Stelena

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

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

Season 1
Stefan and Elena first met when he returned to town to get to know Elena after saving her from a car accident. At school, Elena accidentally bumped into the new guy, Stefan Salvatore and left awkwardly. After school, Elena saw Stefan again when she ran into him at the cemetery. The two kept gazing at each other like before, and eventually, Elena introduced herself. Throughout S1 the two maintained a beautiful relationship, It was only when Elena got suspicious of Stefan when it hit a rocky patch. Elena suspected he was not who he seemed, and showed up at his doorstep demanding to know what he was. Stefan prepared Elena for the truth and revealed that he was a vampire. Elena was shocked and afraid at the revelation and ran back home, but Stefan went to see her using his supernatural abilities. He assured her he would never do anything to hurt her and tried to explain the situation, but Elena, still frightened, asked him to leave. Stefan did as she asked and left. The next day, Elena arranged a meeting between them, so Stefan could explain everything to her. He took her to this old home back in 1864 and told her what happened between him, Katherine and Damon. As she listened, Elena saw Stefan take out a daylight ring and realized he had to give it back to Damon. Worried for everyone's safety, she told him not to, but Stefan said that if he didn't, Damon would retaliate in the only way he knew would hurt him: by hurting her. After Vicki's death, Elena said to Stefan that a part of her wished she could forget meeting him, but no matter how scared she was, she couldn't lose the way she felt about him. After some time, 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 asked Elena why she came by, but she told him it was a mistake. Before he left, Stefan asked if she needed a ride to Caroline's party. Elena said she wasn't going, and told Stefan to have a good time. She later changes her mind and goes to Caroline's party where she is approached by Lexi. They bonded quickly and became friends, and Lexi encouraged Elena's feelings for Stefan, saying, “When it's real, you can't walk way.” That night, Damon killed Lexi. This caused 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 safety, she told him he didn't get to make that decision for her and that she loved him. Hearing her confession, Stefan kissed her. They went inside the boarding house and Stefan hid his face so Elena couldn't see him him as a vampire, but she turned him around and touched his face, telling him not to hide from her. They shared another 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 soon 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 her 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 angrily asked Stefan who she was to him and he assured her he did not think of her as Katherine. Upon her request, Stefan told Elena about how they had first met, how he saved her from the car accident. Elena wanted to know why she looked like Katherine, and Stefan admitted that after realizing she wasn't, it didn't make sense for them to look so alike. Katherine was a "Pierce" and Elena was a "Gilbert" so he decided to look into her birth certificate and revealed that she was adopted. Stefan comforted Elena and told her he loved her, and she made him promise not to keep secrets from her anymore.

Wanting their lives to be normal for once, the two decided 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 informed Stefan of what had happened and he quickly scoured 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. Elena believed he had gone back to normal but the memory was still unsettling. Unbeknownst to her, Stefan had grown a craving for human blood.

At the Founder's Day party, Elena grew worried for Stefan as he began to act more unusual throughout the night. When she went home, she was caught off guard when he was already in her room 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 not to -- and all he could think about was to be truthful to Elena and not hide things from her like he promised. When she tried to help him, Stefan backed away saying “I'm afraid of what I could do to you” but 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 he left, Stefan took the cup and drank it.

Stefan was Elena's escort to the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, but his craving for blood led him to steal from a hospital blood bank. He tried to keep his bloodlust 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, leading Damon to be Elena's escort. Stefan remained confused and angry and realized the human blood was doing something to him, so he compelled Amber to be frightened and run. Unfortunately the blood still had him out of control, and he caught up and fed on her again. Before he could kill her, Elena arrived alongside Bonnie and Damon and yelled at him to stop. Bonnie brought him down using her powers, and horrified at what he had done, 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 to stop him, Stefan told her how much guilt and pain he felt for everything he'd done, and the constant craving for blood terrified him because he may not be able to control it any longer and hurt her. Elena assured him that would never happen and confided in Stefan about the night she lost her parents. She tried to convince him not to give up and put the daylight ring in his hand, saying it was his decision to wait for the sun to rise and die, or wear the ring and fight. She started to walk away, but Stefan called out to her and put the ring back on.

