[Boardwalk Empire fans, please check back, early tomorrow, December 13th, for my recap of the Season 2 Finale, “To the Lost.” Thanks for your patience! :)]
Greetings, Fangbangers! In honor of the upcoming holidays, our friends over in Mystic Falls have decided to leave a very special present under your Christmas Tree . . .
Just last week, I asked you all to vote on your favorite Damon and Elena scenes from the first half of season three. And I was totally blown away by your responses. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and participated. You literally made my week . . .
So, without further adieu, I proudly present to you, YOUR picks for the Top Ten Damon and Elena moments, so far this season . . .
10. Damon Throws Elena in the Lake (1% of the Votes)
“Weeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Episode: “The Hybrid” – 3 x 2
Setting the Scene:
Stefan’s Tearful Phantom Breather phonecall at the end of “The Birthday,” has given Elena new hope that here erstwhile boyfriend, though currently Klaus’ b*tch, has not yet given himself over fully to the darkside. Armed with a longshot tip that Stefan and Klaus might be spending the next full moon tracking werewolves in the mountains of Tennessee, Elena commandeers a reluctant Alaric to join her on a little hiking field trip. But what Elena doesn’t know is that another traveler is lurking in the trees, just waiting for the right moment to make his presence known . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
ELENA: “DA-MON! How are you even here?”
DAMON: (to Alaric) “Thanks for the tip, Brother.”
* * *
ELENA: “If I get out (of the water), you’re going to make me go home.’
DAMON: “Yes, because I’m not an idiot, like you.”
* * *
DAMON: “What’s your big plan, Elena, huh? (Joins her in the water.) You gonna walk over to a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?”
* * *
ELENA: (looks plaintively at Damon) “Damon, please.”
DAMON: “OK . . . but we are out of here before the moon is full, and I’m werewolf meat.”
ELENA: “I promise.”
DAMON: “Unless you want to relive that Deathbed Kissy Thing.”
ELENA: “I said, I promise.”
Why it Made the List:
Damon’s and Elena’s relationship is nothing, if not antagonistic. Both are strong-willed and stubborn to a fault. And this causes them to butt heads often. Damon and Elena know exactly how to push one another’s buttons, and make eachother’s blood boil. So, it is no surprise that some of the most intensely erotic moments between them, are when they are engaged in heated verbal sparring matches.
This scene from “The Hybrid,” starts off as one that seems to be included merely as comic relief. It’s hysterical to see Elena kicking her feet uselessly, as she falls into the water. And it’s hilarious how her and Damon snipe at eachother like petulant children, once she’s all wet . . . with Elena pouting and refusing to get out of the water, and Damon childishly calling her an “idiot.”
But when Damon wades into the water to join Elena, the scene takes a surprising turn . . .
Deep down, Elena knows that the real reason Damon came all the way out to Tennessee to find her, is that he cares about her deeply, and can’t bear to see her hurt. She also knows exactly how to use this to her advantage. Just as we saw last season with her, “Be a better man,” speech, Elena appeals to Damon’s undying devotion to her with doe eyes, wet skin, and a plaintive expression on her face. “Damon, please,” she says, her face just inches away from his . . .
From this moment on, us viewers know that the battle is over. And Damon has lost. Elena may not be a vampire, but she’s clearly an expert at compelling Damon. Even Alaric finds that needs to look away, feeling as though he has wandered into an intimate moment between two lovers. After all, Alaric, Chunky Monkey that he is, knows exactly what it’s like to be totally whipped by a beautiful woman . . .
Damon might have lost this battle, but he sure as hell isn’t going to lose the war. He makes that very clear in his reminder to Elena of that whole “Deathbed Kissy Thing” . . .
. . . because as much as Damon love for Elena, has the power to turn his insides into jelly sometimes, she’s not entirely immune to his charms either . . .
9. Damon and Elena Make Chili (1 % of the Votes)
Episode: “Disturbing Behavior” – 3 X 4
Setting the Scene:
Elena just got back from the WORST CHICAGO VACATION EVER! First, she found herself just minutes away from getting sniffed out by a psychotic hybrid. Then, she found out that her boyfriend keeps a weird diary listing the names of all the people he’s KILLED . . .
