After Ron finished speaking, he grabbed Sarah by the arm, trying to pull Damon upstairs to settle things. But Damon didn't cooperate. Their movements were too obvious, and with too many people around, Ron didn't dare use the power of his Talisman of Agility — nor could he overpower Damon without it.
"Looks like your boyfriend and Sarah still have some business to handle," Damon smirked at Elena. "Mind if I steal you for a dance?"
"I'd rather not. I'm not in the mood to dance," Elena replied curtly, glancing briefly at Stefan before refusing.
"Elena, why don't you talk with my brother for a while? I need to have a word with Ron," Stefan suggested, finding the opportunity to discuss something important with him.
The two men led Sarah upstairs into a quiet room. The process was familiar — same method, same routine. Since Stefan no longer drank human blood, he couldn't overpower Damon's control directly. He had to undo Damon's compulsion first and then re-compel Sarah himself to rewrite her memories.
"Sarah, head back downstairs," Stefan instructed after finishing the memory alteration.
Once she left, Ron crossed his arms and said, "All right, Stefan, what is it? And if you're here to plead for your brother, don't bother."
"It's not that," Stefan said seriously. "I know you'll never forgive Damon, and I'm not asking you to. But I can't let you kill him either. I have another way to deal with him — one that doesn't involve blood or murder."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you plan to convince Damon to leave? You know that's impossible. I already told you — if I see him again, I won't let him go."
"I know Damon won't listen to me," Stefan admitted. "But Damon also knows you can't overpower him without exposing yourself. And he knows if things get dangerous, I won't just stand by. That's why he's confident. But…" Stefan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a syringe. "This is vervain — a vampire's poison. It'll weaken him. Inject this, and he'll be too drained to fight back. We'll lock him up, and as long as we don't feed him blood, he'll slowly dry out."
"Vervain, huh?" Ron took the syringe, studying it. "Fine. I'll trust you — this once. Keep your eyes on Damon. When the time comes, we move together."
When Ron and Stefan went back downstairs, they found Elena chatting with Caroline. Damon was nowhere in sight.
"Elena, where's Damon?" Ron asked.
"He talked to me for a bit, then said he was going upstairs to find you guys and dance with Sarah. Didn't you see him?" Elena frowned.
"No. Let's split up," Ron decided. "You check upstairs, I'll look outside."
"Got it," Stefan nodded and headed up the stairs.
"Caroline, I'll be right back — I need to find Damon," Ron said as he turned toward the garden.
"Can you wait a minute?" Caroline grabbed his arm, smiling softly. "I haven't had a single dance tonight. I want to dance with you first."
Ron chuckled apologetically. "Sorry, Caroline. I can't dance — not yet. But later, you can teach me, and I promise I'll make it up to you. Right now, I have to find Damon." He hugged her briefly, then hurried outside.
"Stefan, any luck?" Ron called after searching the garden without success.
"Yeah, I've got him. Sarah's here too," Stefan's voice came through the phone.
"I'm coming," Ron muttered, frowning as he hung up and strode back into the mansion.
"Where's Sarah?" he asked as soon as he entered and saw Damon, Stefan, Elena, and Caroline together — but no Sarah.
"She wasn't feeling well and left," Damon said casually.
"She didn't feel well? And you didn't walk her home? You were her date," Ron replied, masking his suspicion with a forced smile. It didn't matter — with fewer people around, this was his chance to test the vervain.
"No rush," Damon smirked. "I was thinking of dancing instead. So, ladies… who's up for a dance with me?"
"Sorry, I'd rather dance with Stefan," Elena said, taking Stefan's hand and stepping into the dance floor.
"I'll dance with you, Ron," Caroline said brightly, walking toward him before Damon could say another word.
"Sure," Ron smiled, taking her hand. He wanted to keep an eye on Damon anyway, and since the event was nearly over, he might as well dance for a bit. Damon was still in sight — that was enough.
Ron followed Caroline's lead — one hand on her waist, the other holding hers, moving awkwardly to the rhythm. Caroline guided him gently, laughing as his steps stumbled.
Thankfully, Damon hadn't made any moves yet. Perhaps he thought no one in Mystic Falls had vervain anymore — or maybe he believed Stefan would protect him.
Not long after, Damon remained still, but Stefan seemed to upset Elena. The two had separated. Ron caught Stefan's eye, silently signaling him to keep Damon distracted. Stefan understood immediately and joined Damon on the couch for a casual chat.
"Let's stop here," Ron said after a few minutes, smiling at Caroline. "We'll practice more next time."
If it weren't for the Talisman of Agility boosting his reflexes, he would've crushed her toes several times already.
Caroline laughed. "Actually, you're not that bad. For a first dance, you didn't step on me even once."
Ron grinned awkwardly. "Let's head back."
"I'll go find Elena," Caroline said, spotting her friend across the hall.
"Good idea. And your mom's waiting too — you should go home with her soon. I might leave early. See you tomorrow." Ron kissed her gently on the forehead.
Caroline smiled sweetly and nodded. "See you."
As soon as she was out of earshot, Ron's expression hardened. He turned toward Damon.
"How dare you even show your face in front of me?"
Damon leaned back, smirking lazily. "Do you even know where Sarah went? And come on — are you really going to start something here, in front of everyone? Think you can take both of us?"
Ron glared at Stefan. "When you found them, what was he doing to Sarah?"
"They looked normal when I got there," Stefan replied uneasily. "When we came downstairs, Damon compelled her to leave. Then you showed up."
Ron's tone dropped cold. "Say what you want, Damon. But if you've got demands, speak them now — before I make you." He stepped behind Damon.
"I need you—" Damon began, but before he could finish, Ron drove the syringe into his arm. The vervain surged through Damon's veins, and he crumpled instantly.
"What are you standing there for?" Ron hissed quietly. "Help your brother — he's had too much to drink. Let's get him to the car." He'd used the Talisman's concealment charm to mask the injection, so no one would notice.
"Right," Stefan nodded, catching on, and hoisted Damon up.
"Ugh…" Damon groaned weakly, trembling from the vervain's burn. He couldn't believe Stefan had teamed up with Ron to pull this off — the vervain must've come from Stefan himself.
By the time they reached the mansion doors, Damon's body was already limp.
"Take him to your place?" Ron asked as Stefan shoved Damon into the back seat.
"Yeah," Stefan replied. "I've got a 'room' for him there."
And with that, the car drove off into the night — carrying the sleeping predator bound by vervain's quiet sting.