When
Damon Salvatore returned to Mystic Falls, it had nothing to do with
Elena Gilbert. He had a diabolical master plan, he was still crippled by his love for Katherine. So when he watched her from across the graveyard, it was simply
curiosity that brought him there. And when Elena sensed somebody there in the shadows, she brushed it off as nothing. Neither could know just how
important they would become to one another.
Yet from their first meeting, it was
inevitable. From the way they stared at one another, the way they talked and the way Damon crushed the back of her hand with the lightest of touches. It was clear that something would blossom between them.
Right from the start, they got each other. He made her laugh, she made him smile. He knew that cheer leading wasn't for her anymore. And she knew that there was more to Damon than his pretense. 'I'm sorry...about Katherine, you lost her too.' This was only the second time that they had ever really talked, yet the understanding between them was instant. It was
natural, it was
chemical, it was
undeniable. Damon 'the monster' was an act. Elena knew this before even meeting that monster. 'I am not Katherine.' With that slap, Elena separated herself from Katherine completely. She got under his skin, so much so that we saw the first glimpse of Damon's
humanity. As he watched her sleep, and touched her cheek tenderly. He was considering the two...Katherine and Elena. He was pondering how they could look identical, whilst being completely different. He was thinking of the empathy Elena had offered him, and the
fire she had confronted him with. He was starting to see her as something more than just somebody to toy with..
'Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman.' For a moment it seemed that Damon's charm had worked its magic on her at last. As Elena held his gaze for a moment too long, she seemed to be teetering on the brink of accepting him. But that quickly changed when Elena began to realize how Damon had been treating Caroline. She realized that Damon was
dangerous...that he was no good. So she stormed over to him, pushed him and warned him off her friend.
Passionate,
fiery and
loyal. Traits that Damon would admire. He watched her as she brushed past him, already not liking the idea of her hating him.
Then Elena found out that Damon was a vampire. She found out that he had been feeding on Caroline, and that he had been behind all the deaths. When he appeared at her house, she was rightfully terrified of him. Yet there was still that special
chemistry between them as he backed her up against the staircase. Despite her fear, Elena did not back down. She
matched him, as she always matches him.
With Vicki's death, Damon took that first step towards redemption. Elena blamed him, as she had right to do. She
challenged him as she always done. She hit him and she called him out. 'It matters and you know it.' Elena was as
brave and as
fiery as ever. Damon tried to ignore the truth in her words. The chemistry was sparking between them, stronger than ever.
And Elena got through to him. Her words affected him. He stepped up and took responsibility. He offered to do something
selfless, for the first time in over a century. 'I can do it. If this is what you want.' He did it for Elena, on her terms. The shock on her face proved how
monumental this moment was. This 17 year old girl was already chipping away at the ice around Damon's heart.
But Damon hadn't suddenly switched. Elena watched as he killed Lexi, putting himself and his brother above anything else. She watched as
pain and
heartbreak caused him to lash out and attack Bonnie.
It was when Damon saved her life that a
bond really began to form. He was
gentle and
sweet to her, a side of Damon that she had not yet met. He took her away from her life, and she appreciated it. They had fun, she was allowed to let go. She asked Damon questions and he gave her
honest answers. She got to know him. So when it looked like he would die, she couldn't let it happen. Despite everything that he had done, she saved his life. And as he drove her home, it was clear that a friendship was blossoming.
And it was a
comfortable friendship. Damon was happy to do his part in protecting Elena from Noah, and she was happy to have him there. Yet Elena was still wary. So much so that she agreed to deceive Damon. When Damon appeared for 'family night' he seemed genuinely happy to be a part of something, of a group. And he decided to put his
trust in Elena completely. We saw him doubt Stefan, and accept Elena's reassurance. But we saw Elena doubt herself too. She didn't want to lie to him, especially not when he was being so
genuine and
honest with her.
Inevitably, Damon discovered her deception. The genuine pain on his face seemed to shock Elena and it was clear that guilt pressed down upon her. She couldn't meet his gaze, she hated what she had done. Damon, impulsive as ever, grabbed her and threatened to turn her as leverage. Yet as he let her go, he was
tender – betraying once again how he could never really hurt her. Not even when she had betrayed him.