And, finally, she got herself all dressed up in a cute purple dress, just to be dumped by that same boyfriend, who coldly told her, “I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to be with you. I just want you to go.” HARSH!
But, you know what they say . . . when the going get tough, the tough . . . make chili?
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “I just don’t know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili . . . Show up there’s going to be nine other people that bring chili.”
ELENA: “It’s an old family recipe, OK?”
DAMON: “Yeah, I know. I knew you’re old family. They made sucky chili.”
* * *
ELENA: “He thinks I’m going to break. I’m not going to break. I’m just going to keep making chili, pretend like I didn’t spend the entire summer looking for someone who didn’t want to be found.”
DAMON: “She’s in denial.”
ELENA: “I’m not in denial.”
DAMON: “No? You’re still wearing this necklace. Isn’t this a reminder of your unbreakable bond with Stefan?”
Why it Made the List:
This small, seemingly throwaway scene, at the beginning of Episode 4, actually has a lot to say about Damon’s and Elena’s relationship, and how far they’ve come as a couple, over the course of two seasons. Damon instinctively understands that Elena is heartbroken over her “breakup” with Stefan, but is hiding it behind a facade of false optimism. The seamless way in which Damon is instantly able to intuit Elena’s hidden feelings illustrates just how emotionally in sync these two are with one another. The fact that Elena is allowing Damon to support her and keep her company during this difficult time, shows what an important and integral part of her life he has become.
And of course, we can’t forget the flirting over the chili. Though Damon sometimes has the unique power to make Elena furiously angry, he also has the unique capability of disarming her, and bringing out her fun-loving, friendly, and flirtatious side. This is evidenced by the way she bumps hips with him, and wags her eyebrows at him, for insulting her “sucky chili.”
Damon too seems surprisingly giddy around Elena. Though his flirtation with other women, tends more toward the overtly sexual, with Elena, he is surprisingly gentle and almost innocent in his advances. This scene actually reminds me a bit of the kitchen scene the pair shared back in season one . . .
But things get really interesting when Damon challenges Elena’s reasons for keeping the necklace, an object he always viewed as representative of Stefan’s love for Elena. But what if it isn’t? After all? Hasn’t it been Damon, who has repeatedly returned this necklace to Elena, reattaching it to her neck in increasingly romantic moments, every time she loses it?
Isn’t it possible that Elena is keeping the necklace, because, subconsciously, it reminds her of her relationship with Damon, just as much as it reminds her of her relationship with Stefan? The way Elena stares at Damon’s lips, almost mesmerized, as he clutches tightly to her necklace, should definitely give some Delena fans pause . . .
8. “Do you trust me?” (2% of the Votes)
Episode: “Homecoming” – 3 X 9
Setting the Scene:
It’s the night of the Homecoming Dance, and the Scooby Gang has big plans to kill Klaus. The problem, of course, is that too many vampires know about this plan, and not all of them can be trusted. One of these vampires who knows to much, is Klaus Barbie, herself, Klaus’ little sister, Rebekah. This forces Elena to take matters into her own hands, in a decidedly un-Elena like way . . .
With a temporarily dead body on the floor, and a distraught Elena on the bed, nearby, this sounds like a job for SUPER DAMON!
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: (upon examining Rebekah’s daggered body) “In the back . . . harsh . . . Hey, I’m not judging you. It was very . . . Katherine of you.”
ELENA: “Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon.”
DAMON: “It was a compliment . . . sort of.”
ELENA: “Stefan’s right. If someone is going to let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up, it’s probably going to be me. . . . I care too much. That’s the problem, Damon. I’m the weak link.”
* * *
ELENA: “We need a better plan.”
DAMON: “I know what to do. You’re just not going to like it.”
ELENA: “Why not?”
DAMON: “Because when this all goes down, I don’t want you having any part of it.”
ELENA: “What does that mean?”
DAMON: “Do you trust me?”
ELENA: “Yes.”
DAMON: “Then, you have nothing to worry about.”
