Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm just playing in Kripke's sandbox.
A Moment
Three months after Dean went to Hell, he saved his brother's life.
Sam and Ruby had the demon cornered in an old cabin, but they were unprepared for how strong this one was. The demon saw the devil's trap before they could move him into it.
"Ruby…he saw the trap! I'm going to try it now!"
"Sam!"
Sam raised his arm to begin the exorcism, but the demon was quicker. He flicked his wrist and pinned Sam and Ruby to the wall. The demon walked over to where Ruby had been standing and picked her knife up off the floor. He walked over to Sam and held the knife to Sam's neck.
"Oh, Sammy. Such a shame for you to fall so easily. I had hoped for a greater challenge from you. Your brother on the other hand…"
In that instant, everything stopped. Sam dropped from the wall. He had long enough to look around and see that everything else in the room was frozen, including Ruby and the demon. It only lasted a moment. It was long enough for Sam to get a psychic grip on the demon. Time started just as the demon was expelled from the man's body.
Ruby walked over to Sam and looked down at the man's body. He hadn't survived the encounter.
"What happened?"
"I don't know! One minute we're pinned to the wall, and then everything just stopped. Everything except me…"
As his brother was fighting with the demon, Dean was silently hanging from the rack, watching as Alastair approached.
"The offer is still on the table, Dean. You know what you have to do to make this all stop."
"Yes, damnit, I'll d - do it! J - Just make it stop! Please!"
Dean was released, and climbed off the rack. He fell to the floor, broken and crying. He could hear Alastair speaking, but he couldn't understand what the demon was saying. It was as if someone had slowed down a record and he was talking at half speed. It only lasted a moment. Dean believed he was hallucinating, and never gave it a second thought. Then, everything snapped back into place.
"Bring in another soul!" Alastair commanded. He then turned to Dean. "You know what to do."
Dean stood slowly, not at all ready for what was about to happen. He leaned his head back and looked straight up into the nothingness above.
"Sammy…I'm sorry…"
Three months after Dean went to Hell, he sacrificed himself, and saved his brother's life.