Stelena

"Now this is fascinating- I've never seen this before. The only thing stronger than your craving for blood, is your love for this one girl."

- Klaus Mikaelson to Stefan.

Stelena is the het ship between Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries fandom.

TV Series
Stefan and Elena first met when he returned to town to get to know Elena after saving her from a car accident. He went to her school and the two bumped into each other in the hallway where they were both mesmerized by the other, and had trouble maintaining a conversation without getting tongue-tied. When Elena visited her parent's graves and was scared off by a crow, she ran out of the graveyard until she bumped into Stefan again. The two kept gazing at each other like before, and eventually, Elena introduced herself. Throughout S1 the two maintained a beautiful and innocent relationship. It is only when Elena got suspicious of Stefan where their relationship hit a rocky patch. Elena demanded to know what he was was, and Stefan revealed that he was a vampire. She was shocked and afraid at the revelation and stayed away from him. Stefan respected her decision, but assured her he would never do anything to hurt her. After Vicki's death, Stefan offered Elena to have her memories erased, but Elena denied his offer. She told Stefan as much as she was afraid and wanted to forget, she couldn't lose the way she felt about him. Discovering another vampire was in town, Stefan stayed to protect Elena and worked with Damon to investigate who it was. Deciding to talk to him, Elena went to Stefan's house and encountered Lexi, who had just gotten out of the shower. Elena asked where Stefan was, and Lexi replied that he was in the shower. Misunderstanding, Elena left. Stefan came to her house that evening and realized that she probably thought Lexi was his rebound, and explained that she was a 350 year old vampire and his best friend, who came to Mystic Falls to celebrate his 162nd birthday. He asks Elena why she came by, but she tells him it was a mistake. Before he leaves, Stefan asks her if she needs a ride to Caroline's party. Elena says she's not going, and tells Stefan to have a good time. She later changes her mind and goes to Caroline's party, where she is confronted by Lexi. Lexi encourages Elena's feelings for Stefan, and advises her that when it was real, she couldn't just walk away. That night, Damon killed Lexi. This causes Stefan to isolate himself from Elena, telling her she was right to not see him anymore. After the two managed to figure things out, when Stefan tried to leave town for her own safety, she told him that was not his decision to make and that she loved him. Hearing her confession, Stefan finally allowed himself to be with Elena again. When they went inside the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan hid his face so Elena couldn't see him him as a vampire, but she turned him around and caressed his face, telling him not to hide from her. They shared a kiss and spent their first night together. Later, Stefan went to go get her a cup of water and left Elena alone in his room. She came across his photo of Katherine and was shocked at how much she looked like her. Heartbroken and confused, she took off her necklace and left. Stefan came back and found Elena's necklace on Katherine's photo, and realized what happened.

That morning Stefan called Elena to try and explain everything, but instead of Elena, it was Damon who answered the phone. Stefan warned Damon not to hurt Elena and spent the rest of the day waiting for her to come home. When Elena came back, she demanded Stefan say who he was to her and he assured her he did not think of her as Katherine. He admitted that before they met, he had followed her for some time to investigate if she was Katherine, and tried to learn all he could about her to figure out why they looked so much alike. Stefan revealed that Elena was adopted and that could've played a part in her relation to Katherine. After the two discussed more about her family, Stefan embraced Elena and she made him promise not to keep secrets from her anymore.

Wanting their lives to be normal for once the two decide to go on a double date with Matt and Caroline at the Mystic Grill. While walking back from the bathroom, a man grabbed Elena's arm and called her “Katherine” but said he mistook her for someone else when he heard Caroline call her “Elena.” Elena came back and texted Stefan what had happened and Stefan quickly looked around the bar, but the man had already left. When he was taken and tortured by Frederick (the man in the bar), Damon and Alaric worked together to save him. Elena told Damon she was coming with them to get Stefan out, but Damon believed it would be too risky. Despite his warning, Elena went into the house with a vervain dart and was scolded by Damon, who got in first. Elena took Stefan away from the house and to the car, but they were attacked by Frederick who stuck a branch in Stefan, badly wounding him. Elena shot Frederick with a vervain dart and took out the branch, but seeing that Stefan was severely weak, she let him to drink her blood to get stronger. Stefan refused, but eventually gave in and ferociously killed Frederick. His behavior had frightened Elena, as she had never seen him like that before. When they got back to the Boarding House, Elena blamed herself for making him drink her blood, but Stefan interjected and said she was saving his life. Unbeknownst to her, Stefan could not control himself and grew a craving for human blood. When Damon came back home after drinking at the bar, he caught Stefan draining multiple blood bags from their blood bank.