Why it Made the List:
Trust has played a major role in the Delena relationship, ever since that epic moment, during Season 1, when Elena put her trust entirely in Damon, and ensured him that he could trust her in return, by taking off her vervain necklace, and permitting him to compel her. Given Damon’s obvious attraction to Elena, this was a tantalizing opportunity for him . . . one that, of course, he didn’t take . . .
Since then, Damon and Elena have worked hard to maintain one another’s trust, though there have been some notable stumbles along the way (i.e. the Jeremy Neck Snap Incident and the Force Feeding Incident, on Damon’s part, and Elena’s de-staking of Elijah on her part, to name a few). However, here, in season 3, it seems as though Damon and Elena have finally moved past their respective baggage, and come to a place where they can really and truly trust one another wholeheartedly.
But it’s more than trust the binds these two together . . . it’s respect and understanding. Throughout this series, both Damon and Elena have come up with numerous plans to defeat their enemies. Some have worked well, others have failed miserably. But never before this very moment, have the pair agreed on a single course of action.
The fact that Elena can say, without hesitation, that she trusts Damon, and is willing to go along with whatever plan he has — even if it means that she can’t play any part in it — shows just how fully she has come to respect Damon’s intelligence and strength. She understands, without question, that he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And, because of this, she wants to have sex with him feels safe with him . . .
7. Damon Gives Elena First Aid (2% of the Votes)
Episode: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – 3 x 6
Setting the Scene:
When a compelled-by-Klaus-to-be-emotion-free Stefan moves back into the house to “babysit” Elena on Klaus’ behalf, Damon and Elena plot to vervain him, and lock him up, until they’ve killed Klaus, thus freeing him from compulsion. The plan is for Elena to fake drunk, and take a swan dive off the school bleachers. This way, when Stefan catches her (as they all know he will), Alaric can knock him out with a vervain dart.
Meanwhile, Damon is supposed to distract Rebekah, by using his sexy man magic, and remarkable ability to make s’mores . . .
The flirtation doesn’t go unnoticed by Elena, who prefers that Damon reserve his man magic for her. Plans go awry when a pesky ghost (Vicki) sets Alaric’s car on fire with Elena and Stefan inside. Fortuately, everyone (except Alaric’s car) ends up being OK. But Elena has an adorable little boo-boo that needs kissing. So, Damon decides to step up to the challenge and play her doctor feel good . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “Elena, you almost got barbecued. The least I can do is apply first aid.”
ELENA: “You played your part of the plan really well tonight . . . you had Rebekah drooling all over you and your marshmallows.”
DAMON: “Yeah, before she skewered me. I thought you were too drunk to notice.”
ELENA: “I was faking most of it.”
DAMON: “So, was I.”
Why it Made the List:
This is far from the first time Damon has tended to Elena’s wounds. However, this is the first time Elena was awake (and fully conscious) to witness it, and allow it to happen. There is an openness and intimacy between these two in this scene, the likes of which we haven’t really seen since the Season 2 finale . . .
Elena’s willingness to admit that she was jealous seeing Damon flirt with Rebekah, says so much about how comfortable she is with Damon, and how aware she is becoming of her romantic feelings toward him. For Damon’s part, he has the perfect opportunity to rub Elena’s jealousy in her face, and claim he has feelings for Rebekah that he doesn’t. The old Damon, from early Season 1, would have done this in a heartbeat.
But Season 3 Damon is beyond pretenses. He loves Elena, and only Elena. And he’s not afraid to let her know that. Damon’s also adorably thrilled that Elena wasn’t too drunk to recognize him putting the moves on another woman, even if it was only as part of a plan . . .
6. “I will never leave you again.” (6% of the Votes)
Episode: “The Reckoning” – 3 x 5
Setting the Scene:
If you thought Elena had a bad night in Chicago, during “The End of the Affair,” that was a day in the park, in comparison to “The Reckoning’s” Prank Night!
Let’s see . . . Elena got man-handled by Klaus, watched her classmates get murdered right in front of her, watched, as her boyfriend literally lost his humanity, was bitten, and drained of blood to the point of unconsciousness by her ex-boyfriend, and then was taken to a hospital, where even more blood was forcefully drained from her veins. But worst of all, DAMON WASN’T THERE!
