The Vampire Diaries: 10 Best Enemies To Lovers (Or Friends) Relationships
If there's one thing The Vampire Diaries is known for other than love triangles, it's turning enemies into lovers and friends. The series made its intentions clear early on and even had Katherine tell the audience that hatred was the beginning of a love story, rather than the end of one.
Because the characters usually started off on bad terms, their relationships required seasons of development. Watching them change their opinions of each other was a highlight of the show, and it wasn't limited solely to romance. There are several dynamics in The Vampire Diaries that were built on hatred but developed into love.
10 Damon And Elena
Out of all the enemies-to-lovers relationships, Damon and Elena are the most obvious. Not only are they the main romance of the show, but it was dragged out for the largest duration of time. Damon has been in love with Elena for so long, that it's easy to forget that he wasn't always.
In fact, Damon even tries to convince Stefan to help him kill her when he first appears in the pilot. Because he wasn't drawn to her originally, it's clear that Damon's feelings were unrelated to Elena's resemblance to Katherine. They were based solely on the content of her character, which made their romance feel genuine.
9 Matt And Rebekah
There's no doubt that Matt should have ended up with Rebekah in The Vampire Diaries. His hatred for vampires grew the longer the show went on, so it is possible that they wouldn't have made it even if Rebekah had stayed in Mystic Falls.
After Rebekah drove Matt's car off Wickery Bridge and almost killed him, he understandably wanted nothing to do with her. But as bad as her actions sound, characters have managed to come back from far worse. The fact that Rebekah managed to earn Matt's trust speaks volumes about her development.
8 Bonnie And Enzo
Bonnie and Enzo fell in love over a time jump, despite barely interacting beforehand. The few scenes they did have together were full of hostility, and Enzo even threatened Bonnie's life. Their relationship went from one side of the spectrum all the way to the other, and it stood out from the other pairings.
Bonnie and Enzo made every single romance look bad in comparison, as the love they had for each other was pure and selfless. While most of the couples were hyper-focused on their own feelings, Bonnie and Enzo prioritized their partner's happiness over their own.
7 Alaric And Damon
Even though Damon and Alaric stopped at the friend stage, there are plenty of viewers who wish they didn't. According to AO3, Dalaric is one of the most popular fan-fiction ships in The Vampire Diaries, and their strong foundation provides great romantic potential.
Alaric was Damon's only real confidant for seasons, despite having plenty of valid reasons to hate him. Alaric showed up in Mystic Falls with the intention of killing the vampire who murdered his wife but became his best friend instead.
6 Klaus And Caroline
Klaus was the big bad of The Vampire Diaries, which set Klaroline up to be more intense than the other enemies to lovers relationships. Surprisingly, Klaus became so smitten with Caroline that he eventually prioritized her over everything and everyone else.
Although he did bite and heal her in the fourth season, Klaus would never truly do anything to harm Caroline, and it was clear she knew it. They even reached a point in their relationship where Caroline was able to barge into Klaus's house and ask to borrow a prom dress.
5 Stefan And Katherine
Stefan and Katherine aren't enemies to lovers, as much as they're lovers to enemies to lovers. After everything she did to him in 1864, Stefan developed such a strong hatred that he and Damon even tried to kill her in The Vampire Diaries Season 2.
But Katherine loved Stefan through everything, and her feelings for him proved that she was still holding onto her humanity. After being force-fed the cure and turned back into a human, Katherine had significant character development. She did end up going back to her old ways, but for a short period of time, Katherine earned back his affection.
4 Bonnie And Damon
Bonnie and Damon's friendship helped the show remain interesting after Nina Dobrev's departure. Their hatred for one another went on for seasons, and while they eventually stopped being mortal enemies, they tolerated each other at best.
The prison world changed everything, and Bonnie and Damon spent months in forced proximity. It was exactly what the two needed to get past their differences and it caused a genuine love to form. By the time they return to their real lives, Damon had replaced Elena as Bonnie's best friend in The Vampire Diaries.
3 Jeremy And Tyler
So many intense rivalries took shape that Tyler and Jeremy's feud in The Vampire Diaries Season 1 seems like child's play. But while it might've been missing the supernatural component, their hatred for each other was no joke.
When Jeremy threatened to kill Tyler if he hurt Vicki, there were no indications that he was exaggerating. As it often does, grief brought the two of them together, and their resentment faded away. Jeremy and Tyler never become best friends, but their dynamic is unrecognizable from what it was in the pilot.
2 Klaus And Stefan
There were times when it felt like Klaus and Stefan were each other's best friend and worst enemy simultaneously. When they first met, the two formed a strong connection and became like brothers. However, Klaus erases Stefan's memories, and their second introduction doesn't go as smoothly.
Stefan blames him for ruining his relationship with Elena, as he did several horrible things to her after Klaus forced him to turn off his humanity. But circumstances force Stefan and Klaus to work together, and despite everything, it's easy to spot the remnants of their friendship. During a crossover episode of The Originals, Klaus puts himself on the line to help Stefan run from Rayna Cruz.
1 Damon And Rose
It was surprising that Rose lived for more than an episode after kidnapping the woman that Stefan and Damon love. But it was even more surprising that she formed such a close relationship with Damon during the short amount of time she was in the show.
Damon doesn't like most people, and in the early seasons especially, he wasn't good at making friends. However, he let Rose into his life and she earned his trust by always being on his team. Even after her death, Rose comes back as a ghost and lets Jeremy know that she's rooting for Damon and Elena to end up together in The Vampire Diaries.