So much for the stories about love at first sight and star-crossed lovers, but deep down we know that the most compelling ones are those about the slow build up between two people, the thrill on the anticipation, the continuous sexual tension waiting to explode when we less expect it.

The story between Damon and Elena is about this: the patience to get to know and accept each other entirely, the hard reality of fighting every day with and for a person whom you want to be part of your life, one step forward and three behind, making mistakes and immediately regretting them and trying to fix them, stubborn enough not to let go of the other. It’s about looking at other and seeing so much more behind the mask he/she wears: seeing the good in a 170-years old vampire who claims to be selfish and undeserved to be loved and the fierceness and true-being behind an innocent cupcake face.

Damon and Elena met one night, on a desert road in the middle of nowhere, and from the first moment there was a spark between them, an understanding. He didn’t know her at all and yet he managed to see at first sight who she wasn’t (Katherine) and what she wanted from life; and she was charmed but this “mysterious stranger” enough to flirt with him and surprise him back when she wanted to know what he wanted from life. That night “Elena had been touched in her soul by this man” and despite his compulsion, this connection has never gone away.

Then we all know how it began. It wasn’t love in the beginning, but mutual suspect and disdain: she was with Stefan and he was the narcissist evil vampire come to town to find Katherine and have his revenge, risking to hurt people Elena cared about. While almost everyone decided Damon was only the bad guy who couldn’t be redeemed, Elena saw something in him that hinted he wasn’t entirely evil. She showed him sympathy and care, she bothered to know him bet-ter, to see the man behind the vampire, enough to make him open up with her, trust and care for someone in return for the first time in so many years.

Because that’s what Delena are about, trust, and not the one magically handed over, but the one earned day after day, mistake after mistake, giving each other second chances, until one day you look into the other person’s eyes and you realize he or she is the one you trust the most, your best friend, the one who makes you laugh in the worst moments and surprises you when you less expect it.

And Delena’s relationship is also about honesty, even when it hurts, even when it leaves you broken-hearted, because they see each other faults and call each other out for their bull**** when it’s needed, without idealizing anything. They know the other is strong enough to deal with the truth, with the problems of each-day-life, and survive everything, because deceiving would be so much worse and a crime against their relationship.

Delena is about making each other a stronger and better person, learning to accept the darkness in the other anyway, challenging each other on everything and yet never letting the other alone. Because while Elena is willing to put the others always before herself, Damon is firm on choosing her above everyone, balancing her (now weaker) martyr’s complex. And while Damon is sure he doesn’t deserve to be loved and happiness, Elena is firm in wanting to prove him he’s wrong.

Because Delena is about making each other happy and alive, even with small gestures such as a gift or an “I’m sorry”, joking and bickering on meal or a fun night together. It’s about letting go and shut the world out for 5 minutes to enjoy life completely, without judging and morally restrains. It’s about coming home every time the other takes you in his/her arms after a bad day or an amazing moment you shared together or every time the other tells you, you are not a broken toy, but a creature full of life, even in death.

And Delena is also about having bumps in the road, both for Elena’s and Damon’s faults; and they’ll still have them in the future, no doubt of that, because they’re similar, both stubborn and fierce, ready not to listen to the other’s wish and decision if they’d lead him/her to death or sufferance. They’ll argue and hurt each other without wanting it, but it’s part of the game too, to make mistake and fix them, always learning something new from the other, always strengthening their relationship and make it more real and on strong basis.

Delena is about all of this and much more; the two enemies who became best friends and then lovers, who know everything about the other, who learnt to accept the other entirely without sacrificing themselves in the meantime. The two people who never regretted to have met each other, because the tears they shed for the other came along with laugh and sweet moments together, along with the beauty to grow closer to a person and become more mature thanks to her/him. The two people who can be the worst and the best to each other… and for this, they’ll always choose each other.

Why do I love Damon and Elena?
I guess it’s because the care and fullness of feelings and situations the writers used and still use to build up their relationship, making it progressing slowly, without forging it ahead.
You have two people who cannot be more different, and yet they are very similar.
A 170-years old-vampire whose life has been a lonely and lacking-of-love journey until now; who pretends not to feel, to be the bad guy,
and yet he’s the most selfless person whose actions are based most of the time on love.
And a 18-years-old human (now vampire!) girl who has already witnessed so much sadness and losses for her young age...caring, sweet, stubborn.
They met and they were practically enemies.
But she bothered to know him, understand his reasons, believe in him; and he was fascinated by her and decided it was worth to change for her, become “the better man”.
So they became best friends, confidants, allies; they speak always the truth to each other even when it’s brutal,
they understand each other with a simple look, they challenge each other, have each other back, hurt each other, forgive each other, never give up on each other.
She brings out his humanity, he makes her stronger and more smiling.
It’s never simple or banal or boring with them; it’s always a challenge, unpredictable, intense, real.
There would always be obstacles and bumps in their road
and maybe that’s the real beauty of them: that no matter what they will have to face, their relationship will always survive thanks to the solid bases it’s built on.
Anna ~ (LabuanPearl88)

