbert rings will bring him back to life and rejecting anyone who says otherwise. When she finally accepts that he's gone, she breaks into tears. Damon hugs her and tries to calm her down, eventually telling her to "turn it off." She complies.

She doesn't care who sees her doing what. As well as losing her humanity, she's lost her modesty. She doesn't care about the rules. Elena always lived by her set of rules, what she thought was right and wrong, and now it's like she's thrown all the rules to the wind and she just does whatever she wants to do. Elena is more blunt and honest and, "It is what it is and I am what I am and want what I want. And right now I would like to feed on that girl over there. And I resent you for trying to stop me." Elena is more direct about getting exactly what it is that she wants. Elena speaks the truth all the time and it's brutal and not fun for the people who have to listen to it.

Without her human emotions, such as compassion and grief, she doesn't care about anything anymore. She feeds indiscriminately, walks around without clothes, and does what she pleases. While she and Katherine differ in their personalities, with Katherine always lying and playing games, Elena is more blunt and brutally honest, speaking without any tact for anyone's feelings, and saying whatever she has to so that she can get her way. She and Katherine are similar in their abilities to manipulate others, and to think several steps ahead of Stefan or Damon, who are trying to save her. Her actions without her emotions push Stefan and Damon to track Katherine so that they can steal the cure back from her and give it to Elena, hoping it will solve her problems, but they are pushing their beliefs and what they want on her so hard that she feels resentful and frustrated with them, which causes her to act out in unexpected ways, such as getting into a physical fight with Caroline after attacking her mother. She tells them she has no interest in the cure now that she's taking advantage of the perks of being a vampire, and wants them to respect her choice; the more they push her, the more she pushes back. While Damon and Stefan are worried that she will cross the line while her human emotions are shut off and won't be able to take it back, Elena warns them that she has no intentions of taking the cure, and if they don't accept her decision, that there will be consequences.}}
## Physical Appearance

Physically, Elena is a very beautiful and attractive young woman with an oval face, light olive complexion, almond-shaped brown eyes which are sometimes described as doe-eyes, and long dark brown hair. Her height is 5'6"(168 cm), and she has a slim, slightly athletic physique. Elena has an uncanny physical resemblance to her ancestor and doppelgänger, Katerina Petrova, who often poses as Elena in order to trick others. However, even though Elena and Katherine look exactly the same in terms of physical appearance, there are some slight differences between the two in terms of fashion and style, and especially personality.

In terms of fashion sense, while Elena's human, she's much more casual, sporty and "girl next door" and doesn't wear a lot of make up or favor fashionable clothing unless attending a formal event. Elena favors wearing dark blue jeans with t-shirts of various colors and Converse sneakers. Elena primarily wears fashionable clothing or dresses up for special occasions or formal events. Katherine's fashion sense or style, on the other hand, is much more high maintenance, expensive and trendy. Another distinct difference between Elena and Katherine's physical appearance is that Elena always wears her hair straight with a middle part in which Katherine doesn't like, while Katherine wears her hair curly. However, Katherine often straightens her hair in order to fool people when she's posing as Elena. Elena wore a special necklace containing the herb vervain in it as a human, which is really Esther's talisman, which cannot be destroyed; it was given to Elena by Stefan to protect her from compulsion.

Elena as a newly turned vampire wears a small lapis lazuli daylight ring made by Bonnie in order to protect her from the sunlight. Elena has a slightly more sophisticated look and trades her usual jeans and t-shirts to dresses and boots. Since Elena now has the freedom to accessorize, she dips into her jewelry box more often. Elena is seen wearing more chain necklaces in season 4. After she abandons her humanity, she becomes more womanly in the way she looks. She gets red streaks in her hair and curls it. She also begins to wear skirts and belts. When Katherine possessed Elena, she removed the red streaks.

In *American Gothic*, Elena impersonates Katherine for the first time. As she has now changed her style, she's able to temporarily fool Elijah of her identity. As Katherine's wardrobe is much more adult, Elena switches her comfortable boots for high heels, casual denim jacket for slim fitting leather and took Katherine's sparkly eye catching jewelry including earrings, bracelets and her watch. To pass for Katherine, Elena also applies more make up, particularly dark eye shadow and eyeliner to a much more "sluttier" degree, as said by Rebekah. At first glance, Elena and Katherine are identical yet their personalities, mannerisms, style, and makeup differ greatly and are generally aspects which give away their identity.

In Season Five, Elena starts to wear more skinny jeans, low-heeled boots, low heels, combat boots, sleeveless blouses, leather jackets, short skirts and super short shorts, varied dresses, makeup, and plunges more in her jewelry box.

