There are scenes...and then there are epic Delena scenes. Here are 7 epic moments that I think defined and ultimately, changed Delena's relationship and why.
1x03 'Friday Night Bites'
'There's nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster...'
Oh Stefan, how wrong you were. The scene when Damon strokes Elena's cheek as she slept might seem like an odd choice, considering that there was no dialogue or anything. This scene has a special place in my heart. It was the moment when I knew that DE had to be together, and when I became a Delena fan. I'd never read the books, so I didn't have a favourite. But at this moment, I was convinced. Damon was a dark and twisted character in so many ways, and a guy that nobody, not even his own brother, could reach. A lost cause Stefan had written off. Here he was, this 'monster', standing over this innocent girl as she slept, and it was like a window opened to let some light in. I saw that Stefan was wrong; Damon was NOT a monster, but like the cursed prince in a modern day fairytale, only love could save him. 1x03 showed me the effect Elena had on Damon even though she didn't know it yet, that there was still love in him, and how much he needed it in his life. For me, this scene marked the beginning of Delena, and Damon's internal conflict and struggle to do the right thing.
1x19 'Miss Mystic Falls' Dance
This was an epic scene. There was only about four lines of dialogue in it from the staircase to the dance, but it was a scene that didn't need words, because the chemistry between the two was so magnetic to watch. Before the ceremony, when Elena is practicing with Stefan and Carol Lockwood is walking them through it, telling them to 'Flirt with your eyes,' Elena can hardly keep a straight face. She finds the whole thing ridiculous. But with Damon - who she's never danced with before - she doesn't need to be told to 'flirt with her eyes' because it comes naturally. She can't keep her eyes off him, and he can't keep his eyes off her. You can tell from the little smile she has on her face that she's enjoying waltzing with Damon, and when the dance ends, you get the impression that both are sad, because they don't want the dance to end.
2x01 'The Return'
'There is something going on between the two of us and you know it.'
I know a lot of fans were upset with how this scene ended, but prior to Jeremy walking in, I loved it. I loved that the normally cool and collected Damon was so raw and desperate and vulnerable. It was a side of him I'd never seen before. I knew Elena wouldn't kiss him back, but I sort of wished she would, because it was the only thing that would have saved Damon at that point. Elena was right to push him away, but Damon was right to say the things he said. I didn't love the way it ended, but I knew that as it was only the beginning of the season, things would turn right again. I wasn't sure how, but I believed. 2x01 tested Delena to the very limit, but their relationship survived, and was all the stronger for it. If they can get through something like that, then they can get through anything.
2x08 'Rose'
'I love you Elena...'
WOW! What a scene!! The reaction from fans was remarkable. Reviews heaped praise on Ian, DE and the writers. 2x08 was incredible because it was so beautiful, romantic and heart-breaking all at once, something of a rarity in any TV show; and you kept on watching it over and over because it was just so GOOD. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Within hours, the comments, video tributes, and fan art was pouring in. Damon showed us what true love was all about, and in spite of what he claimed, proved that he did deserve Elena. 2x08 was more epic than epic, and it made the hard journey DE fans were currently on totally worthwhile.
2x18 'The Last Dance'
'I will always. Choose. You.'
Damon proved once again the extraordinary lengths he was willing to go to, in order to keep Elena safe, even if it meant doing something that was questionable, dangerous, against her wishes, and made her hate him for a while. 'If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always. Choose. You.' Not only did this hammer the last nail in Bamon's coffin firmly shut, but it confirmed that Damon is always going to be about Elena. He loves her more than anything and will do anything it takes so she can live. The intensity was breath-taking.
2x22 'As I Lay Dying'
'I like you now, just the way you are'.
The writers and producers saved the best til last in Season 2. 2x22 was one heck of an episode for Delena, and the fans. Damon's near-death experience made him and Elena both very vulnerable and as a result, it allowed them to be more honest and open with each other than they ever had been before. Damon is full of remorse for the things he's done, telling Elena he loves her and then musing that they should have met in 1864 because she would have liked him; Elena's revelation that she likes him just the way he is - and the kiss - was so beautiful and touching and tender, that I don't know how anyone couldn't have shed a tear. 2x22 marked a turning point in Delena's relationship.