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “You know, I could help you forget too . . . at least the memories you don’t want to keep.”
ELENA: “No . . . no compulsion. I need to remember all of it.
DAMON: (holding up the vervain necklace) “I stole it back for you.”
ELENA: “He’s really gone this time. I watched it happen, after everything that we went through to help him, now he’s just gone. Where were you, Damon?”
DAMON: “I shouldn’t have left. I promise you, I will never leave you again.”
Why it Made the List:
The previous episode,”Disturbing Behavior,” ended with a fight between Elena and Damon . . . one that prompted Damon to leave town, albeit temporarily. Elena was frustrated with Damon because he acted too much like a vampire. And Damon was frustrated with Elena because she refused to accept him for who he was. Given the obvious fact that Elena really could have used a vicious-when-necessary vampire like Damon on her side, when she was battling Klaus, Damon had a real opportunity here to pour a little “I told you so,” salt into Elena’s gaping heart wound.
But he doesn’t. In fact, Damon doesn’t get any joy at all from being “right,” in this instance. He loves Elena so much that to see her in this much pain, both emotional and physical, causes him great anguish. He feels so bad for Elena, and so guilty for not being there for her during this ordeal, that he’s even willing to take Elena’s memories of the night away from her . . . even if this means she will go back to annoyingly mooning over Stefan again. Talk about self-sacrifice!
But Elena is much too strong to take the easy way out of her pain. And Damon understands and respects that.
Of course, Elena has more to say, she wants to know why Damon wasn’t at the school, while this was all happening. On one hand, it’s kind of a cloying question to ask, especially since Elena knows full well why Damon wasn’t there. But on the other hand, Elena’s question tells Damon something he’s been wanting to hear since he first fell in love with the Petrova Doppelganger. Because, what Elena is really saying, when she is asking that question is: “I need you.”
Because Elena has told Damon what he wants to hear, he rewards her with what she needs to hear . . . that he will never leave her (as nearly everyone she’s loved has done in the past) . . . and that he will remain by her side, no matter how many fights they get into, or how many monsters try to come between them. And really, what could be more romantic than that?
5. Damon Rescues Elena from the Hospital (8% of the Votes)
Episode: “The Reckoning” – 3 x 5
Setting the Scene:
Having been out of town hunting Mikael, Damon returns to Mystic Falls to learn that Elena is in the hospital, having suffered severe blood loss, as a result of being bitten and drained by a compelled Stefan. What he doesn’t yet know (but is about to find out), is that the nurse at the hospital has been compelled to take even more blood from Elena, so that Klaus can use it to build his doppelganger army . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
ELENA: (whispers) “Damon.”
DAMON: “Hey.”
Why it Made the List:
This short, nearly silent, scene was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. The look of trepidation and anguish on Damon’s face is quite clear, as he enters the hospital. We see that look change to one of relief, when he realizes that Elena is alive and well. Then, that face morphs to one of concern, sympathy, and anger, when he sees, both the bandage on her neck, obscuring Stefan’s bite, and the tubes connected to her, only serving to further drain her of blood.
We’ve seen Damon carry Elena on two separate occasions prior to this one, giving the repeated gesture, three times as much significance as it would have otherwise. The first time took place in Season 1, when Damon saved Elena from an overturned car. The second time took place in Season 2, when Damon brought Elena home after the traumatic Sacrifice Ritual . . .
Both times, Elena awakened to find Damon hovering over her, and responded by becoming instantly relaxed and at-ease, despite the traumas she had just experienced. This time was no different, and only provides more evidence of the undeniable connection between these two individuals.
4. “Then we’ll let him go.” (13% of the Votes)
Episode: “Homecoming” – 3 x 9
Setting the Scene:
When a twisty, turny, seemingly fool-proof, plan to kill Klaus goes horribly awry — thanks to Stefan ultimately saving Klaus’ life, so that he could, in turn, save his brother’s (though Stefan’s benevolent reasons for doing this are, at this point, unbeknownst to the elder Salvatore) — Damon is both enraged and utterly devastated. So, he returns home, with his tail between his legs, to bring Elena the bad news . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “I had him Elena, I had Klaus. This could have all been over!”
