Tag for Season 1

Gibbs: Because this is what I miss about the old seasons!

The lines are more clearly drawn and there's very little room to maneuver-Ben Nelson

After the fire it seemed like life starting drawing lines, and it never stopped. At first the lines were clear and defined. Hunter versus supernatural. Human against monster. Growing up the lines were so simple.

Then Sammy turned fifteen and new lines were drawn. These lines were less clear, much easier to smudge or miss entirely. This was Sam versus the way they were raised. Sam versus Dad. Dean tried to avoid the lines and the choices that came with them, but more often than not he was thrust on one side or the other. John was his hero, but Sam was his brother…the choice was too much.

When Sam left, the lines became clear again. Sam made the choice for Dean, but that didn't make it easier.

Now with Sam back at his side the lines were nearly transparent. The need to find their father seemed to dissolve any anger Sam still felt.

We were lucky we had Dad

That statement seemed to wipe the slate clean again. Dean knew his younger brother would always hold some resentment toward the fights of his teenage years, but slowly it seemed to grow smaller and more distant.

That was until they finally found John—or when he found them rather. Sam's desire for respect, their father's need for obedience; the lines were larger and stronger than ever. It became like a ticking time bomb until Sam pulled the car over—rather dramatically—and got in their father's face.

That's when it happened. John grabbed his brother by the shirt. They had been through so much—him and Sam—and in that moment everything in him screamed, Get your hands off my brother!

Dean wasn't sure when it had happened, but over the course of the previous year new lines were formed. Lines more subtle but stronger than the others before them. Lines of camaraderie and understanding. Lines of tears and laughter. Lines of brotherhood and friendship. Somewhere along the way Dean started valuing Sam's opinions as much as his own. Somewhere along the way things changed.

There that night Dean stood up to his father, stood between him and Sam, and stood his ground. Because that's how they rolled now.

When Sam admitted to their father about his visions, Dean stood by him then too. Stood on Sammy's side of the invisible lines. Stood and showed his support. They would get through this together, and if John didn't understand…then he didn't.

When the yellow eyed demon possessed their father and Dean stood with the Colt aimed at his hero's head, the demon tried to draw more lines. It didn't realize that the lines were already drawn, and Dean wasn't the only one who'd already chosen a side.

"Your brother's lost his mind."

"It's not Dad…I think he's possessed."

"You have to trust me Sam," the John impersonator insisted, but it was too late for that. Sam moved behind his brother, once more clearly defining the lines. Saying, "I'm with you" "I'm beside you" without ever uttering a word.

Because that's how they rolled.