We all want Delena to stay together, and it would be lame to repeat the story the other way around and let S5 go like S4 only in the other direction; and it can’t work anyway because Stelena have no passion and chemistry and couldn’t be used as a resisting couple. That would have no real variation and is also very unlikely because Elena now has a complete knowledge of how things are and tested being with Stefan in every possible way without it working out. There have been hints and signs for DE, parallels and similarities for them, their build up and journey throughout the whole story, while Delena have been shown to be very much alike and perfectly fitting for each other and to know, understand and see through the other completely. And all of that not only led for them to get together, but also to end up together; they are portrayed to be meant for each other. DE’s journey has been filled with immense obstacles and real tragedy as well as a special connection and deep understanding, and no other couple has anything even close to that. All that wouldn’t just stop completely or be suddenly made for somebody else after four years, that would be ridiculous and totally destroy everything; and Delena could never be boring or "cheesy" with all of their flaws, obstacles, tension etc., like Damon himself also never could with his sarcasm, his darkness, his complexes and so on. They are shown to be "twin flames" (two halfs of the same soul), they are very similar and become more and more alike, that can’t just change completely; and ravens are believed in different cultures to lead you to your destiny, and the crow led Elena to Damon at the beginning. What the story itself shows is more important than what is said with words, the truth is stronger than opinion, and the given hints mean more than what the characters themselves expect to happen. That was the case until now, it wouldn’t suddenly change, and it really sounds like that will continue in the story; "true love conquers all", what DE proved so far and will go on to do.
Elena’s choice at the end of S3 was clearly one of the MIND, out of loyalty and fear, while she afterwards overcame her worries and changed to follow what her HEART tells her. The way of the heart is always the right one, and you can use your mind to follow it, but the heart has to tell you the way itself. Elena chose Stefan out of understandable reasons and while she had still an incomplete knowledge, and that choice turned out to be wrong, and she gave very good and understandable reasons for wanting to be together with Damon when she at last overcame her fear and found out what was kept from her before, what was also made clear in the story to be a reward for Damon’s improvement and selflessness. Those are severe differences in the meaning of the reasons for her decisions, like the look on the relationships in the final episodes are also completely different. In the end phase of S3, Elena discussed the good and bad sides of Damon, Stefan and her relation with each one of them, and in the last episode, there was not much shown of Stefan, only him sitting next to her corpse and such, while the focus clearly was on Delena. We saw the emotional DE phone call, Damon realizing that Elena died, him coming back for her, Meredith telling him what she did, him realizing what Meredith’s words mean and so on, and we got even new revelations like their first meeting and more hints like the "consumed aspect". Damon’s value for Elena was mentioned and shown before the finale, and we were given more hope and signs for Delena being each other’s destiny; we got something of the past and something for the future, and there was very much emotion in all of that. The next season started almost immediately with proving Elena’s choice to be wrong (although it led to the right circumstances), and we only got a weak "I’m smiling now" as Stefan’s reaction, before SE had to realize that they are over, with a not very emotional break up. Then, DE got together, starting with Damon’s moving "You" reaction, and while still having their signs, hints, parallels etc., Delena went emotionally and in detail through every small step of their relationship.
Elena’s first choice led her to death (where she and Damon kind of saved each other [his blood/ her connection to evil Alaric]), while her second one is partly about wanting to feel alive, what has as much symbolism as her "See you in history." to Stefan (because they are over), her telling him that she won’t want to come back, talking about her house, but still being fitting for their situation, Damon’s "Third time’s a charm." only one episode before he becomes Elena’s third boyfriend ever, the SE break up happening right after Damon again saved Elena’s life ("keep alive and feel alive aspect"), or Damon calling his emotions fine concerning him loving Elena (that is how it should be). There is no comprehensible way to let her change her mind back, and her last decision will lead her to true happiness in the end, despite what everybody expects. Elena chosing Stefan at the end of S3, gave them a chance to come to a proper end, was a further delay, created angst back then as well as about her decision now, showed how much better Damon handled being not chosen, made it clearer that Elena didn’t only get together with Damon because Stefan left, and proved that it is impossible for Stelena’s relationship to work out. And S4 – like the whole story before that – led to DE’s final scene of that season, with almost everything in that matter being only about Delena; the finale was only about answering questions like "Is Elena’s love for Damon real?", "What is true?", "Is Damon too awful to be with?" and so on. Stefan was not an option for Elena in the last episode, they didn’t discuss "relationship matters", and there was no sign or hint for Elena wanting to "switch" back. Only the people around them went on and on throughout the whole season about Elena going back to Stefan without the sire bond; they ignored that Elena fell out of love with Stefan, even apart from her other feelings, but she herself never denied the truth or doubted her feelings (with her humanity), and that is everything that counts. Elena had a flashback with Stefan, but that had nothing to do with love, it was instead another parallel with Damon, because they both lay on the ground, beaten up and with their lives in danger, before them remembering something saved them (Damon regaining will to fight/ Elena using the cure); and also Elena’s "you deserve whatever you want out of life" resembled Damon’s "I want you to get everything you’re looking for". Despite the end, S3 was mostly about DE and them getting closer, and most of S4 was about them getting together and being together and about their journey, there was only their relationship in this issue in the finale, and Elena has never changed her choice from early in the season (while she was complete), so that those situations were not the same in a reversed way. Both brothers have been discussed until and Damon was shown most in 3x22, while it was almost all about Delena until and in 4x23, there was something for DE to create suspense in the time of Elena’s first choice and something against them for suspense when she renewed her last one. But both times – like in the whole story and especially in each final episode –, there is a focus on Delena; it is always about them, while Stefan is now not even considered by Elena anymore to be chosen.
