Stefan and Katherine

The relationship between Stefan Salvatore and Katherine Pierce.

Katherine fell in love with Stefan when she met him in Mystic Falls in 1864. Although she was also seeing Damon, she had a clear preference for Stefan. She secretly watched over him while running from Klaus. Katherine was unwilling to put her love for Stefan above her own survival and when she returned, they became enemies, as Katherine wanted to deliver Elena to Klaus in exchange for her freedom and Stefan was in a relationship with her at the time.

They are known as "Steferine," "Statherine," and "Stefarine" by fans.

1864
Stefan met Katherine Pierce for the first time when she arrived in a carriage with her maid and witch, Emily Bennett. Stefan's father; Giuseppe Salvatore had offered Katherine to stay with them as she had supposedly lost her family in a fire. There was immediate chemistry between the two. Stefan escorted her to the Founder's Ball, when afterwards he told her that he loved her. She was astonished by this, and appears to be left speechless by his kiss. Soon afterwards, whilst Stefan and Katherine were having sex, she reveals to him that she is a vampire. He is not accepting of this and appears to be very frightened of her. Katherine, not wanting to lose his love, takes his fear away through compulsion. She also compels him not to tell anyone. On the night that Katherine was taken away during the round up of the 27 vampires, the last person she was with had been Stefan. Giuseppe spiked his drink with vervain, which poisoned Katherine when she fed on him. Stefan and Damon tried to save her, unknowing that she had a plan to escape. Whilst carrying her out of the carriage the vampires were trapped in, they are both shot, having Katherine's blood in their system. Katherine had been compelling Stefan to drink her blood for weeks. Stefan, Katherine and Damon all lie next to each other, dying. Stefan turns to Katherine, and in his last few moments alive, she says "I love you, Stefan." He then dies.

Katherine is put back inside the carriage, but is then helped to escape by George Lockwood in exchange for the Moonstone. She is prepared to leave, but sees Stefan and Damon's lifeless bodies on the ground. Ignoring Damon, she runs to Stefan, caressing his face, proceeding to say "I love you, Stefan. We will be together again. I promise." She then kisses him for the last time and leaves him, not seeing him again for another 145 years.

Season One


Katherine appears in various flashback episodes throughout Season One, Lost Girls and Children of the Damned.

She makes her first non-flashback appearance in Founder's Day. She approaches Elena's house, so far the viewers believing it to be Elena. She talks to and kisses Damon, Damon also unknowing that it is Katherine. She is invited in by Jenna. She talks to John Gilbert, then proceeds to cut of his fingers because of his ring. He realizes that it is Katherine, and she stabs him. Elena walks into the house, heading towards the kitchen after hearing a noise, whilst Katherine waits for her.

Season Two


Everyone is shocked when Katherine returns to Mystic Falls and causes trouble. Katherine states to Stefan that she came back for him and insists that she loves him. She rejects Damon, saying that she never loved him-it was always Stefan. This devastates Damon, but ironically, the brother Katherine actually loves does not return her affection and Stefan tells Katherine that he hates her, rejecting her affection.



In Memory Lane, Katherine goes to the Boarding House to visit Stefan, where he questions her about werewolves. When Katherine asks him why he kept a picture of her from 1864, Stefan does not reply and Katherine tries to kiss him. Stefan manipulates Katherine and, just as she is about to kiss him, stabs her with a vervain dart and takes her down to the basement. He questions her about her motives and why she came back, but Katherine repeatedly states that she came back for him. This is the first episode in which Katherine and Elena officially meet.

In The Return, Katherine with Stefan in Gilbert House.



In Masquerade, Katherine dances with Stefan while she asks for the moonstone.



In By the Light of the Moon, Katherine and Stefan are stuck in the tomb together. Katherine toys with Stefan's mind while he is, and gives him a dream in which they made love. Stefan wakes up and is angry. In the deleted scene for this episode Katherine has a dream that Stefan and her share a conversation in which he seems to show feelings for her. When she wakes up, it is revealed that Stefan was giving her the dream.

In As I Lay Dying, Stefan comes to Alaric's apartment, where Katherine is being kept, and she asks him why Klaus isn't dead and why she isn't free. When Katherine hears Klaus approaching, she hides Stefan and tells him to be quiet, but realizes there is no use and steps out to see Klaus with him.

Katherine made a deal with John Gilbert, but she could only save one brother, and she chooses Stefan. She repeatedly states that she genuinely loves Stefan, and while they are both locked in the tomb, she tells Stefan she loves him, but he asks her for proof, which she cannot answer, but instead says something about Isobel. She gets out of the tomb after Elijah is killed and his compulsion wears off, and still seems to have feelings for Stefan.