At the Founder's Day party, Stefan drank alcohol to get rid of the cravings but ended up not being able to resist. When Elena came home that night, she was caught off guard by Stefan who had already been waiting for her. He explained that his hunger for blood was now stronger than ever, and confessed that he wanted to feed on someone and it took everything in him to not to, and all he could think about was to be truthful to Elena and not hide things from her like he promised to. When Elena tried to help him, Stefan backed away and said he was afraid of what he could do to her. Elena told him she wasn't, and hugged Stefan. When he returned to the Boarding House, Damon talked to him for a while before leaving a cup of human blood near him. After Damon left, Stefan picked up the cup and drank it.

During the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Stefan was Elena's escort but the more human blood he drank, the more dangerous he was getting. He tried to keep it a secret from Elena, but she eventually found out through Damon. Stefan walked in on the conversation but his attempt to assure Elena that he was fine failed. He went into the bathroom frustrated and broke the mirror on the wall before getting interrupted by Amber Bradley, another contestant. He compelled her to not be afraid and took her away from the event. Stefan viciously fed on her but once he realized he was out of control, he compelled Amber to be frightened of him and run away. Despite that, Stefan couldn't resist and fed on Amber once again. Before he could kill her, Elena arrived alongside Bonnie and Damon and yelled at him to stop. Horrified at what he had done and how she'd seen him like that, Stefan ran away.

For his own good, Elena went to Alaric and asked for one of his vervain darts, which she injected into Stefan to weaken him. She and Damon locked Stefan in the basement until the human blood left his system. Stefan was guilt-ridden about the recent events and wanted to die. He refused to drink the animal blood he was given and Damon explained to Elena how they had become vampires: Stefan had transformed first and forced Damon to do so afterwards. Stefan believed that he was responsible for making a monster out of his brother and every bad thing that had happened was his fault. He tried to scare Elena away, but was unsuccessful. She left the cell door open so when he was ready to talk, he could come upstairs. Instead, Stefan ran and left his daylight ring behind and went to the quarry where he awaited the sun to rise so he could die. When Elena arrived, Stefan confessed how much the guilt and pain had hurt him, and the constant craving for blood terrified him because he may not be able to control it any longer and hurt her. Elena knew that would never happen and comforted Stefan. Encouraging him, she explained that he chose to be a good person despite his craving for blood, and she believed he could pull through. Elena put the ring in his hand and told him it was his decision to either let the sun rise and die, or fight against the blood. As she started to walk away, Stefan called out to her and put the ring back on.

In S2 when Katherine rejected Damon, he tried to kiss Elena, but she pushed him away and told him that she loved Stefan and it was always going to be Stefan. Broken by her rejection, Damon snapped her brother's neck and left. Stefan arrived almost immediately and held Elena, comforting her throughout the night. The return of Katherine Pierce left their relationship on a rocky patch because of her jealousy, and the two were forced to break up. Katherine was soon sealed in a tomb, and at the time, Elena had been kidnapped and delivered to Elijah Mikaelson, an Original vampire. After finding out she was missing, Stefan found Elena and rescued her, but it was soon revealed that she was in grave danger. Klaus Mikaelson, the oldest Original in the history of time, was after her to break The Sun and Moon curse. Trying to retrieve the moonstone, Jeremy ended up trapped inside the tomb with Katherine. Stefan saved him, but at the cost of him being trapped inside with her. As soon as she found out, Elena made a deal with Elijah and asked him only one thing in return: to get Stefan out of the tomb. When Stefan got out, he reunited with Elena and the two rekindled their relationship. When Klaus arrived in Mystic Falls, to protect her loved ones from getting slaughtered, Elena knew she had to go with him. When Klaus came to take her away, Stefan held her back from going, but Elena stopped him. She told Stefan she loved him and asked him to close his eyes. When he did, Klaus took Elena and they disappeared.