There haven’t been "relationship moments" for Stelena in a very long time (and never any in detail anyway). Already in S3, Stefan was first gone before he behaved in a bad way after returning, while DE were close and very often together in that phase. Only at the end of that season, Elena had her moments with both brothers (while SE still had no real "relationship moments"), and at the beginning of the next one, Stelena had a very short relationship phase, that was most of the time effected by their problems (Elena’s closeness to and feelings for Damon, Elena being a vampire, SE realizing that they "drifted apart", …). And after that, there were no "relationship moments" at all for Stelena, they barely spoke before they started to build a friendship (getting into the "friend zone"), what was interrupted by Elena’s "humanity-less state", and Stefan is gone again now. But he has not been an option in love for Elena for a very long time anyway, their relationship was only kept in the story by what was said by others, they were only close when bad Elena used Stefan to push Damon away, but Elena knows that she fell out of love with Stefan and is as sure about what she feels and wants as never before. And it is not possible to use Stefan as a temptation for Elena in the story, because SE have no passion and chemistry at all. They are restlessly over and beyond repair, and there has not been any hope or a chance for them for a long time now, while Delena would NEVER be separated and their love story put on hold for a long phase, because they are THE couple of the story, and their love story is the heart and soul of it. And also Damon wouldn’t be taken out of the story for a longer time, because he is the by far most beloved character, and his sarcastic and funny comments are an important reason for the show’s success. The DE relation is always an issue in the story, the focus lies on them, and their love story dominates everything else, while the Stelena relation just somehow "exists". When Elena suppressed her love for Damon, that effected the SE relationship, and now that Elena accepts and admits her love for Damon, Stefan is not an option for her; Delena’s love affects everything else and stands on top of everything. Stefan once said that nothing that he does means anything when Elena has feelings for someone else, and DE’s love is really the leader in everything; Elena still loving Stefan and having lots of other loved ones, is no threat at all for her true love with Damon. Elena could never escape her love for Damon, and even when she still couldn’t admit it, it none the less always has been obvious, while Elena never had an inner struggle because of anything about Stefan. She is totally at peace with her situation with Stefan, has everything in it like she wants it to be and knows exactly what she feels and wants; Elena’s feelings for and her relation to Stefan are always basically the same. But she had to accept and admit her love for Damon, built the perfect foundation with him and permanently dealt with what went on between them, and their situation is at all times responsible for how the other relations are and decides what Elena makes out of her feelings in general. Elena’s relationship with Stefan was immature, easy and about pretending, while her relationship with Damon is mature, honest and true, and that allows it to survive reality and growing up. No matter how the situation changes, Delena still have their understanding, chemistry and everything else that makes them and their love story so special and unique, and nobody can get between them because they are that fitting for each other and so deeply connected. There is no way for DE not to be endgame, I already said that after other scenes like their first love confessions and so on, but the scene with Elena’s renewal of her "ILY" made that again clearer.
That renewal scene included so many of Delena’s story elements, and there were connections to lots of other statements. Elena’s love for Damon was proven to be real (what we all already knew), and it is very important for DE that things are real for them. They are very honest, real and true with each other, they are realistic and bring out the best in each other, while they at the same time try to stay true to themselves. "Being changed by love" is another of their story elements and relationship aspects, that was also one of the things that Rose mentioned about them, and her speech has also been reminded of by what has been said in that scene. We heard another statement connected to Delena’s "alive aspect", were reminded of them meeting (what is important to them because they did it twice, and the real first one played a part in changing things) and heard again that they can’t be without the other. DE love each other and are in love with one another, Elena repeated the words of her first love confession ("I love you, Damon. I love you."), and Damon moved quickly to Elena to kiss her, like she "ran" to him in the motel to kiss him, while the kiss mostly reminded of the one between dancing and making out before the first DEx (in the place and in the movements). Damon again mentioned his bad sides and weaknesses, and there were lots of other things that are connected to things being said at earlier times, for example in how Elena described her relationship with Damon before. All of those aspects can be found throughout the story, they can be noticed clearly and are parts of the basis of Delena’s journey. And with using a song called "Belong" and again putting two candles in a DE scene ("twin flames"), there were again hints and signs for Delena being meant for each other, and the uniqueness and the greatness of their love story were kept. The scene was full of passion, emotion and anger, there were even yelling and eyes filled with tears, and the kiss at the end was so passionate and gentle at the same time, DE both had their hands on each other’s faces, and they paused a few times to be more aware of what they do and enjoy it even more, and all of that is just SO Delena. Like Damon had to renew his first love confession because he compelled Elena afterwards to forget it, she now had to renew hers when she wasn’t sired anymore, what is another parallel, and they both had the renewal in the season finales. And we this season got an "I love you" from Elena while DE were apart and with everything taking place slowly, and one while they were together and with everything happening quickly; and IS’s facial expression was both times brilliant, with Damon’s slow and detailed reaction to the first "ILY" being one of my favourites ever, and with Damon’s reaction to the second one being still extremely moving in all of its quickness. But the real overwhelming reaction to Elena’s love confession renewal was for me Damon’s smile in that – despite its shortness – great scene with Alaric when Damon realized that he actually "got the girl"; that was such a shy and cute, but still very happy smile, and we haven’t even seen such a smile during the "happy phase" in the first half of the season. The renewal furthermore took place at the fireplace that is an important place for Delena (like Damon’s bedroom is also shown very often and from lots of different angles and became an important place for them), a fireplace is a romantic place in general [I have one at home], and Damon brought up his weaknesses and bad sides, what he always does when somebody is friendly to him. But while he spoke about them after Elena first told him that she loved him, he now mentioned them before, so that her second "ILY" wasn’t interrupted by that, and also not by Stefan listening, because he wasn’t shown until after the DE scene (so that we weren’t affected by worrying about or gloating over him or however we see things with him, and we already had to live with that during DEx).