There are so many reasons why I ship Damon and Elena.
One of the things I love most has been their journey.
Nothing has ever come easy for them. Their friendship grew slowly and turned into love.
Simply put, they are best friends who fell in love.
They know and understand each other. They bring out the best and worst in each other. They've each changed the other.
They make each other happy. I’ve never seen Damon or Elena happier than when they are together.
It also doesn't hurt that Damon and Elena's chemistry has always been off the charts.
We're not at the end of their journey and I know it still won't be easy but I know that they will come through it in the end.
Together.
Mary ~ (pixiestyx)

What can I say about Damon and Elena?
They are really special to me for quite different reasons….
The first thing that got me drawn to them is how Elena became Damon's humanity.
Elena was the one who made Damon feel again, be alive, be happy... all due to the fact that he met REAL LOVE thanks to her.
Then, Damon also helped Elena to feel alive again, to light up that spark in her, that passion and fire so innate of her.
She had become just a shell of what she was after all the suffering she had to go through but… HE was there for her.
There is also the fact that Damon and Elena didn't become a couple just a short amount of time after they met.
They had build-up… SUBSTANTIAL build up.
They weren't on the best terms at first… but Elena started to care more and more about Damon, and Damon too… slowly but inevitably fell in love with her.
Elena also undoubtedly fell in love with Damon later (…and boy she tried to deny it).
She wasn't expecting it of course… to fall in love with her boyfriend’s brother but 'The heart wants what the heart wants'.
Besides, there is the also the fact that DE are never boring (to us or to each other), they are unpredictable, they challenge themselves and they both spark up that fire on each other.
Finally, I have to mention their chemistry and connection.. which just can be defined as electric and explosive… it's so amazing to see them.
And this is why I love D&E so much!
Roxy ~ (rrr222)

"Love is friendship set on fire", those words fit Damon and Elena to me.
Their story started off with him wanting revenge and her hating him
but over the course of the show, it has become so much more, it grew into friendship and them falling in love.
It hasn't been easy for Damon and Elena, they have had to go through a lot to get together, fights, obstacles, pain,
but in the end it was worth it and made them who they are.
Damon and Elena are the couple you wait four seasons for and you feel like it's worth it
They are true loves, soulmates, twin flames and they always will be.
Sara ~ (Clarissa Fray)

I love DE’s relationship because it is a real, fair and honest one.
They’re on the same level with each other.
Damon doesn’t treat Elena like a fragile baby, he treats her as his equal.
He is not scared of telling her when she’s wrong, he is not scared of upsetting her or making her angry, and so is she.
They confront each other, challenge each other and support each other in many ways.
Elena is Damon’s soul. She gave him a reason to live when he had none.
She believed in him when no one did, she saw the good in him when no one could, and just like that she became his entire universe.
He devoted himself to her safety and her happiness.
He is willing to do anything for her, to make her happy, even if it means he’ll have to watch her spending the rest of her life with his brother.
Damon is Elena’s lighthouse.
She may have not realized it yet, but he is her rock.
Whenever she is in trouble, when everything is falling apart, she calls him, she asks for his help, she needs him by her side.
And if he is not there, she feels his absence.
Right now, Damon is Elena’s constant, her ally, her teacher, her partner in crime, her savior, her confidant, her best friend.
Valentina ~ (Katpee)

If you asked me to write a testimonial on any other ship that I enjoy, I'd throw something together in minutes.
I'd mention a few scenes, say that I loved them, and then I'd send it off without a second thought.
But this is Damon and Elena.
This is my ultimate ship of all time, that nobody can ever touch.
Part of me doesn't even want to write one, because I'm afraid that no words can do them justice.
Their story has been crafted with such care, and such intimacy,
that every time I try and get my head around what they have come to mean to me, I simply dissolve into a fit of giggles.
Both Damon and Elena are on separate journeys, yet they are Twin Flames, and their paths will forever intertwine.
I could rave about so many scenes, so many looks, so many quotes.
I could talk endlessly about the chemistry shared between Ian and Nina.
But what really excites me, is all that there is to come.
With that one kiss, Elena has finally taken that step.
Soon, we will see her struggling with those feelings she had always buried before.
No doubt we'll see more tears. But we'll also see laughter, and smiles.
We'll see their first real kiss, their first mutual hug, the first time that they make love.
This is the journey.
This is the story.
Elena doesn't think that Damon knows what love is? But neither does she.
They'll find out, when they come to love each other.
Nat ~ (foxyfreds)

During season 3, Elena and Damon’s relationship grows closer and begins to take off to a whole new level. They spend the entire summer teaming up to find and save Stefan from Klaus and, no matter the fails, none of them is willing to give up.

