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I'm so sorry, Elena. I was such a disappointment to you.

This is the mother-daughter relationship between the vampire, Isobel Flemming and the the cured vampire/human doppelgänger, Elena Gilbert.

Elena's relationship with her mother was a complicated one. Isobel became pregnant with her daughter at the tender age of sixteen and gave her up before leaving her baby's life. Seventeen years later, Elena learns that she was adopted and began searching for her mother. Their first encounter was in Isobel, a meeting that did not end well as Elena realized that Isobel was not much of a mother.

In Season Two, Isobel returns to see her daughter, but Elena is firm in not wanting to see her. Later on, Isobel kidnaps her and takes her to the cemetery where she points out a tombstone that was placed there by her parents. Isobel then commits suicide as Elena watches in horror and in tears. Isobel's final death as a vampire ends their relationship.

Early life[]

Elena was born on June 22, 1992 to John Gilbert and Isobel Flemming. Isobel desperately wanted to keep her baby, but because she was a teenager, she was forced to give her child to John's brother Grayson and his wife Miranda. Since that day, Isobel dreamed of finally meeting her daughter and telling her who she really was, while her baby girl, Elena, grew up with the Gilberts.

Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series[]

Season One[]

In Bloodlines, Elena finds out from her boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore, that she was adopted by the Gilberts.

In A Few Good Men, Elena finds out her mother's name and goes to see Isobel's high school best friend, Trudie Peterson. After Elena leaves, she is confronted by one of Isobel's minions, who tells her that Isobel has no interest in seeing her before he commits suicide. Elena then dials her mother's number on his phone. She hears Isobel for the first time, but Isobel hangs up the moment she hears Elena's voice.

In Isobel, Elena finally meets her mother but she is not who she wanted her to be. Isobel is more interested in taking the Gilbert Device than she is bonding with her daughter. Elena gives her the device, thanking her for being a disappointment as it keeps the memory of her real mother perfectly intact. Elena later cries after their encounter.

Season Two[]

In The House Guest, Elena reunites with her mother once again, after she makes an unexpected arrival to the Gilbert home.

In Know Thy Enemy, Isobel kidnaps Elena. She was compelled by Klaus to keep her safe until the ritual to break Klaus' Hybrid Curse. She takes Elena to a cemetery where Isobel's parents placed a grave for her. She gets a phone call from Klaus' warlock Maddox. He tells her Klaus has everything he needs for now and that she is no longer needed. Isobel tells Elena how sorry she is for never being there for her, and for being such a disappointment to her daughter. As Isobel rips off her daylight necklace and screams in pain, Elena cries as she watches her mother being burnt alive. Elena later takes Isobel's necklace for herself.

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Trivia[]

See also[]

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