I don’t know where you got all of the discussed statements from, but from what I read about what was said officially (for what I could find out where it came from), I am not worried. After S3, it was said that Stelena would be together for a while, but not for good, and that Delena were not over, but more likely at the beginning, and the SE break up was later hoped to be a proper end for something that had been a part of the story for a long time. After S4, it is said that we will have to wait and see how things work out for DE, and if they will be permanently or not permanently together. And from what is already given away for S5, it sounds like everything will be like before (the people around them and the obstacles in their way standing against them), Delena will only build more history for themselves in their journey. The show-runners can’t already now give away how they want to end the story, but everything in it SCREAMS DE endgame, and I have found no official statement that declares that Delena wouldn’t stay together, only their happiness won’t continue for the rest without any pauses, but DE need excitement and challenges – and always only get closer through that. There will undoubtedly be breaks in Delena’s luck and happiness, there could even be a break in their relationship, although it also could be avoided, but nothing speaks against them ending up together. Love doesn’t change only because there are difficulties (there really would be no love in the world if everyone only ran away from obstacles), and especially DE’s love doesn’t end because of obstacles, it only becomes stronger and deeper with every mastered problem. It has been like that throughout the whole story, and Damon does everything out of love and for Elena, while she always sticks to her loyalty.
The vampire-human-difference will probably come up again although we all know that Delena love each other no matter what they are, like the sire bond was used as a threat although it was given away from the start to have no influence on feelings at all, and like Stefan was officially kept as an option for Elena although he hasn’t been one for almost a whole season before the "choice" that was no real choice. There are always doubts created even though the situation is clear, and the show-runners have a talent for causing us to worry despite the obvious, but there doesn’t have to be a decision in each season finale. There have not been choices of Elena in the last episodes of the first two seasons, and the S4 finale also had no actual decision, only a renewal, so that the finales can work without one, especially with revelations like who gets cured, who dies etc. (what actors and fans mostly were interested in and discussed this time [who almost all prefer DE]; and I personally am only interested in Delena and Damon himself, but I also am excited for the first time about how non-DE-related storylines will go on), and the Delena love story has already enough potential to entertain with only DE involved, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if the show-responsibles continued with the fake choices. There is not much said about why Stelena are not fitting for each other, about why Delena fit together perfectly or about Damon’s goodness and unselfishness; all of the parallels, DE’s enormous alikeness and that Damon and what Delena have are – and are sometimes even described as – exactly what Elena wants (and also Damon needs), are never directly mentioned. Because the show works with doubts and fears and tries to keep everything open while the truth can be found in the story in a subtle way. Damon’s reactions are shown in detail, he keeps his thoughts and feelings very often to himself, and something deep and unique is created for DE, because those are aspects that count for the story. Delena’s obstacles are discussed and they deal with their problems, while SE only ignored the truth; Damon went through redemption to make up for his bad deeds, while Stefan just seems to get away with everything. Because the story only deals with what is important, needs to be worked on and should move the audience, and DE are an extremely honest and realistic couple that is perfectly fitting for the – apart from the supernatural stuff – realistic and serious story; they are THE couple of the story.
Elena called loving Damon the most real thing that she has ever felt in her entire life, and she isn’t sorry that she is in love with him, and she wouldn’t give up on that. In saying that she isn’t sorry about being in love with Damon as well as about all of the things that Damon caused for her, Elena shows that she likes all of them and is happy about them. It would be easier for her without those things, but she doesn’t regret them and wouldn’t want things to be different. Elena doesn’t feel sorry about meeting Damon in the first place, what would have avoided all of those issues for her from the start (but also wouldn’t have let her survived for long), but she is glad about knowing him, what is especially good to hear after Katherine indicated earlier that Elena would have been better off without meeting Damon. Damon is not sorry for his decisions that led him to meet Elena, while she is not sorry about meeting him at all. Elena is not only thankful that Damon made her feel alive in death, she is even glad that he has been THE ONE that made her feel most alive (and she has never been more alive than with him [living or dead]); Damon keeps Elena alive and makes her feel alive, and there is an important connection, while the word "alive" was even in the song in the background during the love declaration scene. And challenges, risks, emotions, everything extreme, happiness and sadness are what make you feel most alive, and Delena cause all of that enormously for each other. Even when the word "alive" isn’t mentioned, Damon has moments of "keeping her alive" and "making her feel alive" with Elena, for example when he tells her not to think that she would be better off dead. It is furthermore a good thing to question everything, without being forced to follow what others say; you should always have your own thoughts and think everything through. DE have all aspects of love, the good and the bad ones, with way more good than bad ones, while they fit together perfectly, and the obstacles don’t scare Elena off anymore, like they did in earlier times. They have challenge and excitement together, but find true happiness and always have true love in that, and only love is really important. Love has nothing to do with and can’t be changed by reasons, it can’t be rationalized, but everything speaks for Delena anyway. And Elena doesn’t care about any of the bad things as long as she and Damon are together, and he makes her happier than he makes her sad. Happiness and sadness are both needed for a fulfilling life; emotions and suprises, the good and the bad ones, are an important part of life and what being alive is about. Those extremes are what make you feel alive and challenged, and that is MUCH better than pretending in a boring life without passion and fire, especially when you would feel like a "broken toy" in the few not boring and excitement-less moments ["Love is a wild plant, not a garden flower."].
Damon thinks that he is bad for Elena, but he can’t bear losing her, and she knows about all of his bad sides, but she loves him with all his flaws and faults, and loving somebody exactly how he or she is, that is true love. Damon doesn’t want to be bad for Elena, and she is aware of all of his bad characteristics, but they just can’t deny anymore that it is not possible for them to be without the other, no matter where that leads them, but I am certain that they will find true happiness together. I can live with Elena only mentioning Damon’s weaknesses before her love declaration renewal, because she at several other occasions mentioned his good sides, said that he has changed and explained that she knows why he pushes her away; and it is easier for Damon to deal with being treated awful than loving (what is really sad). Elena used the past tense when she called Damon a terrible person and his decisions wrong, and she also used the word "terrible" to describe her own recent actions to Alaric and Jeremy early in the episode. But Damon offered Elena a way out by bringing up his faults and weaknesses, after he once declared that he didn’t want to make it easy for her to choose, but Elena can’t now be scared away anymore and is absolute certain about wanting to be with Damon. DE are happy together, and Elena doesn’t regret being in love with Damon, she wants to be with him, she enjoys to be with him, she is even thankful for how happy he makes her. Elena has never been willing to make a commitment before, but she now accepts all the obstacles and complications only to be with Damon, she is aware of them and doesn’t deny them, because you can’t ignore them forever, but you can overcome them by working on your relationship (what every couple has to do, and the long-lasting ones know that you need to do that every single day).