Season Three
Katherine meets Stefan in Chicago when he steps outside a shop for a moment. Stefan warns Katherine that Klaus will kill her if he finds her here. Katherine believes Stefan is up to something and wants him to tell her. Stefan tells Katherine that they don't know where Elena's necklace is and that he has to keep Klaus and Rebekah from finding that out. Katherine warns Stefan that Klaus is smarter than him, stating that he is 'smarter than everyone.' Later in the episode, Katherine saves Stefan from Gloria by stabbing her in the neck. Katherine guesses Stefan's plan, and tells him that if he is planning on making a move against Klaus, she wants in. Stefan tells her that it's good to want things, and leaves. In Homecoming, Stefan and Katherine plan, together, to stop Damon from killing Klaus so he won't die along with Klaus. Katherine manages to get through to Stefan's humanity, convincing him to help her stop Damon so he won't die. She seems to be one of the only people to bring out his humanity this season. Katherine reveals that she was also trying to save Stefan's life, along with his humanity. She tells him that she likes the 'old him' better, and that she cares for other people besides herself. She tells him she loves him, and that she loved Damon too.

Season Four
In Because the Night Damon is searching for files about Katherine's whereabouts while talking to Stefan on the phone, Damon mentions that It goes by birthdays and he can't remember Katherine's. While on the other hand Stefan tells Damon her birthday is June 5th, 1473.

In The Walking Dead Elena tries to kill Katherine and almost succeeds before Stefan comes and saves her to which Katherine replies "Thanks for the save, handsome". Elena becomes furious and considers the fact that Stefan still may have feelings for Katherine which is why he won't let her die.

Season Five
In Dead Man on Campus, both Damon and Stefan are invited to Caroline and Elena's college party. Despite killing Silas, Stefan is still suffering from the memories of being locked inside the safe. He refuses to go to the party. Katherine meets Stefan at Mystic Grill. Katherine is drunk, feeling hopeless about the fact that she is dying. They have a conversation. Katherine tells Stefan that what he is suffering is called PTSD (Posttraumatic stress disorder). Nadia arrives. Katherine introduces her to Stefan.

Later on, outside Mystic Grill, Katherine discovers Stefan getting crazy because of the memories of being locked inside the safe. She calms him down by telling him to remember and name the people he has killed in order, starting with Giuseppe Salvatore. By telling her the names, he can control himself.

At the end of the episode, Katherine decides to commit suicide to end her misery by jumping off the bell tower. She writes a note to her daughter Nadia. Before Nadia has a chance to read it, Stefan discovers the note. Katherine jumps off the tower. Stefan catches her right on the moment which she is about to hit the ground. Katherine is surprised. Stefan tells her, "You're Katherine Pierce. Suck it up." Katherine becomes speechless. As Stefan walks away, she smiles.

Dead Man on Campus marks the formation of a positive relationship between Katherine and Stefan. Katherine tells Stefan about her issues and helps him control his emotion. At the end, he saves her life. It can be concluded that they are no longer enemies. They are friends.

In Stefan's Diaries
Stefan and Katherine share a similar relationship in the trilogy book series 'Stefan's Diaries,' which follows the TV series. They meet while Stefan is engaged to Rosalyn Cartwright, but the engagement ends when Rosalyn mysteriously dies and she is found dead by Stefan. Katherine is the culprit, though she promises Stefan that she didn't murder Rosalyn. Stefan is informed that Katherine killed Rosalyn by Katherine's handmaiden Emily.

In The Books
In the books, Stefan and Katherine's story is entirely different. While in Italy they meet, as Katherine was dying from an illness and her father hoped the warmer climate would help Katherine. Katherine must choose a husband if she wants to stay in Italy, but she soon becomes torn between Stefan and his malevolent brother Damon. She makes a decision, goes to them both one night and gives them blood. She reveals her decision but they reject her decision, each wanting her to himself, and Katherine runs away in tears, showing her childishness to both the brothers. Stefan and Damon become angry at each other when Katherine leaves ashes, her dress, and her lapis lazuli ring under her favorite tree and leaves a suicide note. Believing Katherine to be really dead, they fight and kill each other with swords, waking up as vampires. Katherine returns and becomes angry at Stefan and Damon, Stefan especially, for daring to pursue another woman, but is killed by Elena Gilbert when her lapis lazuli necklace is ripped off.