After his original plan got messed up by Damon, Klaus kidnapped Elena's aunt Jenna, turned her into a vampire, and killed her for the ritual. Before Stefan could save her, Klaus already moved onto Elena and drained every single drop of blood from her body. She was brought back to life by Bonnie Bennett using John Gilbert's life-force after Damon rescued her.

In S3, she rejects Damon and chooses Stefan, and their relationship was rekindled and lasted at the beginning of S4. When Elena was still human, she told Stefan that she came back because she loved him and she chose him. And no matter what happened next, out of all the choices she'd made in her life, being in love with him was the best one she'd ever made.

Elena and Stefan's love for each other is the most recurring theme in The Vampire Diaries. The two formed a strong, beautiful and deep relationship that even many of their enemies praised. When Klaus turned off Stefan's humanity and ordered him to kill Elena, Stefan fought back and refused his order until he had to be compelled by Klaus to perform the order. Klaus even commented on their relationship, stating, “that kind of love never dies.” even Katherine Pierce, who had tried to break them up many times because they "didn't belong together" told Stefan that even with one night or an eternity, he would never look at her the same way he looked at Elena.

Another recurring theme is their supportive and positive relationship. Even broken up the two still loved each other and understood one another better than anyone else. When Silas locked Stefan up in a well for the whole summer, the only thing that kept Stefan from turning off his humanity were his thoughts of Elena. When he fake proposed to Elena, he told her she had “brought him back from the edge” and when Caroline turned off his humanity, he asked only Elena to bring him back. When they fought, Stefan admitted to Elena that she was the one thing that made him keep his humanity. This recurring theme did not only happen with Stefan however. Silas compelled Elena and made her torture Damon, and the only thing that could break her out of compulsion were her thoughts of Stefan. When Damon forced Elena to turn off her humanity after Jeremy's death, he was not able to help her after turning it back on while Stefan was. Many times have they also saved each other's lives. When Vicki set Alaric's car on fire, Elena was trapped inside along with Stefan, who was knocked out by vervain. She called out for him and he woke up after hearing her voice. He murmurs Elena's name and when he realizes that she’s in danger, even in his weakened state, he uses all his strength to kick the trunk door off it's hinges so that Elena can get out safely before the car explodes. They were constantly by the other's side. The only time Stefan did not save Elena was when she asked him not to, and he respected her choice regardless of how much he wanted to go against her wishes.

"She's the love of my life. I'd go back to her in a heartbeat."

- Stefan about Elena

In the last episode of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan and Elena share an emotional goodbye before his death.

Novels
In contrast to her TV-Show counterpart, novel Elena Gilbert was the Queen of her High School. The girl every boy wanted and every girl was jealous of. When she saw a guy who interested her, she got him with no questions asked. Elena soon met Stefan, a handsome foreigner, and tried to act cute and bubbly to get him, however she was stunned when he didn't pay any attention to her. As the Queen, she was frustrated that one person didn't pay her any attention and made it her mission to get Stefan, solely for the purpose of having him. Tired of hiding from the world, Stefan had returned to Fell's Church and eventually met Elena. Guilt-ridden about what had happened in the past, he avoided Elena after seeing how much she looked like his former lover, Katherine von Swartzchild. When Elena noticed for the first time how sad and lonely Stefan looked, in that moment, she realized that she was more emotionally involved with him. After the death of her parents, Elena hid her tremendous loneliness and grief all the time, only showing it to those close to her like Bonnie and Meredith. When she realized that Stefan had felt the way she had, lost and alone, she connected with him on a more genuine level. When Elena found out that he was a vampire, initially she was afraid of him and tried to run, but after he saved her life, she stayed and asked him to explain. Stefan told her about Katherine's death, how he he blamed himself for it, how he and his brother had killed one another and how much he regretted everything that happened. Elena tried to help him, but Stefan pushed her away in fear of hurting her. He tried to scare her off for her own good, but to no avail.