And even the Delena scenes before their final one were fantastic, fitting and full of parallels and DE story elements. There was for example Damon standing at his bed in front of Elena with a hunter wound in his shoulder in almost the exact same spot that he stood in front of her with a wound in the same shoulder that another hunter was responsible for early in the season. There were Delena making each other smile only because they saw each other and causing the other to smile again afterwards despite all the dangers and problems that went on in town, them expecting to say "goodbye" to their dead loved ones (in case that everything would work out) and them still not having had their relationship talk and being nervous and anxious because of it [Damon even expected to die and probably still doubted Elena’s love for him]. There was also the punch (that Damon deserved for his behaviour), it was about Elena’s anger, but it also showed DE’s incredible passion, and Elena put all her love, affection and worry into it, too. And despite how it was called in public for promotional reasons, Elena didn’t make a choice in 4x23, she instead renewed her already long existing choice. Elena chose Damon early in S4 and has stayed with that decision, what supernatural experts and people with sire-bond-first-hand-experience had declared to be real from the start, the development of the whole season followed that decision, and Elena had again proven herself to be loyal and not fickle. She is absolute sure about her wishes and feelings and stands in for them ("I know how I feel", "that’s how much I know", "that’s how certain I am", "Should I go back to being the scared little girl that couldn’t admit what she wanted?", "she finally knows exactly how she feels", …), while she in earlier times has never known what she wanted or what love is, refused to make commitments, suppressed her feelings and denied the truth about them.
We got what we wanted: Damon was successful in getting the cure for Elena, he put himself aside and again provided something for her that she wanted, and Elena wanted Damon to take the cure to save his life. But neither of them was cured, and most of us prefer them as vampires, and we also got Jeremy back. Elena’s love for Damon has been proven to be real, they are still together, but Elena will none the less get "me-time" when she will be by herself at college. But there are several things that are still left: Delena haven’t had a mutual love declaration so far, Damon hasn’t even told Elena directly that he loves her since the "death bed kissy thing", only indirectly ("because I love you", "the whole time that I’ve been completely in love with you", …) or even without her around ("to the girl that I love", "I love Elena", …), and although Elena and everybody else know about his love, another declaration would still be nice – especially in a mutual "ILY". We haven’t gotten uninterrupted DEx, everyday relationship stuff, DE as a couple at public events or at private get-togethers with the others.
And Damon seriously needs to be thanked for his good plans, his unselfishness and his successes; everybody comes to him for help, is dependent on him, and he gets things done, but he is still always the bad guy for almost everyone and critizised for his actions ["A true hero is a hero who doesn’t pretend to be one."]. Damon always puts himself aside, he kept his pain to himself when he wasn’t chosen, supported Elena in her transition and Stelena’s relationship before they broke up, he proved over and over his selflessness and good heart and painfully improved his character. Damon always puts Elena first, makes all tough decisions and accepts the hate for that, he behaved like a gentleman and didn’t take advantage of the sire bond, he even sent her away and tried to set her free, and he put his fears aside and got the cure for Elena. Damon hid his pain from dark Elena so that she would feel less guilty after turning her humanity back on, he never gave up on her and brought her humanity back, and he doesn’t hide his bad sides and is always honest. Damon’s love for Elena is unconditional and eternal, he is always there for her, does unselfishly everything for her and tries to do what is right by her ("it’s because I love you that I can’t be selfish with you", "I will always choose you", "I want you to get everything you’re looking for", "I’m fine with her either way", "but I have to do the right thing by you", "You love Elena. You always will.", …). But Damon is constantly told how awful he is, he very seldom gets thanked, and he is a bad person for most people around him, while his unselfishness and goodness are only very seldom commented on – what is usually not repeated – ("I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here", "Why don’t you let people see the good in you?", "you are a very good brother", "he’s always been there for me when I needed him", "you’d do anything for me", "you did something selfless", "Not my feelings. I’m looking out for you.", …), but the story itself shows that he is a good person and has the best character of everyone in the story. [And although that is only a small point, it has to be mentioned that after just getting the girl, what he has always wanted, waited for to happen for so long and has doubted and been teased with enormously, Damon puts himself aside again and is okay with Elena leaving to check on Jeremy and Bonnie, because Damon knows that Elena can only be happy when all of her loved ones are safe, although I am sure that Damon would have prefered Elena to stay at his side after they just at last found to each other after their long and hard journey before that. And even before, Damon put himself aside and postponed finding out the truth about Elena’s feelings to let her have a proper "goodbye" with Jeremy in 4x22 and delayed their discussion again to give Elena the cure first in 4x23, before he even had to leave, while he expected to die without finding out what she really felt for him.]

There also needs to be a review on the events of S3, how Delena got even closer while trusting each other and relying on each other and such things. It especially needs to be said that Elena already loved Damon before she turned and to be proven that she loves him no matter what kind of being she is, what we all already know and what Elena said herself. And there likewise has to be a review of S4, with discussing the problems and the different thoughts on the cure, with thanking Damon for his great behaviour during the whole "sire bond/ search for the cure/ fight for Elena’s humanity phase" and such things. All the time before that, and the whole S3 and S4 phases have to be dealt with and what they meant for DE as well as the fact that Delena always got closer and would have gotten together sooner or later anyway. It needs to be said that they are best friends, that Damon is always there for Elena, does everything for her, always puts her happiness, wishes and safety above his own, and is the only one that ALWAYS loves Elena all the same, under all circumstances and no matter what.
