"Alright," Stefan replied briefly before hurrying off in Sarah's direction.
"Ron, where's my necklace?" Damon asked impatiently, unconcerned about Stefan leaving.
"The necklace? After everything you've done to provoke me, you really think I'd just hand it back that easily?" Ron shot back.
"Then name your price. Otherwise, you wouldn't have kept it," Damon said directly.
"My price? How about you drop dead? Or better yet, come find me right now. I just learned how to kill a vampire — want to be my first test subject?" Ron sneered.
"Cut the crap, Ron. You know me — if I don't get what I want, I'll do whatever it takes. You see how obedient my brother is? Aren't you worried I might go after Caroline next?" Damon threatened.
"You think you could even get close to Caroline? She's with me almost every day. If you showed your face near me, you wouldn't even make it out alive," Ron said, holding Caroline's hand to reassure her.
"So there's nothing to discuss, then?" Damon's tone turned colder.
"I've warned you plenty of times, Damon. You ignored every single one. You even compelled Sarah to provoke me, and now you've turned her into a vampire for revenge. What makes you think I'd forgive that and just give you what you want?" Ron snapped.
"You know why we compelled Sarah. You tried to kill me the first time we met! And besides, I needed her for a reason — controlling her was necessary," Damon said, his voice rising with irritation.
"Do you even remember what you were doing that first time? You were torturing Vicki with compulsion just to scare Stefan. You lost your humanity long ago, Damon. I was human then — my only regret is not knowing how to kill you sooner." Ron's words dripped with disgust.
"I only compelled a few people! I didn't even touch your Caroline — that's restraint. You and Stefan were planning to dry me out! What did you expect me to do — not retaliate? Turning Sarah was payback. Give me the necklace and we're even. Otherwise, I'll make Caroline my next target. You can't guard her forever," Damon threatened again.
"Stop making excuses. What about Tanner's death? Did he deserve that? Fine — you want the necklace, two conditions. One: tell me exactly what it's for, because I don't buy that you're this desperate for something useless. Two: if it doesn't threaten the safety of Mystic Falls, I'll give it to you — but you leave town for good," Ron said firmly.
He knew Damon was unpredictable — one wrong move and he could lash out, putting Caroline in danger.
"If Stefan gave you the necklace, then you should already know it belonged to Katherine. Stefan must've told you how much she meant to me. You think I'd ever let him keep something of hers?" Damon said, half lying, half telling the truth.
"Fine, let's pretend that makes sense. But the necklace isn't on me right now. Let's meet later — I'll bring it," Ron said, knowing full well Damon wouldn't show up in person. He planned to stall for time and have Bonnie inspect the necklace first.
"Just give it to Stefan when you see him. I'll take it from him later," Damon said — no way was he walking into Ron's trap.
"Such a coward. Fine, I'll hand it to Stefan. Once you get it, you leave Mystic Falls. End of story." Ron mocked and hung up.
"Alright, Stefan's phone is still with Damon. We'll have to wait until he's back with Sarah," Ron told Caroline and Elena.
Thankfully, they didn't wait long before Stefan returned with Sarah.
"You're bleeding," Elena said, rushing up the moment she saw the blood on his chest.
"I'm fine, really. It's already healed," Stefan assured her, holding her hands gently.
"Sarah, how are you feeling now?" Ron asked as he and Caroline approached.
"I'm scared… I feel like I can't control myself," Sarah said, lifting her head shakily.
"Is this normal, Stefan?" Ron asked, concerned by her restless demeanor.
"Ron… I'm so hungry. It won't go away," Sarah said, her eyes wild as she tried to grab him.
"Hey, Sarah — that's not okay." Ron stepped back quickly.
"Sarah, are you alright?" Caroline asked softly, hugging her out of worry.
"Caroline, I'm so hungry…" Sarah's fangs extended as she lunged toward Caroline's neck.
Ron reacted instantly — using a spell, he caught Sarah by the mouth with one hand and held her still with the other.
"Ah!" Caroline stumbled back in fright, and Ron quickly let go of Sarah to catch her before she fell.
In that instant, Sarah bit into Ron's hand and began drinking his blood. At least she had stopped thrashing.
"Easy, easy — I heal fast, but that doesn't mean you can drain me dry," Ron said softly, patting her head.
"I'm sorry… I really couldn't control myself," Sarah said tearfully, finally pulling back and collapsing into his arms, sobbing.
"It's alright. It's my fault too — I share the blame for what happened to you. If you ever lose control again, I'll be your blood bag. I won't die from it, so don't worry," Ron reassured her gently.
"It's getting late. I'll drive everyone home," Elena suggested.
"Elena, can I stay at your place tonight?" Caroline asked hesitantly.
"Of course—" Elena started to say.
"Elena, maybe you should stay at Caroline's instead. Damon's already been inside your house. He won't hurt you because of Stefan, but I don't trust him around Caroline," Ron interrupted.
"Alright then," Elena agreed after exchanging a glance with Caroline.
"Stefan, I'll take Sarah to my place. It's safer — you never know when Damon might show up. Plus, having my 'self-healing blood bank' around will help her control the hunger," Ron added. "Tomorrow, I'll need you to come by and teach her the basics."
Stefan nodded in agreement. Elena then drove everyone to Caroline's house.
"Elena, go inside first. I need a word with Ron," Caroline said at the door.
"Ron, come with me," she said, pulling him aside.
"Ron… I've been thinking a lot lately. I just can't do this anymore. Whether it's Damon using me to threaten you or imagining a future where we get married — I just can't," Caroline said, her voice trembling but firm.
"Don't… please don't say that," Ron said, holding her tightly, unsure how to stop her.
"I used to think… maybe after we got married, I'd let Stefan turn me into a vampire so we could be together forever. But after seeing Sarah tonight… I'm terrified of becoming one. I'm sorry, Ron." Caroline broke down in tears.
"It's okay. I understand — and I respect your choice," Ron said softly, wiping her tears.
"Don't cry anymore. You'll ruin your pretty eyes. Tomorrow's Halloween, remember? Your favorite party," he said, smiling faintly.
"Come on, stop crying. You made your choice, don't be sad. We can still be friends, right? Besides, I'm the one being dumped here — shouldn't I be the one crying?" he joked lightly.
"It's late. I should go. Get some rest, Caroline."
He kissed her forehead gently, then turned and walked away into the night.