And Elena
understood, as she always does. She knew that Damon wasn't angry, he was hurt. She went to see him, and she put her
trust in him completely. In taking off her necklace and offering him the chance to compel her, Elena offered the
ultimate apology. She was asking him for his trust too. And Damon
understood. He placed her necklace back on her neck and two themes of their relationship were sealed forever.
Trust, and wanting it all to be
real.
Their
connection was stronger than ever. So when Damon was lost in misery inside the tomb, Elena did not hesitate to run in there after him. And Damon listened to her, and only her. Then she hugged him. For the first time in a very long time, somebody offered Damon honest
comfort. 'I'm sorry.' And Elena meant it. Damon did not wrap his arms around her – it was still all very strange to him. But once again, Elena was breaking through to his heart.
Damon quickly turned to alcohol to help him deal with his pain. Elena, naturally, was concerned for him despite the mystery of her birth mother weighing on her mind. When she helped him button his shirt, the
heat between them was overwhelming. And Damon's
sweetness, rendered Elena speechless and flustered for a moment. They were
reacting to one another in ways that simply cannot be explained.
Yet of course, things did not run entirely smoothly. Whilst taunting Alaric over the fact that he killed his wife, Damon did not know the
damage he was doing to his relationship with Elena. She quickly told him. And the
shock,
pain and
regret was clear on Damon's face. Hurting Elena was the last thing he wanted to do, and it was clear that with every moment his feelings for her were strengthening. Consciously or not, this was when Damon decided to really try for her.
When Stefan was taken by the tomb vampires, Elena had to work with Damon. He proved himself to her. He reassured her in the rain, he was
honest with her in Alaric's classroom – then gentle. He was intent upon protecting her. So much so, that Alaric noticed too. Then during Stefan's struggle with human blood – Damon was there for her whenever she needed him. They sparred verbally in her bedroom, they conspired before he gave her a rose. A simple but
meaningful symbol.
Then he stepped in for Stefan at the Miss Mystic Fall's dance and the world seemed to stop. They didn't simply dance...they were
absorbed by one another. For those few seconds, Elena forgot everything else. Slowly, she started to smile and Damon smiled with her. Then when they broke apart...Elena almost looked afraid. Afraid of what the dance had made them
feel, afraid of what that could mean.
They had little time to think of that though. They worked together, as a team, to help Stefan. Damon went with her plan, and he stayed with her. Sitting down outside Stefan's cell was a small gesture, but a
powerful one. Damon would be there for her.
And he was throughout Stefan's detox. Their
comfort around one another was evident. Damon couldn't quite hide how
happy it made him to have her around and Elena continued to dig at him. His flippant remarks were not enough for Elena, who can always read him. She learned the truth about how he turned, and still she called him out on pretending not to care.
With Isobel's return, we discovered Damon's protective side. Elena was the
only thing on his mind. 'Going after Elena? Bad move.' Again trust was
essential to them. Damon trusted Elena enough to hand over a weapon that could potentially kill him, and the way his hand
lingered on hers was telling. Then Isobel stunned Elena in telling her that Damon was in
love with her. Even Damon looked shocked, as though he couldn't quite fathom what was happening either. They shared a
look over Stefan's back – both confused as to what this meant for them.
Damon's reaction was to try and
hide from the truth. But as soon as he shared a moment alone with Elena, he couldn't. He complimented her, and she smiled warmly. Their friendly banter had a simmering
undertone, one that Elena knew she had to push aside. She warned Damon against playing with their friendship. And he was instantly serious. He wanted her friendship first and foremost.
As the tomb vamps attacked Mystic Falls we saw Damon seek out Elena to make sure she was safe. We then saw Elena run towards the fire to save Damon. Neither could lose the other. Because of Elena, Damon allowed his emotions to run free. So when he bumped into who he thought was her on the porch, he poured them out. 'Somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving, and I wanted to thank you for that.' His whole struggle to find his humanity, everything that he had done – it was
all for Elena. Then he kissed her, with more
passion and with more
heart that anything seen before.
Except it wasn't Elena. She didn't hear that speech. We ended the season with both Damon and Elena
oblivious to Katherine's
deception. But what was clear was that Damon had fallen for Elena completely. And whilst Elena continues to insist her feelings for him are entirely friendly, she has accepted that he is a huge part of her life and that she never wants to lose him.
Never.