"(...) “You don't know what you're talking about!” He was standing rigid, his face furious, his eyes anguished. “If I once let go, what's to keep me from changing you, or killing you? The passion is stronger than you can imagine. Don't you understand yet what I am, what I can do?” She stood there and looked at him quietly, her chin raised slightly. It seemed to enrage him. “Haven't you seen enough yet? Or do I have to show you more? Can't you picture what I might do to you?” He strode over to the cold fireplace and snatched out a long piece of wood, thicker than both Elena's wrists together. With one motion, he snapped it in two like a match stick. “Your fragile bones,” he said. Across the room was a pillow from the bed; he caught it up and with a slash of his nails left the silk cover in ribbons. “Your soft skin.” Then he moved toward Elena with preternatural quickness; he was there and had hold of her shoulders before she knew what was happening. He stared into her face a moment, then, with a savage hiss that raised the hairs at the nape of her neck, drew his lips back. It was the same snarl she'd seen on the roof, those white teeth bared, the canines grown to unbelievable length and sharpness. They were the fangs of a predator, a hunter. “Your white neck,” he said in a distorted voice. Elena stood paralyzed another instant, gazing as if compelled into that chilling visage, and then something deep in her unconscious took over. She reached up within the restraining circle of his arms and caught his face between her two hands. His cheeks were cool against her palms. She held him that way, softly, so softly, as if to reprove his hard grip on her bare shoulders. And she saw the confusion slowly come to his face, as he realized she was not doing it to fight him or to shove him away. Elena waited until that confusion reached his eyes, shattering his gaze, becoming almost a look of pleading. She knew that her own face was fearless, soft yet intense, her lips slightly parted. They were both breathing quickly now, together, in rhythm. Elena could feel it when he started to shake, trembling as he had when the memories of Katherine had become too much to bear. Then, very gently and deliberately, she drew that snarling mouth down to her own. He tried to oppose her. But her gentleness was stronger than all his inhuman strength. She shut her eyes and thought only of Stefan, not of the dreadful things she had learned tonight but of Stefan, who had stroked her hair as lightly as if she might break in his hands. She thought of that, and she kissed the predatory mouth that had threatened her a few minutes ago. She felt the change, the transformation in his mouth as he yielded, responding helplessly to her, meeting her soft kisses with equal softness. She felt the shudder go through Stefan's body as the hard grip on her shoulders softened, too, becoming an embrace. And she knew she'd won. "You will never hurt me," she whispered."

- "The Awakening" Chapter 14

Moments

 * In Unpleasantville, Elena and Stefan dance together at the Mystic Falls High party.
 * In Children of the Damned, knowing that he can't come out of the tomb that is meant to seal vampires, Stefan goes in to save Elena anyway.
 * In Let The Right One In, knowing she might possibly die, Elena saves Stefan from Frederick, and lets him feed on her.
 * When asked to describe Elena, Stefan said that she was warm and kind, and he forgot who he really was around her.
 * In Season 1, Stefan brings Elena flowers.
 * Elena talked to Stefan about her mother as he cooked for her.
 * Stefan and Elena constantly protect each other throughout Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries.
 * When Stefan can't control his bloodlust after he takes Elena's human blood in Let The Right On In, he does everything in his power to restrain himself from hurting Elena. Despite knowing he is dangerous to be around, Elena saves Stefan no matter the cost anyway.

Quotes
"Well crazy or not, that kind of love never dies."

- Klaus about Stefan and Elena.

"One night, an eternity. You'd never look at me the way you look at Elena, would you?"

- Katherine to Stefan.

"I loved her more than I ever thought I could love somebody else."

- Stefan about Elena.

"Dear Diary, this morning is different. There is change. I can sense it. I can feel it. For once, I don't regret the day before it begins. I will see him again. For the first time in a long time, I feel good."

- Elena in her diary about Stefan.

"I'm awake. For the first time in a long time, I feel completely and undeniably wide awake. I welcome the day. I will see her again."

- Stefan in his diary about Elena.

"If you walk away, it's for you because I know what I want. Stefan, I love you!"

- Elena to Stefan.

