"What control? Ron, what are you talking about?" Sarah froze, not understanding what Ron meant.
"Right now, I only have two demands," Ron said coldly, ignoring Sarah and facing the Salvatore brothers. "First, Damon removes the mind control he put on Sarah. Second, he leaves Mystic Falls—for good. I warned you this afternoon, Damon, and yet by night you pull this stunt? You have zero credibility with me. And Stefan, from what I can see, you're either unable or unwilling to keep your brother in check—too busy dating Elena to care about anything else."
"Maybe you should just leave," Stefan said quietly, clearly hoping Damon would take the hint.
"No, no, no," Damon replied lazily, turning his back and sinking into the couch. "I've got business here in Mystic Falls. I'm not going anywhere."
"You son of a—" Ron snapped. He channeled the Spell of the Rabbit Talisman and kicked Damon off the couch, slamming him into the wall. Before Damon could react, Ron pinned him down and started pounding his head.
Stefan knew Damon had gone too far, and seeing Ron furious—and knowing he didn't even understand how to kill a vampire—he decided not to interfere.
"What the hell's going on?" Zach came out of his room just in time to see Ron straddling Damon, fists landing hard on his skull.
"Damon mind-controlled Ron's housekeeper," Stefan explained quietly, pulling Zach aside.
"I know this won't do much to you," Ron said, breathing heavily, "but get up." He stood, wiping his hands, leaving Damon slumped like a beaten dog. Then he turned toward Sarah. "Come here. I need to fix your memory."
As Ron turned, he noticed Damon had vanished. "You couldn't keep an eye on him?" he snapped at Stefan.
Stefan froze, speechless. Damon had bolted out the window the moment he regained his strength.
"Fine. Guess it's on you, then." Ron sighed, motioning Stefan closer. "You'll have to handle the memory rewrite."
"My compulsion… might not—" Stefan began uneasily.
"I know. I'll first remove Damon's control, then you do your part." Ron pressed his hand over Sarah's forehead, activating the Spell of the Horse Talisman. He lifted Damon's compulsion from her mind, healing the bite marks on her neck in the process.
"Monster…" Sarah gasped, trembling as the realization of what had happened came flooding back. Her body shook uncontrollably as she clung to Ron's arm.
"It's alright," Ron said gently, patting her hand. "It's over."
"Don't just stand there," Ron barked at Stefan, irritation rising again. "Your brother did this."
Guilt weighed heavily on Stefan's face as he stepped forward. He locked eyes with Sarah and began compelling her—changing her memory to believe that she had run into Damon and Stefan while heading to meet Elena and the others. It wasn't perfect, but it would hold.
"I hope your brother really leaves," Ron said bitterly, turning away. "Next time I see him, it won't end like this."
He stormed out with Sarah, slamming the door behind him.
"Damn it…" Ron muttered once outside, realizing Caroline had driven his car home. With a sigh, he looked at Stefan. "Put her to sleep."
Stefan nodded, compelling Sarah to fall asleep instantly. Ron then used the Rabbit Talisman Spell, teleporting back home with her in his arms. He found Caroline's car parked out front—she must be upstairs already. After tucking Sarah into her bed, he quietly slipped into his own room. The light was off, and Caroline was already asleep, so he crashed in the guest room.
By morning, Caroline was gone. Ron guessed she'd left early for school; the cheer team had a game to prepare for. Guilt pricked him—he'd neglected her last night. As soon as he reached the campus, he started looking for her.
He found Caroline practicing routines with the cheer squad. She ignored him completely, her jaw set tight. Ron could tell she was still angry. He spent the entire day trying to cheer her up—from morning to sunset—but she wouldn't budge. She had sensed something about last night that didn't add up, and Ron's half-truths only deepened her suspicion.
He stuck by her side all day, not daring to leave. When the game ended, she told him coldly, "Go home and think about whether you want to tell me the truth." Then she left him standing there.
Ron sighed. She was sharper than he gave her credit for.
As he prepared to go home, he noticed flashing red and blue lights ahead—a police car. Curiosity led him there, and that's how he learned Tanner was dead. He spotted Bonnie nearby, crying silently, and went over to comfort her.
Through tears, Bonnie confessed she'd foreseen it in a vision. Ron didn't fully understand her witch powers, but he urged her to speak with her grandmother—a true, experienced witch who could help her better than he could.
Later that day, Ron drove to the Salvatore house.
"You know Tanner's dead?" he asked flatly.
"Yes," Stefan admitted. "Damon did it."
"When? Were you there?" Ron's voice hardened. He already suspected Stefan's involvement—Tanner's death wasn't random.
"I was," Stefan said quietly. "I couldn't stop him."
Ron's glare sharpened. "Tanner had nothing to do with you two. Why kill him? If I'd been at that game and caught him doing it, he'd be dust. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I thought Damon still had a shred of humanity," Stefan whispered, guilt thick in his throat. "Tanner came looking for me. Damon wanted to prove he'd lost all of it… so he killed him. I didn't expect—"
"So, what are human lives to you people?" Ron snapped. "Food? Entertainment? Stefan, I respected you—but not anymore. Your brother's dead the next time I see him. And I swear, I'll find out how to kill a vampire before then—so he won't even have the chance to beg."
He grabbed a glass off the table and hurled it, shattering it near Stefan's feet before storming out.
The next day, Ron didn't go to school. Instead, he bought a small two-bedroom house just outside Mystic Falls. Later that afternoon, he went to see Caroline again—and ended up staying at her place that night. She even asked him to wear a suit for the upcoming Founders' Party.
Ron had finally figured out why she'd been upset and swore that nothing romantic was going on with Sarah. But he still couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth—that he wasn't from this world, that her best friend was dating a centuries-old vampire, and that his housekeeper had been compelled by one.
When the Founders' Party arrived, Ron walked in beside Caroline—only to freeze when he saw Damon there too… with Sarah on his arm.
Caroline went to find her mother, leaving Ron alone with Damon.
"You've got some nerve showing up here," Ron said, stepping close. "Do you really think you can keep escaping me?"
"Hey, Ron," Stefan interrupted, approaching quickly when he saw the tension.
Ron didn't take his eyes off Damon. "Your brother's been testing my patience for far too long. And you—what could you possibly say that'd change my mind?"
"Hey, Ron…" Elena stepped in gently, trying to calm him down. His tone had startled her—too cold, too dangerous.
Ron forced a smile. "Relax, Elena. Just borrowing your boyfriend for a moment, alright?"
Then his gaze flicked to Sarah—remembering the danger still tied to her—and the smile faded.