ELENA: “Hey, Damon, hey, listen to me. We’ll survive this. We always survive.”
DAMON: “We’re never getting Stefan back. You know that. Don’t you?”
ELENA: “Then, we’ll let him go. OK? We’ll have to let him go.”
Why it Made the List:
Back during Season 1 and Season 2, the majority of sexy Delena moments were those initiated by Damon himself. Damon was the one declaring his love for Elena. Damon was the one invading Elena’s personal space, and stroking her skin. Damon was the one making the sacrifices necessary to keep Elena safe and happy.
However, this season, as Elena experiences a growing awareness of her love for Damon, we are starting to see some role reversals. In this top ten list, there are just as many Elena-initiated romantic moments, as there are ones that are Damon-initiated. But, out of all the times, Elena illustrated her love and concern for Damon this season, the moment you just watched, is arguably the most groundbreaking in terms of the path this couple is taking toward romantic (and sexual ;)) bliss.
For most of the season, we have watched Damon take on the dual role of Elena’s hero, and caretaker. He’s been strong for her and protective of her, when she’s in danger, but gentle, and sensitive with her, when she’s feeling vulnerable. Damon has also provided some tough love to Elena, when she was most in need of that. Many times throughout the season, we have seen Damon try to get Elena to face the fact that Stefan is not himself right now, and might not be for a long time.
But now, Damon needs Elena to play all of the roles he usually plays for her. Having been outsmarted by Klaus, he is feeling weak, and needs Elena to be strong for him. Devastated by the believed betrayal of his brother, Damon is feeling vulnerable, and needs Elena to reassure him. And finally, forced to face the realization that his brother might truly be lost to him forever, Damon needs Elena to tell him that everything is going to be OK, in spite of that.
Though Elena is most likely feeling just as frustrated, saddened, and betrayed by Klaus and Stefan, as Damon is, she puts all of that aside for him. When Damon lashes out angrily, by tossing a wine glass into the fire, and pushes Elena away, she doesn’t shrink back in fear. Instead, she cups his face lovingly, as he has cupped hers, so many times before, and assures him confidently that they will survive this setback, along with whatever else Klaus throws in their path.
Elena also makes a point of referring to her and him as a “we.” “We will let him go,” she says of Stefan. I think this has much less to do with Elena thinking that either her or Damon will ever fully give up on Stefan, and more to do with the fact that Elena is ready to face up to any challenge, as long as Damon is by her side, when she does it. Elena, in a sense, is also repeating to Damon the same sentiment he shared with her, at the end of “The Reckoning.” She is saying, “I will never leave you.”
3. Damon Teaches Elena the Way to a Vampire’s Heart (16% of the Votes)
Episode: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – 3 x 6
Setting the Scene:
Emotion-free, Ripper Stefan is lurking around Elena, and more or less treating her like the “Human Blood Bag,” he now thinks she is, thanks to Klaus’ compulsion. Elena decides she needs to lock Stefan up, until Klaus is dead. This way he can no longer be a danger to himself or others, and can no longer make snarky comments to Elena that make her feel like crap. But to take down Stefan, Elena needs to bulk up, and do some Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style training, STAT. So, naturally, she calls on Damon to be her Hot Sensei.
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “What’s your plan, Oh Warrior Princess?”
ELENA: “I want to lock Stefan up . . . at least until Mikael comes, kills Klaus, and then the compulsion breaks.”
DAMON: “His humanity is gone . . . lights out . . . no one’s home.”
ELENA: “Then do it for me, Damon. Every time I look at him, I feel like I’m going to break, and I’m not going to give him that satisfaction.”
DAMON: (grabs Elena’s hand and puts it on his heart) “Feel that? It’s the sternum . . . solid plate of bone. (fondles Elena’s sides, back and boobs) Right here, just below the ribcage, is the spine. That’s your way to a vampire’s heart. . . . I’ll do whatever it is you need me to do, Elena. No one is going to hurt you, especially not my brother.”
