What Episode Do Damon And Elena Kiss For The First Time? & 14 Other Important Delena Episodes (2024)

Damon and Elena were the most epic romance in The Vampire Diaries, but some fans might not remember exactly when Damon and Elena kiss first in the series or even when Damon and Elena first get together - because those do not happen in the same episode. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) were drawn together throughout the series, and the high school student soon found herself in a love triangle with both Damon and his brother Stefan (Paul Wesley). Ultimately, Damon won Elena's heart and emerged from the series finale as her eternal suitor. Elena's romance with Damon was the focal point of many significant episodes in the series.

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This started with their long-awaited first kiss but included other significant romantic firsts. Considering the epic nature of Elena's relationship with Damon, it is next to impossible to narrow down all of their iconic and important moments. The answer to "When do Damon and Elena kiss" is only part of their long-term storyline on the popular vampire TV series. While their first kiss and official relationship milestones are significant, their romance had to start somewhere and some of their best episodes played a crucial part in their falling in love over the years, and their eventual happy ending when the show finally concluded.

15 Damon and Elena's First Trip Together

"Bloodlines" (Season 1, Episode 11)

Throughout the first half of season 1, Damon was certainly the villain of the series. It wasn't until "Bloodlines" that viewers really got to see a different side of Damon. After rescuing Elena from a car crash, Damon took her to Georgia to help her get her mind off of the accident and the fact that she looks like Katherine. While out there, Damon held Elena's vervain necklace and promised not to compel her if she went with him.

This was the first true sign of there being trust between the two. Elena believed Damon, despite his prior actions, and he held up his end of the bargain, giving them their first bonding moment. This was also the start of the love triangle that dominated early in the series.

14 Their First Dance

"Miss Mystic Falls" (Season 1, Episode 19)

The chemistry between Elena and Damon became undeniable to viewers in season 1's "Miss Mystic Falls." Stefan stood Elena up at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant after becoming consumed by bloodlust, but Damon saved the day by taking his brother's place and accompanying Elena as her escort. Damon and Elena's first dance together was one of the couple's most significant moments. Neither participant could take their eyes off each other, evidencing their passionate connection. As soon as the scene was over, many fans knew this was the couple they shipped. This wasn't their last dance on The Vampire Diaries, but it was a huge fan favorite moment for the couple.

13 Damon Compels Elena

"Rose" (Season 2, Episode 8)

Season 2's "Rose" was important for Delena as, after seeking her out to return her vervain necklace, Damon admitted to being in love with his brother's girlfriend. He then erased all traces of his confession from her memory. Damon's declaration of love was immediately followed by one of his first selfless acts in the series. The vampire recognized Elena's good heart and conceded that his brother was more deserving of her love, so he couldn't be selfish with her. His action in "Rose" marked one of the most selfless moments Damon did early in the series and really set the table for their future together in the series.

12 Damon And Elena's First Kiss

"As I Lay Dying" (Season 2, Episode 22)

Damon initially arrived in Mystic Falls as Stefan's older, darker brother. Throughout season 1, the villainous vampire formed a reluctant friendship with Elena, which led to the elder Salvatore falling in love with his brother's girlfriend. When do Damon and Elena kiss? Elena tentatively kissed Damon for the first time while the vampire was dying from a werewolf bite. The pair didn't lock lips again until season 3's "The New Deal," when Damon shamelessly admitted his feelings for Elena once more. This was more about admitting their bond and possibly saying goodbye. While Damon didn't die, this was a moment where the two realized there was something bigger between them.

11 Damon And Elena Build Trust

"The Birthday" (Season 3, Episode 1)

Stefan's choice to go with Klaus to save his brother left Elena alone with Damon for months. While she didn't give up on Stefan or start anything with Damon during that time, it was pivotal to their relationship and future. "The Birthday" showed them spending time together and building trust. Damon gave her back her cherished vervain necklace and was by her side at every turn through the harrowing ordeal. Without these few months, their relationship may have never come together. They didn't get together at this time, but the sexual tension was there between them, and it made fans want to see them move to the next step.

10 Damon And Elena's Motel Make-Out

"Heart Of Darkness" (Season 3, Episode 19)

Elena continued to dance around her feelings for Damon in season 3. During their road trip to Denver in "Heart Of Darkness," the doppelgänger finally gave in to passion and shared an intense make-out session with the elder Salvatore on a motel balcony. Damon and Elena's chemistry continued to intensify as they searched for the originator of the Salvatore bloodline. Their steamy lip-lock was an inevitability, though the road to their happily ever after remained rocky. It was important that Elena made the move and not the other way around, but this was a moment where Damon began to question his role as a bad boy in the series.

9 Elena Met Damon First

"The Departed" (Season 3, Episode 22)

Elena broke the hearts of Delena fans everywhere during the epic season 3 finale when she finally made her choice between the Salvatore brothers. Stranded between them, Elena decided to return to Stefan, telling Damon that things may have worked out differently if they had met first. Unbeknownst to Elena and the viewers until then, she did actually encounter the elder Salvatore first. A flashback revealed Damon and Elena's first meeting prior to Stefan's arrival in town, another moment that Damon compelled her to forget. This was a huge episode because this was a turning point when fans learned Damon met Elena long before she knew it.

