'The Vampire Diaries' Season 5: Elena and Damon Heat Up, Paul Wesley Darkens

Now that the vampires of "True Blood" have wrapped up their season, it's time to start anticipating the return of TV's other beloved vampire series, "The Vampire Diaries." The CW series begins its fifth season on Oct. 3, and there's already plenty of speculation about what's in store for Elena, Damon, Stefan and the gang.

When last we visited Mystic Falls, the lives—and un-lives—of the characters were in upheaval. In the season 4 finale, Elena (Nina Dobrev) proclaimed her love for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and mixed it up with Katherine (Nina Dobrev, again), while Stefan (Paul Wesley) got himself into trouble during a confrontation with Silas (Raymond Scott Parks).

We don't know much about what's going to become of the characters in the upcoming season, but as the premiere date nears, we're getting some clues. On Monday, director/editor Joshua Butler tweeted a pic of Elena and Damon, along with some hashtags that were received enthusiastically by those who have been hoping for a romance between the two characters. Meanwhile, the CW itself is ramping up the excitement, posting pics on Facebook that hint at a dark turn for Paul Wesley's character(s).

If we know nothing else, we know that the tangle of relationships between Damon, Elena, Stefan and Silas are going to take some major sorting out, and the sorting is going to start without delay as soon as October rolls around.