What’s Ahead for Stefan on The Vampire Diaries?

Ok, now that I’m caught up on The Vampire Diaries (and feeling like I don’t know what to do with myself — I need another show stat!), I can weigh in on a few things.

First, I’m totally Team Delena. Those two seem made for each other, especially now that she’s — SPOILER AHEAD — a vampire and sowing those wild vampire oats.

Second, Stefan had his chance with her and lost it. Ok, so he went off the deep end with Klaus, but he could have come back to Elena. She WANTED him to come back to her. She said she forgave him for all his evilness and compel-induced behavior, but he took too long to come around and lost her to Damon. Sorry, dude. Too little too late.

So what’s ahead for the “good brother”? Will he go bad again, especially now that he knows the love of his life did more than just lock lips with his brother?

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until the Jan. 17 mid-season return of The Vampire Diaries season four to get a few clues. In a recent interview with Hollywood.com, writer and executive producer Julie Plec offered a few juicy clues about Stefan’s emotional response to the Delena drama:

“Stefan is going through a million emotions,” said Plec. “First and foremost is he feels his brother lied to him. Second, of course, is jealousy, as would be the honest reaction of anybody who found out the former love of their life had slept with their brother.

“Third, I think, is just a colossal disappointment in both of them for doing this and not being honest about it. With Stefan there’s always this inherent volatility that lurks underneath his calm demeanor that risks him spiraling. And I think there’s a slight danger to him that his spiral might go too far and he’s going to have to figure out how to keep himself together.”

Let’s hope he doesn’t keep it together too much, though, because Ripper Stefan is WAY more interesting than Good Stefan. Below is a preview of the Jan. 17 episode, “After School Special.” It reveals that Rebekah will be rejoining the gang, and we also know that assorted characters are trapped in the school library a la The Breakfast Club, and that Stefan and Elena are forced to make some revelations that might have a major impact on their relationship.

Would you like to see a return of Ripper Stefan in the second half of Season Four? Tell us in the comments below.