TVD: What if Elena's Parents Never Died?

Perfect suburbia... but everyone has secrets

                  "What ifs" are always fun but I never thought of another big "What if" until now. The catalyst for Stefan and Elena's meeting was her parents dying in a car accident and Stefan saves Elena from drowning along with her parents. But given all we know about them now, Stefan and Elena would still have met and fell in love; there just would have been more obstacles.

Thank god an angel errr Vampire came to the rescue

               Grayson and Miranda Gilbert were a part of the secret society The Council made up of the founding families. This council's purpose was to protect the town from vampires. Since we've fallen in love with the Salvatore Brothers (seriously who wouldn't?) we began to see the council as the enemy. The council viewed vampires as just monsters, all black and white no gray. But we know that vampires are just like humans: they feel pain, love, sadness, and lash out they just feel it ten times more. Do they murder people? Yes, to that point where we forget that those were real people with dreams and aspirations who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. But that doesn't excuse the Council either from their actions. So if Grayson and Miranda Gilbert lived, what would have happened?

And so the Stelena shippers were born

         Stefan was "drawn" to Elena and despite the risks he pursued her. Stefan would still have pursued Elena, he just would have had to have been more careful. You could bet that Grayson would have paid closer attention to Stefan and Damon. Grayson would have probably done some tests like slipping vervain into Stefan and Damon's drinks to see if they react. Grayson and Miranda would also definitely have given Elena and Jeremy vervain so that they couldn't be compelled. Then Grayson would have warned Elena to stay away from the Salvatores, but you know teenagers. Elena would have gone out with Stefan secretly. And as for Jeremy's love life? I figure Vicki would still have become a vampire and gone crazy causing Damon to kill her, but I don't think Jeremy would have been compelled to forget. And with Anna, like Uncle John said, Grayson would have done things differently but he still would have tried to kill Anna to protect his son. 

As if one bad boy in your daughter's life wasn't enough

          Elena would have definitely stood by her man against her parents causing some real tension but I have no doubt that Grayson and Stefan would have realized they had common ground: they love Elena. You could be sure that when Klaus was looking for her to break his curse, Grayson, Miranda, Stefan, and Damon would have all worked together. The Gilbert brothers, John and Grayson would have probably clashed more on this subject though. John was Elena's biological father but he gave her to his brother Grayson. Grayson got to raise Elena making him love her all the more and so he and John would have butted heads on how Elena was liven her life and who she was having relationships with. We would have definitely found out sooner that John was Elena's real father and that Isobel was her real mother. 

No one was ever happy to see you, Uncle John.

              I still believe that John would have died after Klaus broke the curse. He would still come out as being a hero willing to sacrifice his life for his daughter but Elena would have still had Grayson to lean on, making the impact of John's death... well it wouldn't have as much impact. Isobel would have also still died. I just see her meeting the same fate really. I also still believe that Elena would have become a vampire but like Liz now accepts Caroline, Grayson and Miranda would have still loved and accepted Elena. They would reach a better understanding of each other deepening their relationship. Although Elena would have found out once she reached college that Grayson experimented on vampires like guinea pigs, which since she was a vampire she would even more offense to it.

Elena is too stubborn to be told what to do

            For the rest of our characters? Their story lines would have ended up the same. I don't see how much of it would change. Tyler's dad still would have died and we still would have found out that he was werewolf. Jenna and Alaric would still have gotten together. Bonnie would continue with her magic. I would think that Grayson and Miranda would encourage Bonnie to use her magic for their benefit to hurt vampires. Caroline would still have become a vampire. Katherine would have caused even more trouble for the Gilberts because she liked to impersonate Elena. For the Originals, because his daughter was Klaus's blood bag for making hybrids, Grayson would have made a deal with Klaus to keep Elena safe and away from Stefan and Damon so that she could live a long and happy life and raise a family. But still, that would have ended same. 

Daddy would have definitely not approved of Damon

               In conclusion, if Elena's parents had lived then they would have made her love life filled with even more obstacles. But because of the love that she inspires I see her parents working together with the Salvatores and the Originals to keep Elena safe. That's what parents do in the: they do what they think is best for you because they love you and want to protect you. I see why Elena's parents had to die though. Her parents' deaths were a catalyst so that she could start her journey with Stefan and Damon. She needed to romanticize them to help give her strength and have role models that she wanted to honor and emulate with kindness and understanding. Eventually Elena discovered who her parents really were but that did little to damage her memories growing up with them. So Elena's parents were better off dead in the beginning.