Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries premiered last week, and every fan is wondering two things: Is Elena coming back, and how will we say goodbye to The Vampire Diaries?

Let’s start with Elena. It’s not just that Elena left town, but she is asleep until Bonnie dies. Damon struggled without her last season, and, now that he shut off his humanity and is serving the siren, it may be harder than ever to pull him back. However, when Damon falls asleep, his thoughts naturally turn to Elena, and he relives the moment they met — not the first time we saw them on-screen in Season 1 but the moment that he compelled her to forget until she transitioned into a vampire.

As for Nina Dobrev reprising her role as Elena, show runner Julie Plec gave fans every reason to get excited.

“I feel very good about it! She and I have spoken and I know that she 100 percent wants to be there and I, of course, 100 percent want her to be there, and so it just comes down to stupid things like scheduling. Honestly, let’s put it this way: I would be devastated if it weren’t to work out, so I have a feeling the cards will be in all our favor,” Plec shared with Entertainment Weekly.

It’s all but guaranteed that Elena will return this season, and we’ll see her in more than flashbacks and dreams! The question is: how will she return? Will the spell be undone? Will Bonnie die?

Plec also mentions a possible wedding, and, if that’s the case, let’s hope it’s a happier occasion than Alaric’s wedding to Jo. We’ll assume that throughout the course of the season Damon and Enzo are no longer under the siren’s control. If wedding bells are in the air, the most likely candidates are Caroline and Stefan since Elena’s currently asleep.

As for the finale, it seems unlikely that the show will be wrapped up on a happy note.

“Our show is supernatural, so sometimes closure means death and tragedy and sad endings — which can be just as potent and powerful as happy endings — so I have to imagine that we’ll have a mixture of both,” Plec said.

The finale likely won’t be pure fluff, which we never would’ve expected from this show. There will likely be some element of sadness along happy notes. Saying goodbye to everyone in Mystic Falls is already hard enough, and obliterating the town is more than we can take. Let’s just hope that the finale gives us satisfying closure — be it happy or sad — and doesn’t end on a tragic note. Seeing Elena one last time and giving her character closure will help soften the blow for sure. But whatever happens, we know it’ll be spectacular!