What Can Dawson's Creek Teach Us About The Vampire Diaries?

It's you and me, Stefan, always."

Those are the words that The Vampire Diaries'Elena Gilbert said to Stefan Salvatore in Season 2 when she offered to feed him her blood to build up his strength, and prove to him that they were in this battle together.

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But does that phrase sound slightly familiar? On the series finale ofDawson's Creek, which was also created by Vampire Diaries boss Kevin Williamson, Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) said almost the exact same thing. "It's you and me, always," she told her best friend Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), despite choosing Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) as her eternal love.

Does Williamson's repeated choice of words mean he's telling us that, like Dawson and Joey, Stefan and Elena will always be soulmates, but won't ultimately be together? As the CW series heads towards the Season 3 finale and Elena's big choice between Stefan and Damon, we compare both of Williamson's shows, their main love triangle and how the ending of Dawson's might be predicting the future of Vampire Diaries.

Here are our main arguments (these are just educated guesses, so take them with a grain of vervain):

The parallel love triangle
Both shows feature a smart, brown-haired heroine who starts out loving the heartfelt "good guy," but finds herself surprisingly attracted to the risk-taking, unpredictable "bad boy."

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A monumental Season 3
While both series documented the coming together and splitting apart of their first real loves, it was in Season 3 that both shows built up the sexual tension and romantic chemistry between the latter pair.

At the end of Dawson's 17th episode, "Cinderella Story," Pacey kisses Joey for the first time after she went on about how he's the only (other) person who truly knows her. It's two episodes later, that she finally kisses him back.

In the 10th episode of this season's Vampire Diaries, Elena thanks Damon for always being there for her and he responds by making his guilt for liking his brother's girl really worth it -- by kissing her. A long nine episodes later, Elena no longer fights her feelings and the two have a major makeout session.

Giving the OK
Despite Dawson's feelings for Joey, in Season 3 he gives her the go-ahead to run off and be with his best friend (cue ugly cry). In the final scene of the series, Joey and Pacey, now a real couple, call Dawson about his show, but also let viewers know that the friendship among the trio has survived Joey's choice.

In a recent Vampire Diaries episode, Stefan tells Elena to go off to Denver with Damon so she can explore her "unresolved feelings" for him. (And resolve they did!) And yes, Damon and Stefan are bound by blood, but after 150 years, despite some major Katherine bumps, the two have never fully let a girl come between them.

End game
In the Dawson's finale, Joey and Jen wax poetic about the ongoing triangle. "You never could make a decision," Jen (Michelle Williams) says on her death bed. "The only decision left is the one I need to make for myself to stop running once and for all," Joey says. "I mean, I know who I'm supposed to be with, I've always known."

While we hope this season of The Vampire Diaries is far from its last, Rose recently told Jeremy her very poignant thoughts on the triangle: "It's not that she makes him a better person, but he changes her too. Damon challenges her, surprises her, he makes her question her life, her beliefs," Rose says. "Stefan is different. His love is pure; he'll always be good for her. Damon is either the best thing for her or the worst."

As Season 3 comes to a close, Elena Gilbert will choose between Damon and Stefan. Of course, until the series finale, we won't know if that person will be the same one by her side in the end.

Who do you think it will be and have you noticed any other similarities between the shows?