8 Damon Provides Elena With Vampire Training

"The Five" (Season 4, Episode 4)

Elena turning into a vampire changed everything about the series, especially her relationships with the Salvatore brothers. Whatever Stefan seemed to suggest to her went poorly, but Damon managed to have all the right answers for the girl who didn't want this to be her fate. Damon took her out to a party in "The Five" and got her to indulge in some major vampire vices. She fed on a human, and it was a moment where Damon and Elena seemed totally connected. It had to do a bit with the sire bond between them, but it was still big for them. Season 4 saw Damon and Elena's relationship truly strengthened.

7 Damon And Elena Sleep Together For The First Time

"My Brother's Keeper" (Season 4, Episode 7)

Her relationship with Damon changed when Elena became a vampire in season 4. She had drifted apart from Stefan as her feelings for Damon grew stronger, and during "My Brother's Keeper," the couple gave in to passion at last and slept together for the first time. This moment was highly anticipated by Delena fans. However, Elena's new relationship was promptly put to the test when the Mystic Falls gang discovered she was sired to the elder Salvatore. This was where everything changed and the Damon-Elena pairing became real, finally putting Stefan in the rearview mirror as far as the love story was concerned.

6 Elena Chooses Damon

"Graduation" (Season 4, Episode 23)

Multiple obstacles tried to tear Damon and Elena apart during season 4. The revelation of the sire bond cast doubt on the validity of Elena's feelings, while the death of her brother Jeremy caused a downward spiral that saw the new vampire temporarily turn off her humanity. Damon expected Elena to return to Stefan but to the delight of Delena shippers, she insisted her love for Damon was real and reconciled with him in the same episode featuring her high school graduation. It was a perfect contrast to the season 3 finale where Elena chose Stefan over Damon. This was what fans had been waiting for, and Elena made the right choice, although it sadly wouldn't last.

5 Til Death Do Us Part

"Home" (Season 5, Episode 22)

Delena spent a season together before being ripped apart again in the season 5 finale, "Home." The vampires sacrificed themselves to stop the Travelers, but only one of them returned from death after the Other Side was destroyed. Damon and Elena shared a Bonnie and Clyde moment as the elder Salvatore drove their car into the Mystic Grill. Damon professed his love for Elena in a heartbreaking Vampire Diaries scene from the ghostly realm of the Other Side. This was where Elena thought she had lost Damon for good, but he wasn't gone for long and returned, though it wouldn't be the same for their love story when he came back.

4 Elena Tries To Remember Damon

"Do You Remember The First Time?" (Season 6, Episode 7)

The pain of losing Damon proved too much for Elena to bear during season 6. The distraught doppelgänger asked Alaric to remove her memories of Damon — only for the elder Salvatore to return to the land of the living after escaping from Kai's 1994 prison world. Damon tried to trigger Elena's recollection of their relationship during "Do You Remember The First Time?" which included another "When do Damon and Elena kiss" moment in the rain. Sadly, the spell was too strong and Elena only remembered Damon as being an evil person, and it took a while for her to trust him and eventually remember everything from their past love story.

3 Damon Decides To Take The Cure With Elena

"I'd Leave My Happy Home For You" (Season 6, Episode 20)

Elena and Damon took their relationship to the next level in season 6's "I'd Leave My Happy Home For You." The doppelgänger expressed her desire to be human again and forced Damon to confront the reality of their life together if he took the cure with her. Damon decided that he loved life as a vampire but loved Elena more. Elena took the cure, but the pair were interrupted by Lily Salvatore before Damon could do the same. Damon and Elena continued to fight against the odds to be together throughout the rest of the series, though they thankfully reconciled for their happily ever after in the series finale.

2 The Last Dance

"I'm Thinking Of You All The While" (Season 6, Episode 22)

Kai proved to be a truly problematic villain as he made his most vicious move when he cursed Elena. His spell made it so that she had to remain in a deep sleep as long as Bonnie lived. Elena accepted this, especially since she would do anything for Bonnie. Of course, Damon wasn't pleased about this as he'd have to give up being with Elena for decades most likely. Alas, the two shared a sweet goodbye in this episode, dancing together like the old Miss Mystic Falls days and doing so on the road where they met for the first time. It was a sad moment, and it looked like it would last forever, with Nina Dobrev leaving Vampire Diaries for other roles.

1 Together For Eternity

"I Was Feeling Epic" (Season 8, Episode 16)

The series finale gave fans everywhere what they had wanted since the end of season 6. Elena was back and could reunite with Damon. While that moment in itself was great and long-awaited, what truly cemented this for the couple was that it showed how their life ultimately went. Elena and Damon eventually got married and had a long, happy life together. After they both eventually died, the series showed them together in the afterlife, meeting up with their friends and clearly spending eternity together. There was also a shot of a wedding ring on his finger, and Damon gave up his life as a vampire to be with his love on Vampire Diaries.