After returning to a human towards the end of Season Six, she stops curling her hair and goes back to her original straight hairstyle.

In Season Eight, after awakening from her magically induced coma, Elena is seen in black floral-print dress, combat boots, and a red sweater as she attends Stefan's Memorial.

## Powers and Abilities

* Human
* Vampire

She possesses fighting abilities to defend herself against vampires as she trained under Alaric and Damon. She knows how to stake vampires and also the traits of a vampire hunter.

Elena also possesses the abilities of the doppelgängers, meaning her blood can be used for various spells, particularly the magic stripping spell.

Elena is also a Doppelgänger which means her blood in an unlimited (while she's alive) source of power for witches and siphoners as well.
Elena possessed all the standard powers and abilities of a non-Original vampire.

## Weaknesses

Elena had the typical weaknesses of a non-Original vampire.

## Relationships

### Jeremy Gilbert

*Main article: Elena and Jeremy*
"*Look, Elena. You're my sister and I love you, no matter what you choose.*"
—Jeremy to Elena in *Graduation*
Jeremy is Elena's biological cousin/adoptive brother. Although Jeremy and Elena are biological first cousins, they've been raised together as siblings. After their parents died, they wanted to help and protect each other. Once the two of them became more aware of the supernatural activities and entities of Mystic Falls, Elena and Jeremy worked to keep each other and their other loved ones safe. Although they sometimes were led apart, they still seemed to retain their closeness as siblings. They love each other and are always willing to risk their lives to save one another. They have a bond that no one could ever break. After becoming a vampire, he still loves her regardless of what she is. They continue to protect each other seeing that they are what they have left each other. Losing her younger brother crushes her and causes her to turn her emotions off. But thanks to Bonnie, he was brought back to life.

### Damon Salvatore

*Main article: Elena and Damon*
"*I don't have a choice, baby. You are, by far, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my 173 years on this Earth. The fact that I get to die knowing I was loved not just by anyone, but by you, Elena Gilbert. It's the epitome of a fulfilled life. It's never gonna get any better than this. I peaked. I love you, Elena. Bye.*"
—Damon to Elena in *Home*
Damon Salvatore is Elena's best friend, husband, soulmate and Stefan's impulsive older brother. Elena met Damon at the Salvatore Boarding House when she went to look for Stefan. After a while, she started to view Damon as self-centered, violent, sociopathic and cruel, especially when she found out that he continuously abused and used her close friend, Caroline Forbes against her will. Originally, Damon disliked Elena and was rather apathetic about whether Elena lived or died. Damon was drawn to Elena, mostly due to the fact that Elena bears an uncanny resemblance to the object of his obsession for over a century, Katherine. Although Damon and Elena often bicker and don't get along, Elena began to slowly warm up to him as she got to know him, befriending him in the process. But she still kept her distance due to Damon's constant immoral and impulsive behavior. Damon and Elena's friendship deepens with time and the two become closer, Damon fallen for Elena and Elena developing feelings for Damon. As opposed to Stefan, Damon is seen to be extremely selfish when it comes to Elena, willing to put the life of Elena's before anyone else's, including Elena's loved ones. But throughout the series, he has grown and changed, protecting not only Elena, but her family and friends as well. Elena and Damon became closer than ever, and the sexual tension between them increased as Elena's emotions were heightened. During Season Four, Stefan ends his relationship with Elena because of her no longer fighting the feelings she has for Damon. Elena admitted to Damon that he was the reason for her breakup with Stefan and with Jeremy trying to kill her, Elena was forced to move into the boarding house with Damon. Stefan moved out when she moved in because of the awkward situation and relationship between her and Damon. Damon and Elena made love for the first time and became a real couple the night she moved in with him. During their romance, Damon has never given any indication that Elena would "lose" him, under any circumstances really. Quite the opposite, he promised never to leave her again. The passion they share is hard to define. Damon once again had the opportunity to prove his worth and show Elena his humanity. She brings out the good side of him — that he doesn't have to kill for fun and drink blood from innocent people. This humanity makes it only harder for Elena to hide her true feelings for Damon. She cares very much about him. Throughout, she maintains a rocky relationship with him but they manage to overcome anything. She once again confessed her love for him after the sire bond was broken in the season finale. At the start of Season Five, having had the perfect summer together they were determined to make their long distance relationship work while she attended college. Their happiness was short-lived, however, as Elena and Damon's relationship was repeatedly assailed by a seemingly endless number of difficulties. They had to come to terms with Stefan's summer-long imprisonment and the revelation of Bonnie's death, all the while having to deal with Silas and Qetsiyah's struggle for dominance. Things were further complicated by the Augustine Society and a vengeful Katherine Pierce's machinations as well as the threat posed by the Travelers and their leader, Markos. These events among others had devastating emotional impacts on Damon and Elena and led them to question the wisdom of their relationship. Despite all this and having numerous arguments, separations, breakups and reconciliations, they never denied their love for each other. Ultimately, their love and the notable support of Stefan allowed them to come back together once again before the season's end. After losing her soulmate, Elena has currently been struggling with the empty void in her life that Damon should fill. Resorting to drug induced hypnotism and selective memory loss has proved to be a dangerous and heartbreaking coping mechanism for Elena. She later compels away all the good memories of Damon through Alaric. To her surprise, Damon is brought back to life and she felt nothing towards him, not believing she was ever in love with him. However, Damon's efforts to bring back Bonnie impress her and they rekindle their love for each other.