Why it Made the List:
Whew! Did anyone else need to take a cold shower, after watching that clip? We’ve witnessed many an erotic Delena scene over the past three seasons. But as far as sheer sex appeal goes, this one takes the cake!
Let’s get the verbal stuff out of the way, so that we can focus on the body language. Shall we?
First off, I love how Damon was the first person Elena thought to call, when she (a) was in need of a sex partner trainer; and (b) needed to take down Stefan. I also love how Elena opened up to Damon, and admitted to him how hard it was for her to see her ex like this, in a way that she couldn’t open up to anybody else.
For Damon’s part, I loved the way he melted, when Elena pleaded with him to “do it for me.”I also seriously dug how strong, self-assured, and undeniably sexy Damon was, when he whispered in her ear that he would do whatever she wanted him to do, and that he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her, on his watch . . .
Now, LET’S TALK TOUCHING!
Damon’s grabbing Elena’s wrist to put her hand on his heart may have had the external purpose of showing Elena how hard Damon’s weiner sternum is, but the intimacy of the gesture, and the implication of love behind it was clearly not lost on either party. It’s certainly not lost on Damon, who massages Elena’s hand, and looks deeply into Elena’s eyes, while he’s speaking. Nor is it lost on Elena, who stares first at Damon’s muscular chest, and then at his lips, as she tends to do whenever Damon arouses her, which, lately, is quite often . . .
But things get really steamy, when Damon turns Elena around, pulls her toward him, and begins gently run his hands up and down her side, while caress her chest and abdomen, all as he is explaining the way to a Vampire’s Heart. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s directing the entire speech toward Elena’s ear and neck, both of which are clear erogenous zones for Elena, as is evidenced by her gasping for breath, and allowing her eyes to roll back in her head, as he works his magic on her.
Well played, DAMON! Well played, indeed!
2. “I want you to remember the things you felt.” (17 % of the Votes)
Episode: “The Hybrid” – 3 x 2
Setting the Scene:
Damon’s decision to follow Elena and Alaric to the mountains of Tennessee to rescue Stefan from himself, proved to be both a dangerous, and an eye-opening journey for Damon. It was dangerous, because Damon, once again, was almost bitten by a werewolf / hybrid. And it was eye-opening because Stefan was the one who saved his life, thus proving that he still has some good left in him. Damon also noticed that Elena was surprisingly willing to give the Stefan Search Party early, when it became apparent to her that Damon’s life was in danger. This gesture gives Damon pause . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “I’ll help you bring him back.”
ELENA: “Thank you.”
DAMON: “But before I do, I need you to answer one question. What made you change your mind?”
* * *
ELENA: “I didn’t want to see you get hurt, OK? I was . . . I was worried about you.”
DAMON: (smirks) “Thanks.” (turns to leave)
ELENA: (calls after him) “Yes, I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?”
DAMON: “Because when I drag my brother from the edge and deliver him back to you, I want you to remember the things you felt when he was gone.”
Why it Made the List:
Ahhhh, Elena’s bedroom. Why is it that all the best Delena moments take place there (or in Damon’s bedroom?)
What is interesting here is that this particular scene contains the same basic structure of both the hideous Jeremy Neck Snap Incident from “The Return” (which likely explains why Elena asked Damon if he was drunk), and the glorious Delena love declaration of “Rose.”
In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s even wearing the same pajamas! In both previous scenes, like in this one, Elena enters her bedroom to find Damon standing by the window, waiting to have a heart-to-heart talk. However, where as in both of the aforementioned scenes, Damon wished to speak to Elena, but not necessarily to hear her respond. (In “Rose,” he compelled her to forget he was there, before she even had a chance to process the information.) This conversation is all about Elena, and her feelings.
Damon is about to once again, do something extremely self-sacrificing for the woman he loves . . . something that, as far as he is concerned, may result in her being lost to him forever. But before he does that, Damon wants to make sure that Elena is honest with herself about her feelings for him . . .