And we still haven’t gotten Damon’s opinion on being human in an emotionless situation. He said that he missed being human more than anything in the world, and I still need a reason for that declaration and the fact that there was such a huge change from the book-Damon. Then, Damon pushed Elena away with calling being human the most miserable thing on earth, after he has been told repeatedly that he would lose Elena. And in the end, he wanted to rather die than become human, but he only spoke about being human without Elena in that context and also didn’t want to take the cure that was meant for her (he still wanted to keep it for her after she refused to take it [although she already refused to before finding out about his wound]). In my opinion, we still don’t know what he really thinks about being human with Elena, and there is still lots of potential in that storyline. So, either Damon still thinks like he originally did and misses being human, or he changed his mind, what means that he could easily change it again. And Elena is very much like Damon, especially when they are in similar phases, so that she could also change her opinion with time, like he did after several decades. But the cure is gone now anyway, and although Elena prefers to be human, she none the less is happy as a vampire with Damon and their true love, and even after the need to save the town was gone, she still didn’t take the cure. With only one dose of the cure, Elena can’t grow old with Damon together, and she only wanted him to take it to keep him alive and with her, but she now doesn’t cure only herself and stays a vampire with Damon instead, after she has always kept her original plans for life and freaked out about the thought of becoming a vampire with Stefan. That decision has nothing to do with their forms of being, because Elena would prefer Damon and her to be together as humans, she wanted to turn him human to keep them together, said over and over that she would love him the same if she herself became human again, and she now stays happily with him while they are both vampires. Elena accepted the situation and reached control through Damon, who only supported her so that she would find happiness, and not because he prefered her as a vampire. Damon undoubtedly has problems with his self-esteem and doesn’t see his own value apart from protecting everybody and teaching control and how to accept and move on, so that his opinion could also be different with a changed look on his own self now that Elena’s love for him is proven to be real. But Delena’s love is unconditional and unbreakable anyway, and it wouldn’t change with one of them or them both changing their form of being. And that Damon would rather die than lose Elena, is a compliment for her and shows the strength of his love for her. Damon had to learn to accept that Elena wanted to rather die than become a vampire in earlier times ("and I know that I didn’t use to get this, but I do now"), and he even got the cure for her although he didn’t want her to take it, so that she now also has to respect his decision. Elena was the one that explained that "my life" means "my decision", and something like that really has to be decided by that person him- or herself, no matter how much you love him or her. So, DE have to live with the possibility that one of them would choose to die instead of taking another way under certain circumstances, but they are not confronted with such decisions very often, and their existence is filled with life-threatening situations anyway. Delena have to accept and respect each other’s decisions, nothing of that can end their love, and they would still feel the loss and suffer if one of them died with them not officially being together (so that this is no reason to break up). So, the problem is not that Damon would rather die than be human without Elena, the way in which he informed her about his thoughts was wrong.
Damon has reached the best version of himself, but he still needs to work on his attitude to reach ultimate perfection; he can stay himself and keep his thoughts and ideas, but Damon has to find a better way to make them known. Although he doesn’t regret sticking to his beliefs or making the hard decisions for everyone, I am sure that Damon feels sorry about hurting Elena with all of that; he already stopped killing people or sleeping around only because he is upset, he just still leaves and pushes away. And although several people guessed that Damon has in the end been close to freaking out over not knowing if Elena’s love for him was real, he didn’t "lash out" in an extreme way when he was put through the cruelest torture by resisting his biggest wish to do the right thing, by going through all of the severe and tragic problems and by enduring emotional extremes (and emotional control is one of his weaknesses). Damon and Elena have both apologized to each other before as well as refused to do so, and I myself think that they made the right decisions on what they are sorry for and on what they aren’t. I personally love Damon’s directness and sarcasm, but people get annoyed and even mad at him when he makes jokes or "throws" something shocking and upsetting into the room before leaving. Damon still needs to learn how to stay during a conflict and talk things out, and while he can gently comfort someone in need, he isn’t soft when it comes to himself. He already improved in that matter, but there is still some development left to do, and that could also change when he gets more self-esteem and starts noticing his good sides. Damon finally believes that Elena’s love for him is real, and there will be a need for him in their relationship to change his behaviour, but it is also difficult for Damon to tell things in a rational way because there is so much tension and fire between them. He gave good reasons in the end for his decision to rather die than become human without Elena, but he shouldn’t have hidden his condition from her (his girlfriend, even though he didn’t know if she wanted to continue their relationship) before making a joke and just leaving when she found out and tried to save him (I like that Damon selflessly hid his werewolf bite from Elena at the end of S2 because she had lost many people, but it was not okay this time, considering how close they are now, and he didn’t even give her the chance to be at his side this time after she found out about it). Damon has to find the right way to combine staying himself and being a good boyfriend, what is also true for Elena who has to stay herself and be a good girlfriend, like she combined her loyalty, compassion and forgiveness with her newly gained maturity and strength, so that she can now stand in for what she wants and still do everything for her loved ones. Elena has to find the best way to do things for herself and for others, and she already can enjoy her happiness despite what others say and stand in for her wishes and feelings that have no direct influence on her friends. So, DE have to work on themselves, and at the same time, stay true to themselves while coming to compromises in their relationship, what every couple has to do, and S5 promises to deal with that issue.