"You are the woman that I love. I love you."

- Stefan to Elena.

"If It was my choice, I'd wanna be with you forever."

- Stefan to Elena.

"I love STEFAN, it's always gonna be Stefan."

- Elena to Damon.

"It's always gonna be Stefan."

- Damon to Elena.

"As long as Stefan is in the way, you will never be with Elena."

- Qetsiyah to Damon.

"No. I don't think we'd get together if you were still human. You had a choice. You chose Stefan. Human you was on your way home to him."

- Damon to Elena.

"Must be hard trying to live up to Stefan. I remember when I compelled him to feed on Elena. He fought so hard he actually managed to resist. Now, that's love."

- Klaus to Damon.

"Stefan is your epic love."

- Caroline to Elena.

"Stefan is your soulmate!"

- Caroline to Elena.

"Stefan is different. His love is pure. He'll always be good for her."

- Rose-Marie about Stefan and Elena.

"When it's real, you can't walk away."

- Lexi to Elena.

"I envy that. You and Elena. I envy the love you have."

- Rebecca Mikaelson to Stefan.

"Stefan would never dream of killing Elena."

- Klaus Mikaelson.

"You don’t know what it’s like being in love with you. You know, when you and I were together, every single atom in my body told me that it was the right thing, that we were the perfect fit. And that kind of love, it can change your whole life."

- Stefan to Elena. "Thank you for bumping into me that day in the hallway. I never thought I could be happy again and then I met you. You changed everything for me. You... you quite literally saved my life. I love you so much."

- Elena to Stefan.

Behind The Scenes
"What this (Stefan and Elena's relationship) is about, it's that love is eternal. And that's an universal and timeless theme."

- Kevin Williamson.

"We always said in the Pilot it's a girl who feels dead inside, and a boy who IS dead inside, and how they bring each other back to life."

- Julie Plec on Stefan and Elena.

"For me personally I like the scene when.. there was this scene in Season 1 when my- I was afraid- ashamed to be a vampire in front of Elena. And she.. my eyes were turning veiny and I was so embarrassed I kept turning away and she kept touching my eyes and being like "It's okay." it made me- it was very emotional. I really like that scene."

- Paul Wesley Toronto Comic Con 2012. "It is the most romantic moment of the series. It's a guy trying so hard to hold onto to his humanity through his love for this one girl- and watching as it gets ripped out of him. And we went back and said: Make it epic. Make it sad and beautiful, use the love cue that Stefan and Elena have, use that cue, not the scary cue."

- Julie Plec on Season 3 Episode 5.

"Oh yeah. Caroline is still a Stelena fan."

- Candice King on Caroline. "The first couple I shipped on the show was Stefan and Elena."

- Candice King. "I think it's so beautiful that.. I mean, Elena really is Stefan's true love."

- Candice King. "Caroline is very much a Stelena shipper. I think she really has seen the reasons in which Elena has fallen for him and she sees that he can protect her and bring a good side of her out. She sees Stefan as much more protective and you know a good person to be with."

- Candice King on Caroline. "Of course. If Damon and Elena get together I'm gonna get very jealous. I don't know what's going to happen with that, but I think Elena's true love is Stefan. Speaking from an objective place I really believe that it's her true love. And as charming and good looking as Damon is.. I think it'd be more of a fling."

- Paul Wesley.

"He's madly in love with Elena. And.. umm.. he .. That's his girl, Elena. She's his one sort of light at the end of the tunnel."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan.

"I think Elena's true love is Stefan. Speaking from an objective place, I really believe that um.. it’s a true love."

- Paul Wesley on Elena.

"For the Pilot and the TV Series to work, the relationship between Elena and Stefan had to be magic. I said to myself “this is phenomenal,” there is real chemistry between Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev."

- Bob Levy.

"He had a friend like Lexi, but I think something happened and he became very reclusive and I don’t know when that occurred but Elena certainly brought him out of that funk. Stefan is this sort of hopeless romantic and Elena, she’s the love of his life."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan.

"And then she meets Stefan and there is something about him that makes her feel comfortable, like he understands."

