The Vampire Diaries follows the lives and loves of Mystic Falls’ gorgeous supernatural residents. Along with saving themselves, each other and their town from a neverending assortment of threats, Elena, Stefan, Damon and all of their friends still manage to find time for romance.
With the threat of death looming over the heads of even those who are supposed to be immortal, and the amplified emotions of the undead, broken hearts take longer to mend. On the upside, soul mates may have an eternity together. Human or not, the characters on The Vampire Diaries don’t hold back when it comes to love. Here are the 10 biggest and best romantic gestures on The VampireDiaries.
Stefan Offers His Life For Jenna’s
Klaus finds himself short a vampire – one of four necessary sacrifices – when it comes time to complete the ritual that will make him a true hybrid. He brings in a last-minute substitution – Jenna. To try and spare Jenna’s life and Elena the pain of seeing her aunt die, Stefan offers himself in place of Jenna during season 2’s “The Sun Also Rises.”
Stefan wants to be the hero not just for Jenna, Ric and Jeremy, but for Elena. Should she survive, she’ll be short another family member. If Elena dies, the last thing she sees is Jenna murdered by Klaus, and he knows that is more than Elena can bear. If Stefan can’t be with Elena for eternity, he has no problem being with her in the afterlife instead.
Stefan And Elena’s Carnival Ride
In the immediate aftermath of Katherine’s arrival in Mystic Falls and Damon snapping Jeremy’s neck, Elena wants to enjoy the school carnival like a regular high school girl. Her plans to awry when she discovers Katherine has turned Caroline into a vampire, and her transition isn’t off to a great start.
With one of her best friends a carny killer, Elena’s shot at normalcy doesn’t pan out, so Stefan whisks her out of her bed in the middle of the night for a private ride on the Ferris wheel on season 2’s “Brave New World.” He reminds her that they have to seize the little moments amidst all the craziness. It’s a pretty optimistic speech for Stefan who is usually on the receiving end of romantic pep talks. It’s the perfect pick-me-up for a depressed doppelganger.
Caroline Serenades Matt
It takes Matt a while to fall for Caroline whose worst personality traits are amplified when she first becomes a vampire, causing the twosome to break up. Between her secret status as undead, evading sadistic werewolves and burgeoning feelings for Tyler, Caroline keeps Matt guessing about their romantic status. Matt gives Caroline an ultimatum: she’s either all in or all out.
Caroline gives him her answer via song (the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame”) as she takes the stage to live out her rock star fantasy and win the heart of the quarterback on season 2’s “The House Guest.” Not only is it shocking to learn Caroline has some pipes, but it’s also nice to see Matt get some well-earned attention after being blown off. The very public PDA is just so very Caroline Forbes.
Tyler’s Surprise Visit
Banished from Mystic Falls by Klaus, Tyler sneaks back for a special occasion on season 4’s “Pictures of You.” He surprises Caroline who is down in the dumps over a humanity-less Elena who steals her prom dress and being dateless to her senior prom.
Tyler risks his life just so he can spend a few hours with Caroline and share a slow dance. Is there anything more romantic than forbidden love? Just a few stolen moments together is enough to lighten Caroline’s mood even if it means Tyler’s forced to face deadly consequences.
Elena And Damon’s Joyride
With the Other Side ready to collapse, and all of Mystic Falls’ dead supernatural beings at risk of being sucked into an endless void during season 5, it’s up to Damon to save his recently deceased brother. This means strapping on the hero’s hair and driving his muscle car into a bar full of travelers, causing a huge explosion and guaranteeing his death on “Home.”
Even though Elena and Damon can’t seem to decide if they’re worse together than apart, Elena isn’t about to let the love of her life die and come back to life alone. It’s a literal suicide mission: it’s Romeo and Juliet meets Thelma & Louise. But when it comes to these vampires proving their love for one another, it’s go big and go home.
Damon Offers To Take The Cure
Once Elena takes the cure, everyone questions Damon’s commitment to becoming a regular Joe, including Damon (despite his protests). Damon is good at a lot of things, but he’s most good at being a vampire. Despite Stefan’s determination to show his brother the mundanity of mortal day-to-day existence on season 6’s “I’ll Wed You in the Golden Summertime,”
Damon decides only one thing is a factor in his decision: the chance at a perfect mortal life together beats out an immortal one alone. Damon doesn’t view taking the cure as a sacrifice, he sees it as an opportunity. The only thing Damon’s better at than being a vampire is loving Elena.
Stefan Promises To Wait For Caroline
Caroline and Stefan can’t ever get the timing right. She’s crushing on him, and he takes off for Savannah. He starts to dig her, and her mom dies and she flips her humanity switch. Everyone knows the aftermath of a humanity-free bender is not the time to start dating, so Stefan makes her a different offer on season 6’s “I’m Thinking of You All the While.”
He’s willing to give her all the time and space she needs for as long as it takes for her to be ready for him. It’s a hard sell since Caroline equates falling for Stefan with ruining her life, but when eternity is involved, love is worth waiting for.
Klaus Gives Caroline A Picture
Klaus is more of a fighter than a lover, but he does find small-town girl Caroline Forbes alluring enough to take some time out from killing. When Klaus woos, he’s old school all the way: jewels, gowns, and invitations to lavish balls. When he’s not plotting to rule the world, Klaus can be quite charming with that impish grin, and all girls do love a bad boy.
Aside from his family, Caroline’s opinion is the only one that seems to matter to Klaus, and even when she takes her criticism of him too far, he’s quick to forgive. He also leaves her a memento: a picture of her he’s drawn himself. Klaus’ gift is akin to a high school love letter, but the sweetness of the gesture is the simplicity of it.
Bonnie Sets A Fire
Enzo does his best to fight Sybil’s mind control, but the siren’s song is just too strong. He has to flip the switch or risk losing the love of his life, so Bonnie has her hands full when she frees Enzo from Sybil’s grasp. A humanity-free vamp is a tricky creature to contend with, and it’s never the same trigger that brings them back.
For Enzo, it’s knowing Bonnie won’t abandon him like everyone else in his life. Bonnie traps them both in the cabin where they fell in love and sets the place ablaze, refusing the leave. Enzo doesn’t flinch, and Bonnie’s resolve doesn’t weaken but her body does. She proves to Enzo death is the only thing that can tear her away from him.
Alaric Proposes To Jo
Prior to meeting Jo, Alaric’s track record with women is tragic. Despite Jo being an ex-member of a coven of witches who kill their own and the sister of a sociopath, Alaric falls for her anyway. Immediately after learning Jo’s pregnant, he proposes. Jo’s not ready to accept a pity proposal, but Alaric’s been planning to pop the question for weeks.
He pulls the ring out of his pocket as proof. It’s all just too serendipitous: a formerly dead, former vampire and a former witch find each other. Sure, they do things a little out of order and on an expedited timeline, but thanks to Jo, Alaric isn’t wasting his new lease on life. It’s not a showy proposal, but everything feels genuine and from the heart.
