Hey everybody. Here is the last chapter of this story.

Thank you to everybody who reviewed the chapters of this story and all those who added me to their alert lists. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it and I hope you like the final chapter.

I was asked about a sequel. I'm not too sure about that, since I am going to be extremely busy next year and my ideas for this story stopped here. However, do not rule it out completely. First though, I do need to work on other things first.

How to Save a Life

Chapter 12: Five Hours To Go

It had taken them four days to make it to Salem, a little longer than they planned, considering that they were now on Dean's last day. He set his alarm on his watch to go off at midnight, to let him know when the Hellhounds were going to be on his tale.

Surprisingly in the last few days, Dean had been hallucinating a lot, everybody's faces were looking strange and almost scary for him. His dreams consisted of being chased by large, ferocious black dogs with sharp, white teeth. He was starting to be able to see the face of a demon, be able to tell one straight away. He would have said the latter was nifty, if it was not for the fact that in five hours he was going to Hell.

The made it to Salam and looked around the town. It was a small village, very different from how he imagined it. He thought it was quite ironic that the demon had come here, the main village of the Witch Trials.

The houses looked new and they were large, wealthy families that lived here. Looking around at the people who were wondering around, Dean was surprised at one thing. They were all demons. Every single person here was a demon. That meant one thing, Ruby was definitely here and was expecting them.

Sighing, the older Winchester realised that they needed a plan and fast. Dean was about to continue driving, find somewhere to hide, so they could plan, until he found Ruby stood in front of the car. Her pose strong, arms folded across her chest. She meant business.

"Well, well, well, you finally found me," she smirked at the three that sat in the Impala, Bobby and Ellen in the car behind, "You know something, I'm going to be nice. I'm going to give you time to plan your little attack on me, since in five hours I get to take your soul downstairs anyway, Dean. I'm going to be in that house, just there," the blonde smirked evilly, as Dean narrowed his eyes at her. She pointed to a white painted house, with a garden around it, "Have fun."

With that, Ruby was gone, leaving Dean to realise that they were in serious trouble.

--

Two hours later and the plan was ready. Bobby and Ellen had gone off earlier, to the main water pump for the whole village, dropping a crucifix into it. Their part of the plan was done for now, all they were waiting for was the sign for the next part.

Dean, Sam and Buffy made their way over to the house that Ruby told them to go to. They knew it was going to be a trap, but there was nothing else they could do. Dean had three hours left to live, walking into a trap was needed to even possibly save his life.

They stepped towards the door but then stopped. The eldest Winchester turned around to see all the 'demon villagers' making their way over to them, almost like they were going to stop them from leaving. They had never seen anything like this.

Suddenly, the demons started to attack, but before the got to the three, the sprinkler system was turned on, blocking their path. Usually water would not bother them, but this water was coming from the main water pump. It was now holy water.

The demons that were in the middle of the water began to burn from it and stepped out, back towards the street. The other demons saw what happened and stayed away from the sprinklers. Ruby was on her own.

Stepping into the house, they almost expected Ruby to be waiting for them, instead they had to walk into the dining room, where the blonde haired demon sat at the table, her arms folded and her brown eyes baring into the hunters and the Slayer.

"Well, it's about time you showed up," she sighed, "How long does it take you to plan something?" nobody said anything to her, just watched her to see what she was going to do, "Hey, can I have my knife back yet?"

Dean smirked as he pulled out the knife that he had stolen months ago, before he even went to help Buffy. It had come in useful while they were tracking down Ruby, he had killed many demons with it. It was just unfortunate that they had not got the colt working again.

"You mean this?" Dean asked, pulling the knife out of his pocket and shaking his head, "I don't think so. This was what I'm going to use to ram into that pretty little neck of yours and kill you."

"How do you know that will free you?"

"I don't," Dean shook his head, "But at least the pain in my ass for the past twelve months would be dead and I wouldn't even have to put up with your yapping in Hell."

Ruby simply chuckled as she looked at the three, now noticing the weapon that Buffy had in her hand. She remembered that weapon, the scythe that only a Slayer could pull out of the stone. She knew that that would come in handy in a big war and wanted it, which brought her onto another little pointer.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not here alone." She explained.

"We saw your demon army outside," Sam sighed and shook his head, "There's no way they're getting in."

"Oh, not them," the demon now laughed, "I want you to meet someone that I've known for a while now."