3x02 'The Hybrid'
'I want you to remember...'
The scene in Elena's bedroom was possibly THE moment when we knew the triangle was finally in motion. DE tend to progress one step at a time, and this was a massive step, in my opinion. For the first time in the show so far, Damon's safety takes priority over Stefan. And Elena REALLY wants to find Stefan, so the significance of this can't be underestimated. We all know how stubborn and determined Elena can be. When she sets her mind on something, especially if its for the good of the people she loves, very little can dissuade her from going ahead with it. In spite of the fact that she's the one who's more or less dragging Alaric and Damon along on this expedition, she abandons her plans when Damon's life is in imminent danger. Elena never admits that she changes her mind because she's frightened that Damon will get bitten again, but she most certainly is. We see that when Damon makes his way back to the car after meeting Stefan, and she gets out and asks 'Are you OK? Did you...?' She seems to already be anticipating the worst. After nearly losing Damon forever in 2x22, I think Elena has awoken to how much he means to her. There's nothing like almost losing somebody to make you realise how much you value and love them. She seems a bit insulted that Damon feels he has to hear her say she worries about him: 'Yes I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?'
Damon's response is heart-stopping. 'Because when I drag my brother from the edge and deliver him back to you, I want you to remember the things you felt while he was gone.' He knows that Elena loves Stefan, and he's going to do what he can to help her find him. But he knows that her feelings for him are not as platonic or as straight-forward as she would like them to be. Even so, he's learned from his mistakes. He's not going to push her into confessing her feelings before she's ready. Damon knows that once he finds Stefan, then he can kiss goodbye to all this bonding time he's having with Elena: there will be no more escorting her to parties, throwing her in the lake or even just having this time they're spending one-on-one. When she has Stefan back, all her attention will be on him. Knowing this must hurt. But he can deal with that. All he wants is for her to remember that once upon a time, when Stefan was absent, she felt things towards Damon she probably shouldn't have. Just knowing that she remembers will be enough for him.
1x03 'Friday Night Bites'
'There's nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster...'
Oh Stefan, how wrong you were. The scene when Damon strokes Elena's cheek as she slept might seem like an odd choice, considering that there was no dialogue or anything. This scene has a special place in my heart. It was the moment when I knew that DE had to be together, and when I became a Delena fan. I'd never read the books, so I didn't have a favourite. But at this moment, I was convinced. Damon was a dark and twisted character in so many ways, and a guy that nobody, not even his own brother, could reach. A lost cause Stefan had written off. Here he was, this 'monster', standing over this innocent girl as she slept, and it was like a window opened to let some light in. I saw that Stefan was wrong; Damon was NOT a monster, but like the cursed prince in a modern day fairytale, only love could save him. 1x03 showed me the effect Elena had on Damon even though she didn't know it yet, that there was still love in him, and how much he needed it in his life. For me, this scene marked the beginning of Delena, and Damon's internal conflict and struggle to do the right thing.
1x19 'Miss Mystic Falls' Dance
This was an epic scene. There was only about four lines of dialogue in it from the staircase to the dance, but it was a scene that didn't need words, because the chemistry between the two was so magnetic to watch. Before the ceremony, when Elena is practicing with Stefan and Carol Lockwood is walking them through it, telling them to 'Flirt with your eyes,' Elena can hardly keep a straight face. She finds the whole thing ridiculous. But with Damon - who she's never danced with before - she doesn't need to be told to 'flirt with her eyes' because it comes naturally. She can't keep her eyes off him, and he can't keep his eyes off her. You can tell from the little smile she has on her face that she's enjoying waltzing with Damon, and when the dance ends, you get the impression that both are sad, because they don't want the dance to end.
2x01 'The Return'
'There is something going on between the two of us and you know it.'
