Ron returned to his cabin and started sorting through the newly arrived batch of vervain. He kept a few stalks aside and used the rest to make a concentrated vervain extract.
Besides preparing ten syringes filled with the liquid, he also made several wooden stakes and about a dozen slender, sharpened sticks roughly the width of chopsticks. He soaked all of them in the remaining vervain solution. That way, even a small puncture could paralyze a vampire, or at least slow them down significantly.
When everything was ready, Ron decided to stay the night in the cabin. Lying on his bed, he grew increasingly restless. He could feel it — this world was starting to reject him. Everything that had happened lately had begun to change him, bit by bit.
When he first arrived in Mystic Falls, he had fit in surprisingly well — mostly thanks to Caroline's cheerful influence. But after the string of vampire incidents, the exposure of his supernatural powers, and Caroline breaking up with him, Ron began to feel utterly alone.
He didn't belong here anymore.
"Damn it," he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. Thinking about Caroline only made his head ache. It wasn't just that she had moved on — he understood her reasons. What truly hurt was knowing there was nothing he could change about himself. He was immortal, and she wasn't.
"Since Caroline's already let go," he sighed, staring at the ceiling, "then from now on, I'll live by my own code — the Three-No Principle."
He smirked to himself. "Don't initiate. Don't refuse. Don't commit. If I'm going to be a jerk, I'll be a consistent one."
The next day, after a half-sleepless night, Ron finally got up — not because of an alarm, but simply because he'd slept long enough that his morning grumpiness had passed.
In short, he woke up in the afternoon.
After packing up his new weapons, he kept a few on him, stored some in his car, and left the rest behind in the cabin. He'd planned to grab dinner at a restaurant, but by the time he was done, it was already night — so he decided to head straight for the bar.
"Hey, just give me a few snacks and something quick to eat," Ron said to the bartender.
He noticed Bonnie and Elena chatting nearby but didn't approach. He just ordered his food quietly.
Halfway through eating, he saw Damon walk up to Bonnie — and that alone was enough to ruin his appetite. Wiping his mouth, Ron stood up and strode over.
"What do you want?" Bonnie asked warily.
"I think it's time we start over," Damon said smoothly.
"You tried to kill me," she shot back.
"But I didn't. If I really wanted you dead, you'd be long gone. That should count for something, right?" Damon smirked.
"Or maybe," Ron interrupted, "it's just that my kick landed faster than your bite, Damon. You've got guts showing your face here again. Too bad your time's up — Bonnie doesn't need to 'reconsider' anything anymore."
"You wouldn't attack me in front of this many people, would you?" Damon asked lazily, as if daring him.
"Didn't I tell you before?" Ron's tone dropped cold. "If you didn't leave by the deadline, I'd kill you — even if it exposed me. And besides…"
He pulled a syringe filled with concentrated vervain from his pocket. "I've got this."
Before Damon could even respond, Ron jabbed the needle into his neck. "I'm done wasting words on you."
Damon collapsed almost instantly, writhing in pain. Ron caught him just in time to make it look like he was helping.
"It's fine, my car's right outside. I'll get him to the hospital," he told Bonnie calmly.
Once they were outside, Ron said quietly, "I want to avenge Sarah. But honestly? For someone like Damon, death would be too merciful. I'm going to dry him out and bury him — make him suffer for eternity.
Tell me, Bonnie… does that sound too cruel to you?"
Bonnie blinked, startled. "Why are you even telling me this?"
Ron shrugged. "Maybe I just needed someone to talk to. Want to come along?"
He tossed Damon into the back seat and opened the passenger door for Bonnie. "Hop in."
He drove them out to his cabin on the outskirts of Mystic Falls.
"Come on in," he said, dragging Damon inside. "Not sure if forcing him over the threshold would kill him or not, so better to invite him properly."
"Here," Ron said, handing Bonnie a small bundle of vervain. "Keep this with you. Might come in handy. Apart from Stefan and the others, I'm probably the only one in town who's got a fresh supply."
"Thanks," Bonnie said, pocketing it. She planned to share some with Caroline and the others later.
Ron smiled faintly. "Don't mention it. You know, you were actually my first friend here in Mystic Falls. And I know giving this to you means it'll eventually reach Caroline… since I can't exactly show up myself."
As he spoke, he pulled another syringe from his rack and plunged it into Damon again.
"By the way, Bonnie," Ron asked casually, "where do you think we should keep Damon once he's dried up?"
"I have no idea," she said, shaking her head with a nervous laugh. "I've never done… this before."
"I know it's not exactly something to brag about," Ron said. "But after everything Damon's done, I don't think there's any punishment too harsh. Maybe you don't know the half of it…"
He then told her everything — about how Damon manipulated and killed Vicki, murdered Tanner, turned Sarah into a vampire only to destroy her later, and how he'd blackmailed Ron using Caroline's safety.
Kneeling beside Damon's paralyzed body, Ron rolled him over and asked coldly, "Tell me, Damon — after hearing me list your sins, do you feel even a trace of remorse?"
"Ron, I know Damon deserves it," Bonnie said softly. "But what about Stefan—?"
"Don't," Ron cut her off sharply. "Don't mention that hypocrite. If it weren't for him, Damon would've been dead a long time ago. Every time he stopped me, Damon turned around and used Caroline against me. Stefan may act righteous, but enabling evil makes him just as guilty."
He straightened up, eyes gleaming darkly. "You know what, Bonnie? Maybe after a few days, once Damon's completely dried out, I'll bury him right next to the church."
"Why there?" she asked, confused.
"Because," Ron grinned wickedly, "that's where Katherine's entombed, isn't it? I'm just helping the lovers reunite."
.
.
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