And Stefan will have something else to deal with in the next season. But there is no way back anyway; Elena is restlessly over Stefan, she fell out of love with him and hasn’t had any romantic interest in him for a very long time. Elena realized that their relationship has ended, they have only love and nothing more, and she doesn’t mind Stefan being human without her. Elena always fought her love for Damon in earlier times and tearfully tried to let him go to stick to what she knew after she just spent time with Stefan. That was a spontanious choice in an extreme situation and didn’t work out, while Elena now suggested in a rational and emotionless way a new life for Stefan without her, when she was mad and angry at Damon, because she is restlessly sure about her decision that has been cemented and strengthened over a long time through lots of ups and downs and is finally believed by everybody. Elena thought her choice through and came to that decision in a mature way, and you can never know if taking the easy way happens because it is right or only because it is easy, but you can be sure that it is right if you take the hard way. It is understandable to hide with the easy choice from the strength of true love, but it is unbelievable to go back to it after finally getting consumed by true love, even if the hard choice doesn’t work out (for what I don’t see any sign here). And while Elena always needed strength to resist Damon, she now has no problem with Stefan only being her friend; she reached, after dealing with the issue in maturity and thinking things through carefully, absolute certainty that Damon is the only one that she wants to be with forever. The whole situation and the decision for it have never before been that genuine, reasonable, solid, final, definitive, honest and mature. I could rather imagine Elena ending up alone or with someone else than to ever want Stefan back, because he is no love interest for her anymore, and the story could be about how and why her different relationships don’t work out. That would be realistic, but also kind of nonsense, because it is not possible for Delena to stay away from each other, they are perfect for one another and just NEED to end up together; they have to find happiness after all of what they went through, what was created for them and how the story develops and gives away hints. DE have to be endgame, even if it ends in tragedy, but I hope with all my heart that they will get their "happily ever after", filled with obstacles, but still a happy-end. And everything is clear for Elena about Stefan and their relation, and neither the sire bond nor anything else faked anything for her concerning her feelings for Stefan (what has now been proven, but we already knew that before).
When Elena looks at Stefan now, the strongest emotion inside of her is her hate for Katherine; that tells you very much about their relationship, and it is another parallel with Damon who also had hatred as his first regained emotion. But if Delena will work out or not (and everything speaks for them to survive everything), has nothing to do with Stefan; his relationship with Elena has had never any power and is totally platonic now. He has been her hiding place with a pretended safety (while the actual safety lies with Damon), but Elena at last realized that and got away from it; and you can’t repair a blown up bubble. While Stelena pretended things to be like they wanted to have them, Delena are always honest and realistic, they know exactly about their difficulties and what they have in the other; they accept the truth, face reality and deal with their problems, so that they can move on, what led them to at last be together in happiness. Elena finally has a complete knowledge about everything, and no unexpected problems can come up; nothing is hidden, and the story supports our cause. She loves both brothers, forgives them the terrible things that they did and sees their good hearts, and with knowing and doing all of that, Elena wants and chooses Damon and is in love with him. Now that she at last admits her love for everybody that she loves, Elena is undoubtedly certain about loving and wanting to stay with Damon forever. Defan both have good and bad sides, and Elena knows exactly where their weaknesses and insecurities lie (without her humanity, she for example teased Damon more with nobody loving him and him being too awful to be with, while she teased Stefan more about how his "ripper self" must enjoy torturing her), but Damon is portrayed to have a better character. Damon is MUCH better than how the people around him describe him, and Elena knows about, experienced and even declared that on different occasions, she knows that better than anybody else in the story and sees that even clearer than Damon himself. But Damon also admitted that he can’t be selfish with Elena, does everything for her and tries to do what is right by her, and Elena heard him say all that.

DE are alike ("part of you knows you’re much more like me than you’re like him", "she already is like me", "for someone who doesn’t want to be like me, you sure are good at it", …), but they partly want different things and their opinion varies, while SE are different, but they have the same "life plan basics" (with Elena being too wild for Stefan’s ideas that would mean boredom for her). And while Stelena will never be alike and Elena doesn’t want to grow old with Stefan, Delena will continue to become more similar and can change their thoughts and ideas or find compromises to combine the wishes of both of them [both got through each other to finding pleasure in the idea of eternity]. It is so sweet how DE both refuse to take the cure themselves, but want the other to take it, because they put the world above themselves, but their loved ones and especially each other on top of everything. Delena fight intensely with one another because of their alikeness and strong passion, but their relationship can work out perfectly, with Elena not letting Damon skrewing up, while she can always and forever be sure about his love for her, no matter how much he tries to ruin things. Elena is a very loyal, faithful and stubborn person, and it needed Stefan leaving to speed things up and her becoming a vampire to make the final step of following her heart despite that loyalty. She would have ended up with Damon sooner or later anyway, but her suppressing and pretending would have went on much longer without her getting the chance to spend that much time with Damon and get closer with him and without her emotions being stronger and her control less as a vampire. Elena was afraid of Damon’s actions, of their consuming feelings that she had never experienced before, and of what other people would say, but she finally overcame those fears, remembered and experienced more of Damon’s goodness and unselfishness to reach a complete knowledge and at last gave in to the overwhelming feelings and found true love with Damon.
There is no way to ever get back, now that she made that step that she has been afraid of, went through with that "switch" despite what others said and gave in to their true love, now that she grew up and has a mature and honest relationship, and now that she experienced real passion and found what she has always wanted and needed. And while she mostly fought to get Stefan back with them or for him to control himself, Elena never had to fight for their love, because it has never been doubted or deactivated or something like that. But she fought long and hard for her true love with Damon, what caused us viewers to even more sympathize with that, and the meaning of how strong and convincingly she fought for it can never be destroyed again. With maturity and honesty and in being aware of reality and the truth, Elena now fights – in her loyalty – for Damon’s goodness and for their love and their relationship. That gives her a task and challenges her while she is kept safe by Damon and never has to doubt his love for her, while they share an unconditional and eternal love and found perfection together. Damon loves everything about Elena and does everything for her, always puts her first and supports her, and he has experience and wisdom that she can use, while they rely on and trust each other. Damon has no experience of being deeply loved and truly happy or with being in a real relationship, so that he still has to learn much in that matter, but DE fit together perfectly and found in the other what they have always needed; their love is indestructible. Elena is not the "scared little girl" anymore, she can finally admit and fight for who and what she wants and found absolute certainty about who and what that is and what she wants from life and plans for the future. Although she will forever love him under all circumstances, Elena now plans to be with Damon as vampires, and Lexi’s fiancé once said "if you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever", and he was turned by Lexi so that they could spend eternity together. Lee told Elena about that on a Delena road trip, when she saved Damon’s life, what had again the "keeping alive aspect" and happened during a DE storyline, and already Lexi comes up with important story elements ("when it’s real, you can’t walk away" [what Elena mentioned to Lee] and others). And besides Lee’s statement being made during a Delena scene, Elena didn’t want to become a vampire to stay with Stefan forever, while she now stays a vampire with Damon. There were even more story elements before that with Damon saving Elena’s life at the beginning of that trip, with SE walking away from each other in the episodes before that, with Damon wanting everything to be real for him and Elena, with Elena trusting Damon, with Stefan not telling Elena everything, with DE making each other smile despite all their problems, with Damon carrying Elena, etc.; and things like the "Plan Your Future" event at highschool also worked for that topic, while Stefan has always only been something temporary for Elena when she has been faced with long-term issues – while Delena now, although they don’t expect their relationship to work out, think about the future and want to stay together forever.