From the kitchen of the house, a man stepped into view. A man dressed in the clothes of a minister. Now, Dean and Sam did not know who he was, but Buffy definitely knew.

"Caleb." She sneered at the man.

"Nice to know you remember me, girly girl," he smiled, "I see you still have hold of that pretty little weapon there. I heard about that big fight, it didn't go down too well, did it?"

The minister stepped towards Buffy, causing her to back away slightly. Just because she had the weapon in her hand, did not mean she knew she was going to beat the man, he was powerful.

Dean heard the name Caleb and knew who the man was straight away. He was the one that killed Molly and injured Rona. The minister from the vineyard that Dean had tried to convince Buffy not to go to, with every reason. He knew she had unfinished business with this man and needed to finish it off alone.

"Buffy, take him," he ordered, "Me and Sam have this bitch."

Before Buffy could inform the Winchester that she had heard him, the minister hit her, sending her flying through the wall of the house and into the sitting area, while Ruby stood up from the table.

Ruby made her first move on Dean, punching him in the face and then kicking him in the torso, forcing him backwards into a cabinet. She was not going to attack Sam though, instead she just looked him in the eye.

"I could have helped you save your brother, you know," she sighed at the younger Winchester, "You only had to do what I was going to ask of you."

"Yeah? And what was that?"

"Lead the army," she shrugged her shoulders, "Do what you were born to do. Everything Azazel wanted for you."

"He would have never done that," Dean answered for his brother as he pulled himself from the broken cabinet, feeling blood tricking down his arm where he had caught it on some of the glass, "And I wouldn't have let him."

"Dean, Dean, Dean," Ruby repeated his name with a smirk as she turned around to look at him, "You, my dear boy, wouldn't have had a say. It was between me and your brother. Anyway, now the deal's off. You killed Azazel so there is no army anymore."

"Oh well," Dean shrugged his shoulders, still keeping his game face on even though he knew his time was running out, "I'm sorry to hear that. I guess the world will have to be safe for a little while longer."

--

In the other room, Buffy was on the ground, the scythe next to her. As Caleb walked towards her, she kicked up at him, but he was one step ahead of her and grabbed her foot, pushing her backwards on the ground.

As she was getting off the floor, he picked up the scythe, however he was too slow and as he was standing up to his full height, Buffy had gotten up and kicked the scythe up in the air, catching it with two hands, lengthways.

While she jumped up to catch the weapon, she kicked the minister in the abdomen and then kicked him in the knee while he was stumbling, causing him to flip forward and land on the floor on his back.

She was slightly off balance, so once she regained it, she grabbed the scythe with the pointed end facing down and drove it towards Caleb's chest, but he stopped it on the way down, placing both hands on it and using his strength to overpower Buffy's.

He twisted it to one side, slightly, as she tried to force it down and pulled her off balance again. This time, she was forced over Caleb and into a wall, the scythe still in her hands.

--

Dean kicked Ruby backwards, into a cabinet and quickly passed his brother the knife. He had already decided that he was going to beat her down and Sam could kill her. That was the plan from the beginning. Dean knew Sam had more interest in killing her for all the lies that she had told him in the beginning.

He went to punch her again, but the blonde caught his punch and grabbed his arm. She twisted him around and kicked him in the back, forcing him to fall back into the broken cabinet.

Sam was about to go after Ruby, the knife held high in his hand, while his brother pulled himself to his feet, however the demon used her telekinetic ability to force him into a wall, knocking her knife out of his hand.

She then looked at Dean with an evil smile and, once again using her demonic abilities, she made him fly onto the table and then held him there so she could not get up.

Suddenly, Dean heard the alarm on his watch go off. It was midnight. His time was up. He looked at Sam, wide-eyed, who returned the look as they both realised that they were in trouble. Sam could not hear them, but Dean could, the hellhounds were in the distance, on their way here.

Ruby walked over to the sliding doors that lead to another room and opened them, making it easier for her dogs to come and collect the soul they needed.

The older Winchester was terrified as he watched the big black dogs from his nightmares attack him, while he was paralyzed on the dining table.

Sam could just watched from where he was held against the wall. He could not see what was attacking his brother, even though he knew, but he could see the damage that was being done.

Dean cried out in pain as the dogs ravaged at his body, their claws cutting into his chest and pulled him onto the floor. His head went back, all of his blood seemed to be in his ears. He could not hear anything around him, just feel the blinding pain throughout his whole body. Arteries were being cut open, it felt like his organs were being destroyed.