- Nina Dobrev on Elena. "Between Stefan and Elena, it's just so difficult, they love each other; they can't be away from one another."

- Nina Dobrev on Stelena. "Stefan, who's.. at the beginning she just think he's a great guy who's obviously attractive and intelligent and she just has great time around him, but they also had this unspoken connection and chemistry that neither of them can just really explain. But they just.. they just jive at another level."

- Nina Dobrev about Stefan and Elena.

"With Stefan, whenever he's around she's just.. it's almost like she melts into his arms and she feels somewhat relieved."

- Nina Dobrev on Stefan and Elena.

"Well I'm biased. I think that deep down she's in love with a person that Stefan is. She loves the type of... She loves warm-hearted people who are loving. That's the person that she fell in love with."

- Nina Dobrev on who Elena loves between Stefan and Damon.

"Marry Stefan."

- Nina Dobrev playing “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”

"Stefan is so good to Elena and still people for some reason go crazy over Damon."

- Nina Dobrev on the Love Triangle.

"What makes her happy is Stefan."

- Nina Dobrev about Elena. "Elena is in love with Stefan. And she really was not searching, but it sort of came to her. He’s like this spirit, this person, this thing that fills the emptiness and the loss in her life."

- Nina Dobrev on who Elena is in love with.

"We want to make it as real as possible, and as genuine, and we want to make everyone fall in love with these characters and believe the love story. That’s what it’s about. It’s about Stefan and Elena’s undying love."

- Nina Dobrev on Stefan and Elena.

"It was this beautiful scene where Stefan takes Elena, and he picks her up and kisses her, and they go on the kitchen counter and things get kinda hot and heavy. But rather than sexualizing it, I decided to make it romantic. I pitched it to the writers — I was like ‘Guys, I think this should be romantic and not sexual,’ and they fell for it. Suckers!"

- Paul Wesley on TVD S2x14.

"There’s a lovely scene that we do at the lake house discussing that (the reality of Elena’s mortality). Touching lightly upon it without hitting you over the head, you know what I mean? It’s really kind of beautiful."

- Paul Wesley on S2x14.

"I know an epic love story when I see one, and I felt like Elena and Stefan had an epic love."

- Nina Dobrev on Stelena before her leave.

"Anything is possible but to my knowledge, at this point, her (Elena's) heart is strictly for Stefan. As Stefan's heart is strictly for Elena."

- Paul Wesley.

"Elena made a decision last season to be with Stefan because she loves him."

- Nina Dobrev on Elena in S3.

"I just want him in the end to find his love, that’s all he cares about. Of course I want him to end up with Elena. Cause I have to, that’s all I can hope for."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan.

"I'm gonna go with Stelena. Stefan went to the dark side to save her and everyone for the greater good."

- Nina Dobrev between Delena and Stelena. "I think Elena had a certain connection with Stefan that was very profound."

- Nina Dobrev S4 Interview. "Stefan is committed and loving and would do anything for her to protect her."

- Nina Dobrev on Elena and Stefan. "And.. I think Stefan is genuinely in love with Elena. Not to get sappy, but I think that counts for something."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan. "I think there's always gonna be this residual "I'm in love with you", but he respects her as a friend which is a very difficult and manly thing to do."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan and Elena. "Stefan and Elena have a history. They were in love, they were in a deep love, and I just think that at the end of the day, she recognizes that."

- Paul Wesley.

"They key to Stefan and Elena is time and distance."

- Paul Wesley on Stelena.

"The musical soundtrack that I would play for example if I was.. emotional or something and crying hysterically to Elena that she needs to take me back and that I'm desperately in love with her, I would probably listen to something like Bon Iver, Sigur Rós and The Raveonettes."

- Paul Wesley. "I think the Elena/Stefan storyline is an integral part of the show. I think their love is infinite."

- Paul Wesley TVFanatic Interview. "The fans [of Stefan & Elena] should definitely maintain some hope. The thing to remember is that Stefan and Elena have this love that is so strong, and it was sort of the core of Season 1 - you can’t entirely disregard that. The fans should definitely be aware of the fact that Stefan and Elena are very much a possibility."

- Paul Wesley on Stelena happening again.