When Damon forces Elena to admit that she worries about him, and abandoned her own mission to save his life, he does it less because he needs to hear her say it, and more because she needs to hear herself say it out loud. However, since our girl Elena can be a bit dense sometimes about her feelings for Damon, the Elder Salvatore brother, with Elena’s encouragement takes things one step further.
Cupping her face in his hands, and lovingly running his fingers through her hair, Damon looks deeply into Elena’s eyes, and plunges headfirst into the depth of her soul. The words he says to her in this moment, based on her response, only further cemented Damon’s place in Elena’s heart, providing assurance that, no matter what happens between Stefan and Elena, Elena will never truly be able to get Damon, or the journey that he and she underwent together, during Stefan’s absence this season, out of her mind. And that, my fellow Delena, fans is a tremendously good thing . . .
And that brings us to . . . DRUMROLL PLEASE . . .
1. Damon and Elena Sleep Together (35% of the Votes)
Episode: “Ordinary People” – 3 x 8
Setting the Scene:
Damon and Elena have both had busy, and disturbing, but oddly productive days, on the “Kill Klaus” front. After an extremely heated exchange with Rebekah, Elena finally managed to convince her that Klaus killed her mother in cold blood, and has been lying to her for centuries. As for Damon, he broke Stefan out of vampire rehab, got him high on blood, and had a run-in with Mikael. The latter got Stefan to break through enough of his compulsion to save Damon from getting his heart ripped out, and to agree to help Mikael kill Klaus, so that he no longer has to be his b*tch.
Needless to say, these two have a lot of great reasons to make sweet, sweet love to one another to talk about, when they reunite at the end of the evening . . .
Video:
Potent Quotables:
DAMON: “Go ahead, kick, yell, scream. I’m sure you’ve been planning your rant all day.”
ELENA: “I’m not going to yell at you . . . I’m not mad. I’m just. I’m tired, I wanna go to bed.”
ELENA: “I think we got Rebekah on our side too.”
DAMON: (impressed) “Really? What did you learn?”
ELENA: “I learned that she’s just a girl . . . that she lost her mom too young, and she loves blindly, and recklessly, even if it consumes her . . . you know when all is said and done, there is nothing more important than the bonds of family”
DAMON: “Tell that to my brother.”
ELENA: “I’m not mad at you for letting him out. I think you’re the one who’s going to save him from himself. It won’t be because he loves me, it will be because he loves you.”
Why it Made the List:
Damon and Elena SLEPT TOGETHER! Damon and Elena SLEPT TOGETHER! (takes breath) OK, so they didn’t exactly join together, in the carnal sense, but, in a way, the bond illustrated between Damon and Elena in this scene, was arguably more intimate, and special, than even the most erotic sex scene. When Elena entered her room, and found Damon in her bed, she felt completely comfortable with him being there, and never even thought to kick him out. (Who would?)
Rather, she crawled right into bed with him, so that the two could eagerly share with one another the events of the day.
When Damon and Elena related to one another in this scene, it was without judgment, or argument . . . they related as equals, friends, and, yes, lovers. They rejoiced in eachother’s victories, and shared eachother’s successes, as all good couples do. Then, Elena turned out the light, and snuggled up next to Damon, as she told him about Rebekah, a woman who loves recklessly, even though it consumes her . . . a trait she shares in common with both Damon and Elena.
But perhaps the most poignant part of the scene was when Elena admitted to Damon that it would be his love that saved Stefan, and not hers. This is a huge step for Elena to take, admitting that she doesn’t come first in Stefan’s heart . . . that she might not be the one most capable of saving Stefan’s soul. It also shows how much she trusts that Damon will be able to do just that.
Damon is noticeably touched by Elena’s words, and how much she believes in him. Elena’s confidence in Damon helps him to believe more in himself, and his capacity to save his little brother. Damon is also deeply affected by the way Elena closes her eyes, and goes to sleep, allowing Damon to snuggle up next to her, impliedly letting him stay the night. The scene ends with Damon contentedly watching Elena sleep, his eyes filled with love, adoration, compassion, and, most importantly . . . hope.
Sweet Dreams, Delena fans!
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