The Vampire Diaries Stars Tease What's Ahead for the Love Triangle!

You thought The Vampire Diaries' love triangle was officially over after Elena (Nina Dobrev) chose Stefan (Paul Wesley) over Damon (Ian Somerhalder) in the season finale?

Oh, you did? Silly, silly TV viewers. If anything, TVD's epic love triangle is just getting started now that Elena is set to become a vampire in season four. We chatted with Nina, Ian and Paul at the CW upfront presentation in New York City about Elena's choice, what's ahead for the love triangle and what they'd like to see for their characters.

Plus, Nina tells us that season three was almost going to end with Elena dying...for real. Seriously!

So when did Nina learn that Elena was going to grow a pair of fangs and a thirst for blood?  "I knew a little bit in advance. [Showrunner] Julie [Plec] had told me she would either become a vampire in the finale or she would die in the finale and it would happen in the first episode back," Nina explains. "We decided it would be a bigger shocker if we did it in the finale."

Of Elena's choosing Stefan over Damon, Paul tells us, "It was a big win, absolutely! I felt like he deserved it. I feel like at the end of the day, Damon has a really beautiful bond with her, but I think there's a lot of lust. Stefan and Elena have a history as we obviously saw in the flashback. They were in love, they were in deep love, and I think at the end of the day she recognized that."

Still, he teases that "nothing's forever" on The Vampire Diaries, so Elena's decision might not stick, which would make Paul's onscreen brother Ian very happy. "I riot all the time and Julie Plec doesn't give me what I want, so good luck!" he tells us when we threaten to stage a riot if "Delena" is done forever.

While Nina's not sure what's in store for Elena's romantic future in season four, she speculates, "It's interesting because does she remember the choice? She hit her head pretty hard and she was in a car accident. There's a lot of different ways it could go!"

As for what he wants to see for Stefan in the upcoming season, Paul is hoping for the return of the ripper. "I'm hoping that Stefan still maintains a glimmer of ripper. I don't want him to become the stereotypical hero again, like season one," he says. "I don't want him to become a goody two-shoes. I really want him to maintain a dark side; I want him to be a threat."