Everything is true that Elena has said while being sired, what we all already knew, but the people in the story now all have to believe it, too. It has been officially said that it will turn out in the finale if Elena is right that she loves Damon more than anybody or anything else before – and that happened (although that statement won’t be repeated now – to keep the angst up). Elena really loves and especially is in love like never before in her life; that could already be noticed and felt before she turned, it has always been in the atmosphere, Elena always was affected by her love for Damon and said that she could never shake him off, no matter what she did, and that it consumed her to be with him. And all of that has even been heightened, magnified, intensified when she became a vampire; and everything is proven to be real now. Elena’s happy face and all of her fighting to prove her love for Damon – to him as well as to the others – mean something, as do the love and the happiness with that she watched him while he was asleep, as does how happy she was to see him again after Kol’s compulsion, as do all of the kisses, the hugs and the declarations and the demonstrations of happiness and love, as does everything that Elena said to describe her relationship with and her love for Damon. She told the truth about her feelings for each brother during detention, Elena really fell out of love with Stefan, loves, wants and chooses Damon and is in love with him. Elena really is at peace with how things are, she is absolute sure about how she feels and who and what she wants; Elena is totally over Stefan, her relationship with him is barely a memory for her. She is restlessly certain that she will love and want to be with Damon forever, that her love won’t change with them changing their forms of being or under any other circumstances; their love is unconditional and eternal, and she will love Damon even after everything will be over. Elena was honest about all of Damon’s good sides, she loves him for himself despite his bad ones, and she wants to be with him despite his flaws and faults; Elena knows Damon’s weaknesses and insecurities and the reasons behind his actions and will never allow him to push her away. And Elena wants to fight for the rest of her life for Damon, their true love and their relationship as well as for him to realize his goodness and that he deserves happiness and is worthy of being loved; and Elena will never give up on that and never let Damon ruin their relationship. She wants to stay with him forever, to grow old with him together and to commit to him with all her heart and her soul as well as all her love and her future. Damon makes Elena feel most alive, and he makes her happier than she has ever been before, she is not sorry, and she doesn’t regret anything in their relationship; and loving Damon is truly the most real thing that Elena has ever felt in her life.
And Damon is truly loved for himself and how he really is, what is everything that he has ever wanted and needed, but although he now has to believe that Elena loves him, he probably still doesn’t think that he deserves love and happiness, what is something else that the story will deal with and Damon has to work on. It could easily take him until the end of the show to at last believe that he is worthy of being loved, after so many decades of hate and rejection, and he definitely needs Elena to get to this conclusion and can only reach it by being truly loved for himself, what only she does. But Damon at last got repaid for all of his heartache and received the reward for all of his selflessness, he experiences true love and happiness for the first time in his long existence that was filled with rejection and suffering. It must destroy his philosophy of life, and that also still needs to be worked on and dealt with, but it would make no sense for the story to take that away from Damon again. Damon admits his bad sides, and Elena is aware of those, what makes their relationship very honest, true and real; they are always true to themselves and know the other completely.
I myself don’t believe in couples being meant for each other and destined to be together in reality, but Delena are clearly written that way and to have true love. But the strength and uniqueness of their love is proven in every small detail and not in big events, while it overcomes everything and always survives without giving away how strong and deep it is on singular occasions. Despite the supernatural storylines, the personal relations are kept "normal" and realistic, although the DE love story is legendary and unforgettable, but all of them follow "reality rules". Also Delena have to deal with normal relationship issues after getting together, and it is so fitting that we are shown what happens after DE at last found their way to each other, where most other stories end, because TVD deals with such things and because Delena are all about honesty and realism. The story leads to DE ending up together and is filled with signs and hints about them being endgame, but nothing of that is dealt with between them. Delena’s normal relationship matters will continue to be a topic for them, and while all of those can be interesting or annoying, NONE have the potential to be a threat for DE’s true love; it survives everything and can never be destroyed, what it proved on MANY occasions. So, I am excited about the next season, although (to give away something private) I have never liked a TV show that showed the development over a long period of time in the phase during college – no matter how much I liked the teenage highschool and the adult working phases –, but I am willing to change that, and TVD has in many aspects been different for me than anything else before (although that relates mostly to the amazing Delena love story).