I know a lot of fans were upset with how this scene ended, but prior to Jeremy walking in, I loved it. I loved that the normally cool and collected Damon was so raw and desperate and vulnerable. It was a side of him I'd never seen before. I knew Elena wouldn't kiss him back, but I sort of wished she would, because it was the only thing that would have saved Damon at that point. Elena was right to push him away, but Damon was right to say the things he said. I didn't love the way it ended, but I knew that as it was only the beginning of the season, things would turn right again. I wasn't sure how, but I believed. 2x01 tested Delena to the very limit, but their relationship survived, and was all the stronger for it. If they can get through something like that, then they can get through anything.
2x08 'Rose'
'I love you Elena...'
WOW! What a scene!! The reaction from fans was remarkable. Reviews heaped praise on Ian, DE and the writers. 2x08 was incredible because it was so beautiful, romantic and heart-breaking all at once, something of a rarity in any TV show; and you kept on watching it over and over because it was just so GOOD. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Within hours, the comments, video tributes, and fan art was pouring in. Damon showed us what true love was all about, and in spite of what he claimed, proved that he did deserve Elena. 2x08 was more epic than epic, and it made the hard journey DE fans were currently on totally worthwhile.
2x18 'The Last Dance'
'I will always. Choose. You.'
Damon proved once again the extraordinary lengths he was willing to go to, in order to keep Elena safe, even if it meant doing something that was questionable, dangerous, against her wishes, and made her hate him for a while. 'If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always. Choose. You.' Not only did this hammer the last nail in Bamon's coffin firmly shut, but it confirmed that Damon is always going to be about Elena. He loves her more than anything and will do anything it takes so she can live. The intensity was breath-taking.
2x22 'As I Lay Dying'
'I like you now, just the way you are'.
The writers and producers saved the best til last in Season 2. 2x22 was one heck of an episode for Delena, and the fans. Damon's near-death experience made him and Elena both very vulnerable and as a result, it allowed them to be more honest and open with each other than they ever had been before. Damon is full of remorse for the things he's done, telling Elena he loves her and then musing that they should have met in 1864 because she would have liked him; Elena's revelation that she likes him just the way he is - and the kiss - was so beautiful and touching and tender, that I don't know how anyone couldn't have shed a tear. 2x22 marked a turning point in Delena's relationship.
3x02 'The Hybrid'
'I want you to remember...'
The scene in Elena's bedroom was possibly THE moment when we knew the triangle was finally in motion. DE tend to progress one step at a time, and this was a massive step, in my opinion. For the first time in the show so far, Damon's safety takes priority over Stefan. And Elena REALLY wants to find Stefan, so the significance of this can't be underestimated. We all know how stubborn and determined Elena can be. When she sets her mind on something, especially if its for the good of the people she loves, very little can dissuade her from going ahead with it. In spite of the fact that she's the one who's more or less dragging Alaric and Damon along on this expedition, she abandons her plans when Damon's life is in imminent danger. Elena never admits that she changes her mind because she's frightened that Damon will get bitten again, but she most certainly is. We see that when Damon makes his way back to the car after meeting Stefan, and she gets out and asks 'Are you OK? Did you...?' She seems to already be anticipating the worst. After nearly losing Damon forever in 2x22, I think Elena has awoken to how much he means to her. There's nothing like almost losing somebody to make you realise how much you value and love them. She seems a bit insulted that Damon feels he has to hear her say she worries about him: 'Yes I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?'
Damon's response is heart-stopping. 'Because when I drag my brother from the edge and deliver him back to you, I want you to remember the things you felt while he was gone.' He knows that Elena loves Stefan, and he's going to do what he can to help her find him. But he knows that her feelings for him are not as platonic or as straight-forward as she would like them to be. Even so, he's learned from his mistakes. He's not going to push her into confessing her feelings before she's ready. Damon knows that once he finds Stefan, then he can kiss goodbye to all this bonding time he's having with Elena: there will be no more escorting her to parties, throwing her in the lake or even just having this time they're spending one-on-one. When she has Stefan back, all her attention will be on him. Knowing this must hurt. But he can deal with that. All he wants is for her to remember that once upon a time, when Stefan was absent, she felt things towards Damon she probably shouldn't have. Just knowing that she remembers will be enough for him.
image credit: LANNIEFOREVER
![Delena [3x16]](http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29800000/Delena-3x16-damon-and-elena-29881484-500-280.gif)