### Stefan Salvatore

*Main article: Elena and Stefan*
"*You know the life that we had, I mean that was amazing too. It wasn't a spell or a prophecy, it was real. We fell in love on our own. We had ups and downs, we fought... we changed, both of us. We grew apart, but that is real; I mean that's life... I'll always love you, Elena.*"
—Stefan to Elena in *Resident Evil*
Stefan Salvatore is Elena's close friend and ex-boyfriend, as well as Damon's younger brother. Stefan is a 168 year old immortal who is described as handsome, athletic, mysterious, brooding, kind, compassionate and thoughtful. After returning home to Mystic Falls after years of being gone, Stefan unexpectedly "met" Elena on May 23, 2009, after he heard Elena and her parents' car accident while he was out at Wickery Bridge. The Gilbert's car had submerged deep into the water under the bridge, where Elena and her parents were facing death by drowning. It was then that Stefan miraculously saved Elena's life, although unfortunately, Elena's parents, Grayson and Miranda, didn't survive the tragedy. After the accident, Elena spent months wondering how she made it out of the accident and believed that her survival was a "miracle". For the next four months, Stefan remained in Mystic Falls, while studying Elena's background from afar. Stefan investigated Elena's background in order to find out whether or not Elena was really Katherine Pierce due to Elena's uncanny physical resemblance to her. Stefan eventually discovers through the info that he has researched and gained, that Elena is not Katherine and Stefan is relieved by this. He slowly starts to fall for her from afar and he stays in Mystic Falls because he has to know her. Elena fatefully and unexpectedly meets Stefan for the first time at the beginning of the new school year outside of the Men's washroom. Elena is undeniably drawn to Stefan and the two have an instant, deep and indescribable connection. Stefan and Elena begin to bond and slowly start to develop a romantic relationship. They both realize that they share many qualities, hobbies, traits, values and beliefs in common. As Elena and Stefan start falling deeper in love with each other, Elena unexpectedly discovers Stefan's deep, dark secret: Stefan is a century old vampire with a mysterious past. Although Elena is at first scared of Stefan and what he is, Elena eventually accepts Stefan's vampire-ism. As opposed to Damon, Stefan is known to respect Elena and honor her choices and wishes, even if he doesn't agree with them. Stefan and Elena no longer have a strong love and connection. There have been many different obstacles over the course of the series that have tried to come between them. Some of these obstacles include Stefan's brother, Damon, Stefan's blood addiction issues, the unexpectedly events in Mystic Falls, Klaus, Rebekah, the Originals, Katherine Pierce, John Gilbert, Stefan's Ripper phase and most recently, Elena's new found vampirism. When she reveals she is in love with Damon. After her transition, Elena admitted she was no longer in love with Stefan because of she felt he treated her like a project and looks at her like a broken toy and that she can't be with someone like that. Later on, they are able to establish a good friendship and have claimed that they will always love each other. Stefan and Elena both struggle during the months after losing Damon. However, after Damon is resurrected, these two continue to help each other until Elena is forced into a coma, due to Kai Parker's revenge against Bonnie. They shared a heartfelt goodbye before the Salvatore brothers placed her body in a coffin to rest until Bonnie died and Elena woke up. They shared a brief heartfelt reunion as Stefan passed away and found peace in*I Was Feeling Epic*, after sacrificing his life.