At the same time, Damon is always trying to cheer Elena up with jokes and embarrassing moments and to make sure she’s ok: on the night of her 18th birthday, he gives her a special present, the beloved necklace Stefan gave her, proving once again how much he cares for her and his brother. Later that night, Elena discovers that Damon has kept some news from her, to prevent her to discover that Ripper!Stefan may be back, and has an argument with him; still, the next day they’re together on a mission with Alaric to find Stefan on the Smoky Mountains and when she realizes Damon is risking to be bitten by a werewolf again, Elena gives up on the search of Stefan, to protect Damon.

Among arguments and bickers, Damon’s there for her when Stefan dumped her in Chicago and when Klaus’ compulsion forced him to bite her; Damon arrives too late and finds Elena in the hospital but she sighs in relief seeing him. Later Damon promises her he’ll never leave her again. They team up once again against Ripper!Stefan and to kill Klaus with the help of Mikael. When they fail apparently because of Stefan, Damon lashes out, frustrated to have failed again, but Elena reassures him they’ll survive this because they always do when they’re together.

When Stefan steals Klaus’ coffins unleashing his revengeful side, Elena and Damon try to protect Jeremy, like a family, sending him away for his own sake. Later Elena thanks Damon to have been always there for her, because she doesn’t know what she’s do without him; Damon doesn’t take advantage of that, but reveals Elena that Stefan did what he did to protect him and that he was hoping he didn’t have to feel guilty anymore to love Elena. He kisses her and she kisses him back, but later Elena tells him she cannot do it again and he reassure her that it’s right for them to have feelings for each other, only it’s not the right time.

A first bump in the road happens at the Mikealson ball, when they have a disagreement about Elena meeting Esther and Elena lashes out saying Damon’s love for her may be a problem. She regrets immediately her words, but the damage is done and she sees Damon being hurt by those words. Later Damon sleeps with Rebekah, who has just tried to kill Elena, and this frustrated Elena very much. Their relationship seems to go few steps back for this and because Damon shows no regret to have turned Bonnie’s mum into a vampire to save Elena.

In the middle of everything, Elena decides to bring Jeremy back to Mystic Falls to keep an eye on him and because they need his help to contact Rose’s ghost and discover something about the brothers and Caroline’s bloodline. Damon accompanies her and they seem to finally grow close again when Elena has a new proof of Damon’s good heart after he reveals how he softened Rose’s death. While they lay together in bed, Elena asks him why he doesn’t let people see the good in him, and he says he doesn’t want to live by anyone's standard. He then reaches for caressing her hand, leaving her overwhelmed and breathless. Elena scurries out of the motel room to the balcony, Damon follows her and she kisses him passionately, finally letting herself free to show her feelings. Still, later, when Damon asks her if she has feelings for him, Elena says she doesn’t know for sure and that she’s scared by his continuous lashing out. Damon replies coldly he isn't going to help her anymore with her feelings, and that she now has to sort it out herself.

Their relationship seems to be at loggerheads again, even because Elena invites Stefan to the decade dance. In the finale episode, scaring he may die, Elena calls Damon to see if he’s ok and when he asks her to choose between him and his brother, she tells him that no matter what she feels for him, she never unfell from Stefan, and that she has to let him go. Refusing to believe he’s going to die, Elena tells Damon she’s going to see him soon and Damon agrees, not telling her that Rick’s evil vampire alter-ego is right in front of him, ready to kill him. While he’s fighting with Rick, Damon reminisces about the past, revealing that it was he who met Elena first and how they instantly had a connection. This memory gives him strength to fight back. In the meantime Rebekah made Matt’s struck, with Elena on board, go off the Wickery Bridge. Struggling to free herself underwater, Elena sees Stefan coming at her rescue, but silently begs him to save Matt instead. Suddenly Rick drops dead in Damon’s arms and Damon knows that it can mean only one thing: Elena, whose life was linked to Alaric’s, is dead too. What none knows is that Dr. Fell gave Elena Damon’s blood to heal her from cerebral haemorrhage; in the morgue, Elena comes back to life, as a vampire in transition.

Damon & Elena are amazing.
They have everything; love, angst, humor, fun, hotness.
They are the IT couple.
The couple you root for.
The couple that has to be endgame. It wasn't love at first sight, not at all.
They are so carefully developed over time, no rush.
Elena started off not knowing what to think of him, then she hated him, then slowly starting to trust him again,
they became friends and eventually that lead to the relationship they are in right now.
He loves her so much, she finally acknowledged that she loves him too.
They understand and know each other better then anyone.
So much chemistry between DE, which isn't possible if the actor and actress didn't have so much chemistry together.
Ian & Nina are both amazing in their roles.
They are just undeniable.
DE are boyfriend and girlfriend now, yes they have many issues to overcome but they will do it together.
They survive, they always will.
Loes ~ (loezzzje)