Not long afterwards, Elena met her birth mother Isobel who asked for a device that Katherine had wanted. Elena reluctantly gave it to her later believing that Bonnie had removed the spell on it, but she hadn't. At the Founder's Day Parade, for the most part, Elena and Stefan had a good time and enjoyed the festivities before Damon arrived to tell them that the tomb vampires were in the crowd wanting revenge on the founding families. Elena asked Stefan to find Jeremy but the Gilbert Device was suddenly set off by John Gilbert. Stefan was affected alongside all the vampires and Elena, with the help of Alaric, took him to safety. Once the device stopped, she helped Stefan save Damon from burning to death with the help of Bonnie (who agreed to save him only for Elena). At the end of the night, Elena went back to school to get her clothes only to find that someone had taken them. She told Stefan this on the phone as she went home, and entered the house where she heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

Season 2
In Season 2, Katherine returned to town and caused chaos between Stefan, Damon and Elena. At the end of The Return, Damon tried to kiss Elena but she pushed him away and told him she loved Stefan and it was always going to be Stefan. This upset Damon and he snapped Jeremy's neck and left. Stefan arrived almost immediately and comforted Elena as she held her brother. Eventually, Katherine forced Stefan and Elena to break up by threatening her family. Even after Katherine was sealed in a tomb with a spell that prevented a vampire from escaping, their relationship was still on hold because Elena needed to wake up and know that she and her family were safe. That night, she was kidnapped and delivered to Elijah Mikaelson, an Original vampire. Finding out she was missing, Stefan (and Damon) 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 his curse. In the tomb, Jeremy attempted to retrieve the moonstone from Katherine, but she attacked him and this forced Stefan to intervene. He tossed him out of Katherine's reach, trapping himself in the tomb. As soon as she found out, Elena accepted Elijah's deal and asked him only one thing in return: to free Stefan from the tomb. When he was freed, Stefan reunited with Elena and the two rekindled their relationship.

Elijah had a plan to save Elena from dying by using an elixir that would bring the doppëlganger back to life after the ritual. Damon didn't trust Elijah's plan to save Elena, and instead forced her to drink his blood so she could come back as a vampire. Stefan rushed in and shoved Damon away from her, furious that he of all people took away her choice. He later took Elena on a hike to let her enjoy the last few hours of her life as a human, and at the end of the day, Elena broke down in tears as she admitted she had no desire to ever be a vampire. Returning to the boarding house, Klaus was there waiting for her. Elena stopped Stefan when he refused to let her go, and kissed him, telling him she loved him. She asked him to close his eyes and he did so upon her request. When he opened them, she and Klaus were gone.

Because of Damon's interference in his original plan, Klaus kidnapped Elena's aunt, Jenna, and used her as the vampire for the ritual. Stefan tried to take Jenna's place, but Klaus stabbed him in the stomach with a wooden stake so the wound would render him unable to do anything to save Elena.

In the finale, Elena is brought back to life by Bonnie, and in order to save her and Damon, Stefan makes a deal with Klaus and leaves town with him.

Season 3
In S3, Elena desperately tried searching for Stefan despite everyone else's efforts to get her to move on. In The End of the Affair, she finally found him and hid in his old apartment to hide from Klaus. Stefan noticed her in the storage and saved her life by distracting Klaus, and later when they reunited, Elena tried to shoot Stefan with a vervain dart but he was faster and avoided her attack. He said that he didn't want to come back because he wanted to protect her this way. In Chicago, Klaus goes to Gloria (a witch) to find out why his hybrids weren't turning out the way he planned, and discovers that Stefan was hiding the fact that the doppelgänger (Elena) was still alive. In The Reckoning, Klaus compelled Stefan to kill Elena and was surprised when he showed great strength by fighting the compulsion off and telling her to run. Unfortunately, Klaus then used compulsion one last time and ordered Stefan to turn his humanity off. He was forced to attack Elena, and almost killed her. In Smells Like Teen Spirit, he goes back to school and moves back to the Boarding House to stay behind and keep an eye on Elena to "guard" her for Klaus. When she distracts Stefan by falling off the bleachers, he saves her. They share an intimate moment where Elena says “I knew you'd catch me” before Alaric shoots him with a vervain arrow. Together Alaric, Damon and Elena lock Stefan up to try and restore his humanity. Ultimately, the plan failed, but Elena never gave up believing that there was hope for Stefan. In Our Town, in an effort to get Klaus to remove the hybrids from Mystic Falls, Stefan kidnapped Elena and fed her his blood, telling Klaus that if he didn't tell his hybrids to back off he would drive off Wickery Bridge so that Elena would die and turn into a vampire. At first Klaus didn't believe he'd do anything to hurt Elena, but eventually agreed to call off the hybrids. Elena jumped out of the car and yelled tearfully at Stefan, asking him how he could drive over that bridge knowing that her parents had died and that she had almost died with them. Stefan responded saying that destroying Klaus was all he had left but Elena argued that he had her. He replied that he lost her the minute he left town with Klaus and she just hadn't admitted that to herself yet. When she asked if he was doing all this to make her hate him, Stefan said he didn't care what she thought of him anymore.

