Vampires in Love

Fans of The CW's hit drama can't get enough of the sexy love triangle between two undead brothers and one very lucky mortal girl. We talked to the cast and creators about what's next for Damon, Stefan, and Elena. Plus: Meet the ''shippers'' -- TV's weirdest (and most devoted) fan. By Nuzhat Naoreen

On a fast-moving supernatural series that prides itself on shocking deaths, surprising resurrections, and gruesome special effects, a simple 15-second kiss managed to spark some of the biggest fandemonium yet. The romantic tension between The Vampire Diaries' lead characters Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) had been building over two years and 53 episodes. Then, last month, executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec finally decided to give fans what they had been clamoring for since the very first season: a proper kiss. To pull it off, they knew it had to be organic — not just for the characters and the story, but for the show's two very vocal and very divided fan bases: those who wanted Elena to rekindle her eternal flame with vampire soul mate Stefan (Paul Wesley), and those who were dying to see her take the next step with Stefan's undead older brother, Damon. ''It's one of those things that you want to be able to defend,'' explains Williamson, who says the kiss was intended to thank Damon and Elena fans for watching and waiting. ''But even more importantly, you'd rather not defend it. You want it to feel real and right and natural by all the audience.'' READ MORE on EW.com >>  ///  Original article by Nuzhat Naoreen for EW.com | Feb 10, 2012