In every vampire romance, all roads tend to end here. Just as in True Blood and Twilight, The Vampire Diaries eventually poses the question: Will Elena (Nina Dobrev) ever become a vampire?

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This is an inevitable dilemma for any human being who dates a vampire. While you can accept watching your partner grow old before your eyes, like good ol’ Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) does, that’s not exactly the most romantic option for Bella. No one wants to age while their boyfriend stays young and beautiful forever. At least, no logical person.

During Elena’s courtship with her first Salvatore brother, Stefan (Paul Wesley), she makes it abundantly clear that she has no designs on vampirism. To her credit, she acknowledges that she still has too much life to live to think about dying just yet. The subject of wanting children of her own also comes up, and in The Vampire Diaries lore, vampires can’t biologically procreate.

This would seem to beg the question: How long, exactly, can Elena expect to be with Stefan, before breaking things off to have her own family? Unfortunately for her, it’s a question she doesn’t even have the chance to ponder. As a surprise to no one, Elena joins the vampire population of Mystic Falls — and sooner rather than later.

When does Elena become a vampire?

For viewers anxious to see Elena transform into a bloodthirsty monster — and conversely get together with Damon (Ian Somerhalder) — they don’t have to wait too long. After only three seasons, Elena makes the change. But it wouldn’t be The Vampire Diaries if the narrative didn’t hinge on some monumental twist. As per usual, the season revolves around Elena’s histrionics, and the ever-looming threat of Klaus (Joseph Morgan). Intent on making hybrids out of the doppelgänger’s blood, he drains her repeatedly, which ultimately, unbeknownst to everyone, causes her to suffer a brain hemorrhage. Afraid for Elena’s life, Dr. Fell (Torrey DeVitto) feeds her Damon’s blood to heal her, which would have been fine, if she didn’t happen to die during that time.

In the final episode of season 3, Rebekah (Claire Holt) runs Elena and Matt (Zach Roerig) off Wickery Bridge into the water. Insisting that Stefan save Matt in her stead, Elena drowns. Everyone is heartbroken about Elena’s death — until she wakes up in the final moments of the episode. The show is called The Vampire Diaries, after all, and it was only a matter of time.

This twist catapults Elena into a world she never wanted or planned for. Even though she gets to spend eternity with Stefan, it isn’t smooth sailing. Before Dobrev left The Vampire Diaries, Elena went on an emotionally-fueled roller coaster trajectory of humanity, vampirism, and back to humanity again. Season 4 illustrates just how terrible Elena is at being a vampire, and how limited she is by her inability to adapt. Vamprism should be forever, but leave it to Elena to test that theory. Only in Mystic Falls.