In The Ties That Bind, Elena confessed she kissed Damon since she felt guilty Stefan was unaware of it. Clearly pained and stunned by the information, Stefan walked away and said nothing. Elena followed him and begged him to say something, and he apologized for what he did to her on the bridge, admitting that he went too far. But he scolded Elena for lying about going to see Abby as it was too dangerous for her to do so while Klaus was still around. Elena understood his concern, and told him she never intended to kiss Damon. Stefan, still hurt, said she was better than both of them before driving away in his car. He then went back to the Boarding House and punched Damon for kissing Elena. At the Mikaelson ball, Elena and Stefan danced together and and shared a romantic moment. By the end of the night, she pleaded with him to feel something and he confessed that he hated himself for what he did to her, and if he let himself care then all he'd feel is pain. In the finale, she rejects Damon and chooses Stefan, and their relationship was rekindled and lasted at the beginning of Season 4. When Elena was still human, she told Stefan that she loved him and she chose him, and no matter what happened next it was the best choice 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 ordered him to kill Elena, Stefan fought back and refused his order until he had to be compelled again by Klaus to perform the order. Klaus even commented many times on their relationship, stating, “That kind of love never dies” and “Now, that's love.” Even Katherine Pierce, who had been convinced that Stefan would love her again, admitted 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 Caroline turned off his humanity, he asked only Elena to bring him back, and when they fought, Stefan said the one thing that kept him from turning it all off was her. 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 murmured Elena's name and when he realized she was in danger, even in his weakened state, he used all his strength to kick the trunk door off it's hinges so that Elena could get out safely before the car exploded. 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
Elena Gilbert was the Queen Bee of Robert L. 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 shocked when he didn't pay any attention to her. 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, Stefan Salvatore had returned to Fell's Church to start a new life, and eventually met Elena. Guilt-ridden about what had happened in the past, he avoided her after seeing how much she looked like his former lover, Katherine. After the death of her parents, Elena hid her loneliness and grief all the time, only showing it those close to her like Bonnie and Meredith. When she met Stefan, she was instantly attracted to him, but when she noticed for the first time how sad and lonely he looked, in that moment, she realized that she was more emotionally involved with him. She understood what it was like to feel lost and tried to build a genuine bond with him. Elena soon found out that he was a vampire and was frightened by the revelation and tried to run, but after Stefan saved her life, she stayed and asked him to explain. Much like the show, Elena still loved Stefan despite what he was, but Stefan feared that he could hurt her and tried to scare her off.

"(...) “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 The two were together throughout The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury and The Dark Reunion. They continued to be together in The Return and The Hunters trilogies. They are also engaged in the alternate timeline of the novel universe.

Moments

 * In Unpleasantville, Elena and Stefan dance together at the Mystic Falls High party.
 * In Children of the Damned, knowing that he wouldn't be able to come out of the tomb that is meant to trap vampires, Stefan goes in to save Elena anyway.
 * In Let The Right One In, Elena saved Stefan from Frederick and allowed him to 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 brought 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 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 tries to help Stefan no matter the cost anyway.

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

- Klaus about Stefan and Elena "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 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

"Can you hear me? (Stefan nods) Thanks for coming. I'm nervous... but I'm happy that you're here. (Elena looks at him) I love you. (Stefan mouths I love you)."

- Elena and Stefan in "Isobel"

"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 in Season 2

"Yeah. I get it. It's always gonna be Stefan."

- Damon to Elena in Season 3

"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

"I love you Stefan. Hold on to that. Never let that go."

- Elena

"Do you wanna know why I was even on that bridge? I was coming back for you Stefan. I had to choose... I picked you. Because I love you. No matter what happens, it's the best choice I ever made."

- Elena

"We have to take these moments, Elena. What Katherine did to Caroline could just be the beginning and there are things with Tyler's family that we don't even understand yet and there's always the "D" word but I came back to this town to start a life with you. We can't forget to live it."

- Stefan to Elena in "Brave New World"

"There's the girl with the necklace. You love her. You'd do anything for her and you have."

- Gloria to Stefan about Elena

"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 I was ashamed to be a vampire in front of Elena. My eyes 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. "There's no human that is closer to Stefan than Elena, I think that’s obvious, I mean.. she really accepts him and loves him for who he is and with all the sort of baggage that he brings you know, which is obviously tremendous."

- Paul Wesley. "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.

"It’s the scene where Elena was running in the cemetery. And he’s there, out of nowhere. And the sun is just hitting him so perfectly and his eyes are so beautifully green and he’s just staring at her and she’s staring up in him… Kevin and I both went: He is our guy, oh my god he is our guy!"

- Julie Plec. "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. "And then she (Elena) meets Stefan, they have this connection that neither of them can really explain but they understand each other on another level."

- 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.