"If Nina had never left, I would’ve loved to have been able to see if Stefan and Elena could've found their way back to each other."

- Julie Plec on Stefan and Elena.

"That’s a beautiful commitment in their relationship. It’s kind of like a monogamy commitment in a way. It’s a little cheesy and it’s very perverse, but I thought it was kind of beautiful and special. One very telling thing that he said two episodes ago was that he has something else to live for. The difference between last year and this year is last year he didn’t believe he deserved Elena’s love. Right now we’re at a place where Stefan has come to terms with some of his demons and is feeling very strong in his love for Elena and is confident that she loves him in spite of their current relationship problems. Stefan opens the closet door and he sees her, and they come face-to-face. It’s the strangest moment because she’s in his, like, murder board closet, but the way they look at each other… and you realize, ohmygod, these two have not seen each other in so long, and they love each other so much, and the look on his face… We know how much he needs her, how she’s what keeps him from falling over the edge, and he’s in this predicament: “Oh god, is she about to get caught? Am I about to get caught?” It’s just this powerful reunion that always makes me get a little teary."

- Julie Plec on Stefan and Elena.

"They (Stefan and Caroline) are sharing an experience of having to say goodbye to someone they care about who ultimately is Stefan's true love."

- Julie Plec about Elena.

"When the show first started I really liked.. I thought Stefan and Elena's storyline was very interesting and I really love that romance that they've.. I thought it was really special. Very beautiful. I think the show is sort of rooted itself in that romance. I think of that romance on kind with the kind of basis of The Vampire Diaries in many ways. Um.. Well, you know, once Nina left the show we needed to develop other relationships and I thought that this Stefan/Caroline relationship was pretty great. So, It's hard to compare the two because there is something interesting about Stefan and Caroline- friends sort of becoming romantic. It's completely different, I think the Stefan and Elena's storyline was a little bit more- kind of the HEART of the show."

- Paul Wesley on Stelena and Steroline.

"I feel like she has high morals. She loves Stefan and it's always been Stefan."

- Nina Dobrev on Elena.

"The moment when I really thought we had something special, was when Stefan and Elena met. I thought they were electric."

- Kevin Williamson on Stelena.

"What I sparked in the show, which made it very deep and personal, was Elena. She had just lost her parents. She was like this.. walking dead person. She felt dead inside. And along comes Stefan, who you know literally IS dead and looking for a way to come back to life. And these two people, these two souls, that were really, you know, out of breath, found each other and learned to breathe again. They fell madly in love. And from that this epic love story was born."

- Kevin Williamson.

"I'm a Stelena. I've gone on record as a Stelena. It's Stefan and Elena for me. That's who, in another universe, that's how I would have ended the show. However, we lost Elena in the sixth season."

- “Williamson then reveals in a shocking twist that initially he wanted to get Dobrev back for the entire final season, not just the last episode. Had she been able to return for all 16 episodes of Season 8, that would have changed the ending dramatically.”

"The bottom line is that Elena and Stefan are the true epic love story of the show. Damon is the third point of the triangle."

- Julie Plec.

"In my heart of hearts it’s Stefan & Elena forever on The Vampire Diaries. What Stefan did for Elena was the ultimate act of love. How can it not be Stefan and Elena?! It’s tragic love, but it’s love."

- Kevin Williamson on The Vampire Diaries Finale.

"She needs that sort of consistent love and protection and that's what Stefan gives to her."

- Nina Dobrev on Elena and Stefan.

"I'm telling you, all it takes is one shift in writing. All it takes is one intelligently shifted moment or new storyline to sort of diverge and — boom! — we're back on the Stefan and Elena train."

- Paul Wesley on TVD's Finale.

"It was very surreal to shoot the last scene with Nina Dobrev, but everything must come to an end one day or another. I never imagined that Stefan and Elena would end up like this, without love, without something romantic between them."

- Paul Wesley on the TVD finale.

"Don't hide from me."