I am so happy for Damon that he at last got the girl, and that he didn’t lose his brother over that. The "But I’m not not happy for you." came WAY too late, but was still nice, and no matter what we may think or what Stefan may or may not deserve, Damon needs Elena AND Stefan for a complete happiness. And after he couldn’t even be with a drop of blood in the same room in earlier times without going insane, Stefan was close to lots of floating blood on different occasions this season and kept his control – and I need to point out the success of Damon’s control lessons here. But no matter how ready Stefan is to move on, he just isn’t allowed to start his own journey, what is no danger for DE, but totally ruins Stefan’s character [S5 could easily be about Silas’ story and S6 about the returned Stefan starting a new life for himself (and he needs to improve and develop MUCH to reach his own happiness and peace)]. That is the only thing from what I read that upsets me, but Stefan can at a later time deal with having lost Elena (what in my opinion was already dealt with in S4); that doesn’t mean that Elena’s certainty in love will be effected, and his situation and problems now could also give Stefan the chance to think everything through. I don’t see the statement about the existence of more than one true love for Delena, because they are written to be meant for each other and destined to end up together, because only Damon loves Elena always the same – under all circumstances – and every aspect of her, and because only Elena makes the effort to see Damon’s true self and doesn’t allow him to ruin things and push her away; there may be wrong times, but they are right in general. That statement is clearly meant for Stefan who mentioned himself that he just relives his life, what doesn’t make Elena anyhow special, while he has many other options (Steferine, Steroline, Stebekah or something different). You can’t just decide that you want someone to be "the one" for you, and because the characters don’t see or realize the signs for endgame (that lead to DE), they have to be realistic. But Stefan again is immature and refuses to grow up, while he sticks to something that has already been proven to be wrong, because he clearly is not "the one" for Elena; their love has been "crashed" by Delena’s, and Elena even used the phrase "you are the one" at one point in her speech to Damon. Stefan couldn’t keep Elena from getting together with Damon, finally accepted DE’s relationship and even heard Elena’s love declaration to Damon, and he just has to move on and develop his character. On the island, Elena told Stefan that she won’t go back (also indicating to him) even if she became human, and he admitted to Damon later that things have changed. Stefan was told by Elena during detention what her problems are with being in a relationship with him and why she wants to be with Damon, and he heard Elena’s reasons for and her "not being sorry" about the reasons against Damon that she already has for a while now. Lexi told Alaric that Silas wants to find peace with his one true love, but in the same conversation, she mentions that letting go and moving on is the way to real peace, what is just so fitting for Stefan. Damon unsuccessfully tried to let go and move on (like Elena also fought her love for Damon for a very long time), but that is not possible because it is NOT his way to peace and happiness; Damon needs Elena and her unconditional love for him, and Rebekah even directly said that Damon will never have peace without Elena loving him back, because he will always love her. But I am so happy about the opportunity for PW to play Silas now and get a break from "cheesy" Stefan; his performance was already great as "badass" Stefan, and I can’t wait to see more of him in that new role.
We still need to get many things in the Delena relationship, we are only at the beginning there, and that DE will be apart while she is in college and he at home, will be used for a further delay. And while Elena is gone, ND can play more of Katherine in Mystic Falls, and that is also an interesting storyline with her being human now – and the roles for Elena and Kat being switched from earlier times in that matter now –; and that Katherine has been the first of the people who recently got the cure and that it also ended up with her, is really poetic. Damon is so restlessly over Katherine and doesn’t care about her, that he is almost the only one who doesn’t want to kill her, while she could try to get his protection, and we now get the chance to see more of Kat. Elena will get "me-time" in college, and Delena are still the longing and missing couple at times, and will probably have sweet phone conversations or reunions in person at other times. And I had so hoped that Jeremy – without the Gilbert house – would move into the Salvatore Mansion, when I found out about his resurrection, and I can’t wait for more "future brother-in-law bonding". That will be very interesting, with both of them trying to share their "Elena-time" when she calls or visits, and with Damon "raising" Jeremy for Elena while she is gone. That makes all three of them even more a family and gives Deremy the chance to get closer, and Damon really needs somebody with Elena gone and Stefan not himself. Jeremy suggested to save Damon with the cure, even after he heard Elena talking about saving the town with it, and he needs a "big brother figure" and a guardian, like Damon needs someone that he can take care of; and also Matt seems to have an understanding with Damon now and even trusted him with his life to get Elena’s humanity back. But one reason why Elena wants to be human is that she wants to have children with Damon, and they can now raise Jeremy together, what perhaps also changes Damon’s opinion about his own parental skills. Elena knows about Damon’s good sides and she trusts him with her little brother who is the only living relative that she has left, and all of that also brings DE even closer and deepens their connection. But Elena has already trusted Damon with Jeremy before, and also with many other things, and she has always tried to get the others to see Damon’s good heart, to include him in activities with her friends and her friends in her happiness about her love for and relationship with Damon, and to combine her love for her boyfriend and her life with her friends to cause them to get along.
There will always be problems, obstacles, postponements, setbacks, misunderstandings etc. in the Delena love story, it will never be "all unicorns and rainbows". There are Damon’s insecurities and inferiority complexes, the people around them disliking him and their relationship, Damon not giving away all of his true thoughts and whatever else they still have to work on, and there will undoubtedly come up lots of new difficulties. But DE always overcome all obstacles and survive everything, while their relationship only becomes stronger and their love deeper; that is how it has been throughout the whole story. There are lots of possibilities, and very much is still open, but the important things happen about, around and for Delena, and we should enjoy our joy and happiness about them. There will definitely be pauses in their happiness, but that is what makes them and their journey so special and interesting and what brings them steadily even closer to each other; it has always been like that and it will continue like that, everything indicates that, and that is all just so DE. The story promises to still deal with Damon having complexes concerning himself in comparison to his brother, with the others praising and glorifying Stefan and with all of the other basics that we had so far. Most women feel drawn to what is bad for them, while they at the same time want something eternal, a commitment and a certain safety; and the perfect man is in most cases one who is close to perfection, but thinks himself less than his woman and not worth to be with her. And the clear and outright majority of the fans ships Delena, because we viewers get a complete knowledge of everything in the story, and only very few immature and inexperienced girls who don’t know anything about life or about what love is disagree with us (like Rose said: young people might not see the truth). It is the same inside of the story, where most people have an incomplete knowledge and haven’t seen much of Damon’s goodness or of DE together and therefore fight their relationship, while the dead ones know everything and all become Delena shippers (Alaric who in earlier times tried to keep DE apart and supports their relationship now, Rose who looks on all sides and also thinks Delena better, Lexi suggesting that Stefan should consider Caroline as an option, …). And in addition to other reasons that I mentioned in earlier articles, Damon is also shown to be the true hero of the story because his life is in danger in every season finale. DE are the couple that came out on top, and they are also the top couple of the story.