"Damon shows up and she just tenses up because something is going to happen. It's like a countdown to 30 seconds and someone is going to die. 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 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. "Stefan is very attractive because he is protective of Elena and he loves her unconditionally. He would do anything for her."

- Nina Dobrev on Stefan. "She (Elena) loves Stefan so, so much."

- Nina Dobrev. "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 leaving.

"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. "The bottom line is that Elena as a human made a very, very, very clear choice that she would love Stefan always and forever."

- Julie Plec. "It would take a lot to rip Elena away from loving Stefan. It would take years and seasons. We’d be eighty, if we followed the natural progression of that relationship."

- Julie Plec. "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. "Is she single right now? Elena is always, no matter how single she is, she’s still standing there with Stefan. They’re a couple who have conflicts and they have a big one looming. They’re starting to truly disagree about how to handle things. But no, I wouldn’t stay she’s going to stay single by any means. I wouldn’t say she’s single now. She may be arguing or disagreeing with Stefan at the moment, but I don’t think they’re too far apart."

- Kevin Williamson. "The past two years, Paul and I have been working so closely almost every day, towards the beginning of the Season 3 we had absolutely no scenes together. So that was one of the first scenes where we’re actually working together again. When we locked eyes it really felt like we were locking eyes for the first time. But nothing was said everything was in the looks, the tension was built up so much, it was palpable, you can feel the love, fear, anxiety, the memories and history between the two."

- Nina Dobrev: Elena & Stefan “Trapped in the Closet” (3x03). "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 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. "Eternal."

- Paul Wesley on Stefan and Elena's love. "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 Season 6 Interview.

"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 | Plumb

Gravity | Sara Bareilles

A Drop In The Ocean | Ron Pope

Stay | Rihanna and Mikkey Eko

Thinking Of You | Katy Perry

Never Say Never | The Fray

Medicine | Daughter

All This Time | The Republic

Wires | Athletes

Down | John Walker

You Do Something To Me | Sinead O' Conner

Wait For The Morning | Amy Stroup

Longest Night | Howie Day

Found | Christel Asos

Give Me Love | Ed Sheeran

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

First Meet | Stefan and Elena's First Meeting

The Pleasure Is All Mine, Mr. Salvatore

Getting To Know Stefan

Saving Stefan

Body and Blood

I Missed You

I'm Not Going To Give Up On You

Our Future

Martyr Move

Just In Case

Elena Says Yes

Paradise Lost

I Was in Love With You

I'll See You, Elena

One Last Time

Unofficial
Paul Wesley listed what he'd listen to if he was emotional, or if he was Stefan who's desperately in love with Elena.

Fanon
Stelena is the most popular ship in The Vampire Diaries fandom, second only to Delena. 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.

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.

Fandom

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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.
 * In an alternate timeline of the novel series of The Vampire Diaries, Elena is engaged to Stefan and they are soulmates.
 * Stefan is a Scorpio and Elena is a Cancer. Astrologically, they are very compatible.
 * Legacies Ben Levin ships Stelena and posted a photo of him (as Stefan in The Vampire Diaries Musical) and Kaylee Bryant (as Elena), and tagged Stelena on Twitter multiple times.
 * Candice King said Caroline truly wanted Stefan and Elena to be together.
 * During a Q/A in 2018 at Chicago Comic Con, Paul Wesley said after watching Season 1 again he shipped Stelena.
 * Many characters on the show have been open in their support of Stelena. That includes Klaus, Caroline, Silas, Jeremy, Bonnie, Rebekah, Lexi, Jenna and Matt.
 * Stefan and Elena's most popular songs are Cut, A Drop In The Ocean and Gravity.
 * Paul Wesley directed 5x18 where Stefan and Elena are married.
 * Stefan has only referred to Elena as his true love.
 * Kevin Williamson said that the story of The Vampire Diaries is about Elena and Stefan who fell in love and brought each other back to life.
 * Nina Dobrev posted a Stelena edit 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, Danielle Rose Russel, Kaylee Bryant and Ben Levin.
 * Ian Somerhalder prefers Stelena over Delena.
 * The original ending of The Vampire Diaries would've been Stefan and Elena ending up together had Nina Dobrev not left the show on Season 6.
 * Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley are both Team Stelena 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.
 * Paul Wesley's favorite scene from the entire series is when Elena and Stefan rekindle their relationship in The Turning Point, and when Elena got to see the vampire side of Stefan.
 * Nina and Paul have supported Stelena ever since Season 1. 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 Wesley. During his birthday, she posted a picture of them with the caption “Happy birthday to my [only] Stefan [forever].”
 * In the Season 6 promotional poster for The Vampire Diaries, Stefan and Elena are holding hands.
 * Paul Wesley described Stefan and Elena's love as “Eternal.”
 * 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.