- Paul Wesley (In 2022)

Official
Cut by Plumb

When It's Real | Stefan and Elena's Theme

First Meet | Stefan and Elena's First Meeting

Unofficial
Fire On Fire by Sam Smith

Fanon
Stelena is the most popular ship in The Vampire Diaries fandom, second only to Delena. Though many fans felt that even though Elena got together with Damon at the end of the series, their love wasn't quite as real as her and Stefan's. There is rivalry between Delena, Steroline and Stelena shippers.

Fans of the ship are intrigued with their love story. Not only is the ship popular because of it's "One True Love" theme, but also because of the couple's relationship dynamic. Stefan is deep and understanding, but has trouble controlling the dark part of himself, while Elena is compassionate and kind and was the light in his life. They were both supportive of each other and loved one another very deeply. Stefan had always respected Elena's decisions and had done anything he could to protect her, and even though they broke up later on, fans still believed mutual feelings had always remained between them.

Fans also think had Elena never turned into a vampire and been sired to Damon, she would've chosen Stefan in a heartbeat. Despite rivalry with Delena's and Steroline's, Stelena and Klaroline shippers have a positive relationship with each other's fandoms. Klaus and Caroline are also jokingly known as the "King and Queen of shipping Stelena" due to their many positive comments about Stefan and Elena's relationship on the show.

On AO3, Stelena is the third most written romantic ship besides Klaroline and Delena. It is the second most written ship for Elena and the number one most written for Stefan. It is Elena's second most popular ship, and Stefan's first.

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Trivia

 * In an alternate dimension created by Markos, Elena is human and is happily married to her true love, Stefan Salvatore. It is revealed that they also have two children.
 * Stefan is a Scorpio and Elena is a Cancer. Astrologically, they are very compatible.
 * Caroline constantly commented on Elena and Stefan's relationship, and supported them over Elena and Damon.
 * Stefan tells Elena he will always love her in 3x18.
 * Many characters on the show have been open in their support of Stelena. That includes Klaus, Caroline, Silas, Jeremy, Bonnie, Rebekah, Lexi, Rose-Marie, Kai, Jenna and Matt.
 * Rebekah doubted that Stefan could love someone else the way he loved Elena.
 * Stefan and Elena's most popular songs are Cut, A Drop In The Ocean and Gravity.
 * Paul Wesley directed the episode where Stefan and Elena are married in an alternate dimension/have visions of each other.
 * Stefan has only referred to Elena as his true love.
 * Elena saved Stefan's life in The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle.
 * Nina Dobrev posted Stelena fanart on her Instagram story on April 17, 2020.
 * Many celebrities have said they supported Stelena. That includes Dinah Jane Hansen and Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony, Torrey DeVitto, Steven R. McQueen, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Charles Michael Davis, Danielle Campbell, Daniella Pineda, Paul Wesley, Julie Plec, Kylie Jenner, Arielle Kebbel, Shaun White and Danielle Rose Russel.
 * Ian Somerhalder prefers Stelena over Delena.
 * The original ending of The Vampire Diaries would be Elena and Stefan ending up together had Nina Dobrev not left the show, said Kevin Williamson.
 * Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley are Stelena fans and have supported the couple throughout the entire show. Paul and Nina are also very close friends in real life.
 * Stelena is the first and only ship name to ever be said on the show.
 * Elena told Damon the dream she had about the Alternate Dimension where she was married to Stefan, and called it her perfect life, a paradise, and everything her and Stefan wanted.
 * Paul Wesley's favorite scene from the entire series is when Elena and Stefan rekindle their relationship in The Turning Point, and when Elena finally gets to see the vampire side of Stefan.
 * Nina and Paul have supported Stelena ever since S1-S2. Paul Wesley also said that he was Pro Stelena.
 * Nina Dobrev tagged #Stelena on Twitter and Instagram multiple times when she'd post behind the scenes photos of her and Paul. During his birthday, she posted a picture of them with the caption “Happy birthday to my [only] Stefan [forever].”
 * “Happy Stelena Anniversary” was trending on Twitter worldwide.
 * After the last episode of The Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev posted a picture of her and Paul Wesley and tagged it #Stelena.
 * Legacies Writers official Twitter account referenced a Stelena episode and song in their tweet on April 8, 2022. Legacies Writers also liked a Stelena tweet.