### Alaric Saltzman

*Main article: Elena and Alaric*
"*You're going to think that the pain will never end, but it will. But first you have to let it all in. You can't fight it. It's bigger than you. You have to let yourself drown in it. But then eventually you'll start to swim. And then every single breath that you fight for will make you stronger. And I promise you, you will beat it.*"
—Elena to Alaric in *I'm Thinking Of You All The While*
Alaric is Elena's step father and guardian. They became close when Alaric started dating her aunt Jenna. Alaric was also her history tutor. Alaric taught Elena how to protect herself from vampires and how to fight. Alaric became the legal guardian of Elena when her aunt Jenna was killed by Klaus. As Elena didn't have much family left, Alaric was there for her and Jeremy. Alaric along with Damon, protected Elena from the dangers that surrounded them. Elena was devastated when Esther turned Alaric into an Original resulting into him not completing the transition. But Esther took control of Bonnie and made her feed him her blood so that the transition would complete. Alaric then took Elena hostage so he could lead Klaus there to kill him. Elena realized that their lives are connected meaning if she dies, he dies. The moment Elena had died, Alaric died in Damon's arms and Elena came back as a vampire. During season four, she had mourned him and amends were then made. She was reunited with him when he was brought back to life in the Season Five finale, due to Damon and Bonnie's sacrifices.

### Bonnie Bennett

*Main article: Elena and Bonnie*
"*I know you think now, that you can't have a normal life, that you need to be here for everyone, but you don't. Everyone will find their way.*"
—Bonnie to Elena in *For Whom the Bell Tolls*
Bonnie Bennett has been best friends with Elena since childhood. Bonnie is also a close friend of Caroline Forbes. Bonnie has mentioned that she and Elena are so close they're like sisters, and she would die for Elena in an instant without hesitation. Throughout the series, Bonnie is protective of Elena, even risking her life to ensure Elena's safety and protection. Elena used to joke about Bonnie's "supernatural" or psychic powers until Bonnie eventually discovered she is descended from a long line of powerful witches, inheriting the gifts herself. Although Bonnie has always been supportive of Elena, after Elena began a relationship with Stefan Salvatore, a vampire, Bonnie and Elena begin drifting apart. Their friendship was strained when her Grams died after being weakened by a preforming a powerful spell to help the Salvatore brothers release Katherine Pierce. From the episode "Isobel" and onward, their friendship has remained relatively consistent and the two remain best friends. Ever since Jeremy died and Elena turned off her humanity, Elena ruined her friendship with Bonnie by almost trying to kill her. When Elena got her humanity back, she and Bonnie are now back to being best friends and have a strong friendship. They are also roommates with Caroline in college. However, the Other Side began collapsing which to its destruction and taking down Bonnie as well. Bonnie died with Damon who was still trapped on the Other Side and Elena was greatly devastated. They are reunited in I Was Feeling Epic.

### Caroline Forbes

*Main article: Elena and Caroline*
"*I'm really glad that you're here.*"
—Caroline to Elena in *I Know What You Did Last Summer*
Although Elena and Caroline had been friends since childhood, Caroline's constant insecurities as a human, which made her jealous of Elena at times, had created and maintained a friendly rivalry between the two. When Caroline became a vampire, her insecurities went away, and their relationship improved a lot as a result. When Elena became a vampire herself, however, she broke up with Stefan and started dating Damon instead. And because Caroline could never accept this, as she never liked Damon and always saw Stefan as the better brother, their friendship degraded considerably. Later, it further degraded after Elena turned her humanity off, to the point that they are were enemies: Elena tried to stake Caroline, and will do everything that she can to ruin the prom dance that she carefully planned.She also almost killed Caroline's mother, Liz. That problem seems to be fixed in the latest episode. Now they are back to being best friends and has upgraded tremendously. They were roommates in college.

### Other Relationships

Petrova Family, Gilbert Family, Saltzman Family, Salvatore Family, Mystic Falls Gang, Mystic Falls High School, Whitmore College, Augustine

* Elena, Jeremy and Jenna (Former Family Bond/Jenna died)
* Elena and Jenna (Adoptive Maternal Aunt/Good Friends)
* John, Isobel and Elena (Parents and Daughter/Frenemies)
* Elena and John (Biological Father and Daughter)
* Elena and Isobel (Biological Mother and Daughter/Frenemies)
* Elena and Katherine (Maternal Ancestor/Enemies)
* Stefan, Elena, and Damon (Former Love Triangle)
* Elena, Caroline and Bonnie (Best Friends)
* Damon, Elena and Alaric (Best Friends)
* Elena and Matt (Ex-Boyfriend/Best Friends)
* Elena and Tyler (Friends/Former Allies)
* Elena and Vicki (Former Enemies)
* Elena and Elijah (Friends/Former Enemies/Former Allies)
* Elena and Klaus (Enemies)
* Elena and Rebekah (Enemies/Ex-Friends)
* Elena and April (Ex-Friends)
* Elena and Silas (Enemies)
* Elena and Aaron (Former Friends)
* Elena and Liv (Former Allies/Frenemies)
* Elena and Luke (Friends/Former Allies)
* Elena and Jo (Friends/Former Allies)
* Elena and Kai (Enemies/Former Allies)
* Elena and Liam (Friends/Exes)