Sam cried out for it to stop, he did not want to see his brother go this way. He had done everything he could to save him, but not it was too late and he was watching as his brother was killed so his soul could be sent to Hell.

Dean turned onto his front, trying to breathe through the pain, hoping that somehow he would survive all this and then in a few days time he could go back to hunting, however he knew that it was impossible. The hellhounds were here to do a job and they would not stop until they were done.

Sam could not watch anymore, he closed his eyes until the screaming end. When he finally opened them, his brother's body laid there, on his back with his arms and legs out, his eyes wide open almost showing the horror that he had been through. He could hear the blonde haired demon laughing. He was out of her telekinetic hold, obviously she thought what Dean was going through would be enough to hold Sam, but she was wrong and he took this moment to pick her knife up and walk towards her.

She was about to use her telekinesis once again, but the brunette Winchester grabbed her arm before she could and then stabbed her in the stomach with her knife.

All she did was look at Sam in shock, he had done it, he had actually killed her, but Sam was not finished there. He turned Ruby around, so her back was to him, his arms around her and then drove the knife into her side over and over again, hoping that somehow he could put the pain that he was feeling and the pain his brother must have felt into her death. It was too late, but at least she was dead.

He let go of her body and watched it fall to the ground, laying next to Dean's, just the shell of the woman she had possessed.

--

Caleb had managed to grabbed hold of the scythe with both hands, while Buffy still held it and picked her up. She called out in pain as he threw her up into the brick ceiling, still holding onto the scythe. He was going to get this out of her hands. He held her up there for a while, as she struggled to get out of her grasp, until he was getting bored and dropped her to the ground. She hit the floor, losing grasp of the scythe, which clattered as it his the wooden floor in front of her.

Luckily the scythe had not fallen too far away from her and she managed to crawl to it, as Caleb grabbed hold of her by the back of her denim jacket, pulling her up enough so he could grabbed her neck.

He held her by her neck with both hands, looking straight into her blue eyes.

"You think you have the power over me?" he questioned her, as he grip became stronger, "You understand nothing."

He was going to watch the life drain from them and he was going to enjoy every second of it, however Buffy had a better idea and used the scythe to knock his arms upwards so he could get out of his grasp and get back to fighting him again.

As he gained his balance back, she spun around in the air, kicking him in the face with both legs simultaneously, causing him to fall to the ground and roll. She waited for him to stand up, ready for him.

"Stupid girl," he shouted, standing up from the floor, "You'll never stop me. You don't have the ba…"

While Caleb got to his feet, Buffy twirled the scythe in her hands and then swung it up between his legs. The minister's eyes grew wide as he felt the pain and realised that she had won.

"Who does nowadays?" Buffy asked with a simply shrug of the shoulders. It was almost like she had done this every day of her life.

Caleb looked at the scythe lodged between his body, incredulously, just as Buffy pushed the scythe up through his body. She just stood there as the two halves of his body fell either side.

"I guess you had to split then." She made a joke, hating the fact that nobody was there to hear it. Dean would have laughed if he was there…Dean!

Buffy ran from the sitting room into the room where she had left Dean and Sam to face Ruby, hopefully she was not too late.

However, straight away she knew she was. Too late to help defeat Ruby and too late to save Dean. Ruby's body laid on the floor, close by to where Sam knelt, cradling his brother's body in his arms. Hoping that maybe he was just injured and Sam was trying to stop the bleeding, Buffy made her way over, but then realised straight away. His green eyes were wide open and lifeless, his chest was not moving at all. He was dead, she had lost him and he was now somewhere in Hell. She had failed him.

--

Dean found himself trapped, suspended over what he could only imagine as a bottomless pit, by metal rods that were pierced through his body. All in different places, sending pain shoot everywhere.

The place was in the middle of a thunderstorm, thunder sounding at every second, lightening hitting the metal rods, sending electricity through his body. He remembered when he had received the electric shock a couple of years ago, that almost killed him, he was glad that that was nothing like this. This was ten times worse.

"Help me!" he called out to the nothingness, "Somebody," part of him hoped that somehow Sam could hear him, or maybe that there really were people down here that did not want to torture him, who could help him, "Please. Help me. Help me! HELP ME!"

--The End--

Again, thank you to those who reviewed the story and please do take the time to review the final chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, even though yes I did kill Dean off rather than save him.

However, like stated above, there is no plan for a sequel right now, but don't rule it out. For now though, this is the end to the story.