Watch Ol' Bandit Run

Summary: Take three bored young men, teenage Angst combined with goblin steeds; stir in a bit of hot pursuit, and you got the makings of, "a run for the border". A side story from, "What's Said, Is Said."

A/N: If you haven't read "What's Said, Is Said" then you might not understand this story. It is a HP and Labyrinth cross.

Disclaimer: We don't own Labyrinth or Harry Potter. They belong to their respective writers, directors, producers, etc. We also don't own the lyrics to "East Bound and Down" sung by Jerry Reed and "Good Ol' Boys" sung by Waylon Jennings. They too belong to their respective singers, writers and producers.

If you don't recognize a character, they are probably from our own twisted imaginations.

Reviews are welcomed; flames aren't!

0o0o0o0o0

Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored!

Spring was just around the corner. The trees were showing signs of budding out. The ground looked well, dirty, with its decaying leaves, patches of mud and debris. Even the fence row and gravel lane looked like it needed attention.

Three teen age boys moped in front of a huge stone and brick fireplace. It was mid-afternoon and they had completed everything they needed (or wanted) to do for the day. And there were several more hours of daylight left. Dinner seemed a long ways away yet, in reality it was only about an hour. But these were teen aged boys after all, and their stomachs were impatient.

"What do you want to do?" asked one of the identical two blonds.

"I don't know. How about you, Garion?" responded his twin.

"I don't know. What do you want to you, Jar?" Garion asked.

The first teen, Jar, sighed. "I don't know what do you want to do, Gar?"

Garion, the oldest of the trio, as the twins Jarrod and Garrod were not quite a year younger than him, sighed. He knew they probably could continue this routine for a while before his brothers lost their focus. The "What do you want to do. . .I don't know, what do you want to do..." routine was good only for a few minutes before it got annoying, especially for adults.

They could, of course, go down to the orchestra pit and practice, but they did that this morning. The play list and schedule for summer stock hadn't been released yet, so there were no scripts to memorize.

So here they were, bored out of their minds, with nothing constructive to do. Garion, in his past life, knew how mind numbing boredom could be. As Harry Potter, he had been locked up most of his life as a prisoner in his relative's home, until he was wished away to a different life by his cousin Dudley. A wish that was granted by Jareth, the Goblin King.

Suddenly, Garion bolted up from his slouched position. "I got it!"

0o0o0o0

Sarah Williams was a stay at home mom, one with two deep, dark secrets. The first being she was a well known, and lauded, American author. Currently, she and a British author were in the running for the title of 'author of the best children's books'.

The second being the fact that she's happily married to the Goblin King. She's also the mother of the three teens who were currently trooping through the house.

She came out of her study and started to scold them for their excessively boisterous behavior and running in the house. Of course, she also chided the horde of goblins that followed after the trio.

"Sorry mum!" the trio called as they headed for the garage slash stable. The goblins echoed, "Sorry Lady!"

"Be back in time for dinner!" she called after them. "And don't. . . " The door slammed closed. ". . . slam the door!"

The garage was a montage of vehicles, stage props, broken electronics and tucked in a space in the back were three custom vintage motorcycles.

They rolled the bikes out of the garage. Anyone watching would think nothing was wrong, a perfectly normal scene, three teenagers and their souped-up cycles. And they would've been so wrong!

The bikes were in fact disguised goblin-steeds, a shape shifting sub-species of Nightmares. There was a large herd of them Underground in the Labyrinth. These three had been hand-picked by their father, the Goblin King, for their speed, dependability and adaptability.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows as they walked their bikes down the lane leading to the old converted theatre with its paved and vacant parking lot. After making sure of their bikes, they pulled on their helmets and mounted. Like aristocratic young cavaliers of old, they looked to each other as they pulled down their protective goggles.

The bikes roared to life and all three popped wheelies in the parking lot as they zoomed out onto the country roads.

The trio were off.

0o0o0o0

Cory McBain was just getting off the phone with Sarah when he heard the trio leave. He was manager and part owner of the Meadow's Grove Summer Theatre. The theatre didn't really bring in a lot of money, but it made up for it by offering 'starving young actors', fresh out of acting school a chance to work in live theatre.

Big name stars would also give up a few weeks during the summer to come perform. It was good p.r. all around. The stars looked good in the press, young hopefuls got experience and the theatre made money.

There was another reason for the theatre. Humans, like Sarah and Garion, have the ability to create magic with their words. The theatre gave them the chance to create living works of art and in return, their creations fed the magic of the Underground. This phenomenon was known as the Circle of Magic: Magic feeds imagination and imagination creates magic.

Cory, or more properly, Corrindel, was not human, but his glamour made him look like one. He was a high elf, much like the elves described in Tolkien's works. Cory was also the cousin to Jareth, the Goblin King.

He knew just what the trio were riding. He sighed as he picked up the phone and made the call.

"Hello, Sheriff? This is Cory McBain at the Meadow's Grove Theatre. . . Look, I'm afraid the Hooligans have escaped….again. . ." With a long suffering sigh Cory pulled the phone away from his ear as someone started to shout on the other end.

0o0o0o0

The helmets had been charmed so the trio could speak to each other without shouting. Ignoring the speed limit signs, they raced along the paved country roads. They'd made it a rule to stay off the dirt ones, not because they were bad, but because of the spring mud. Clean up was hell! It was too early in the season to chance them just yet.

Another nifty charm they used insured them of a warning of oncoming traffic. There were too many blind curves and hills in this part of upstate New York, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

Garion was in the lead as they headed out. The bet was whoever made it to the interstate overpass some ten miles away, and back to home first, got out of chores for the week.

Suddenly, the wail of sirens pierced the air and they looked behind them. "Uh oh! County mounty on our back door!" informed Jarrod, looking over his shoulder.

"Think he'll inform the State boys?" asked Garrod.

"If I know Uncle Cory, he's already informed the Sheriff. You know what that means!" Garion asked.

"Cannon Ball Run!" the trio shouted in sync over the roar of engines.

Garron started to sing:

"East bound and down, loaded up and truckin',
We're gonna do what they say can't be done!"

Two voices screaming, "YeeHa!" briefly interrupted him.

"We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
I'm east bound, just watch ol' "Bandit" run…."

Twin replies of "Eat dust!" made his ears ring as his brothers, 'put the pedal to the metal' and drew up beside him.

In the blink of an eye they whipped through the main street of a small, nearby hamlet. The local residents, used to the wild and sometimes unexplained happenings around the theatre over the years, simply watched them whip past.

As the trio of bikes roared through the town, many just got out of the way and went on with their business. A few of the old timers started to make bets who would win this time, the boys or the law. A couple bets were even on when other teenagers would join in the chase.

For the most part, it was a quiet village of artisans, with little to no traffic or law breaking. But teenagers will be teenagers. The last time the trio from the 'that theatre crowd' came rippin' through town, it involved a chase of the sheriff, three State Troopers and old lady Verna's prized goats!

'Course most of the goats had the good sense to get out the way, but rumor had it that they were still trying to get the smell out the squad car!

The sheriff and his one deputy joined in the chase. A call had been put out that, "the Hooligans were on the run."

In the eyes of most in the village, Cory McBain and the boys' parents were good people. They raised those boys a little wild, but for the most part they were good boys, just strange.

The boys picked up a couple of other bikers as word spread that the Hooligans were on the run. They also picked up a couple more State Troopers.

"Keep your foot hard on the pedal. Son, never mind them brakes.
Let it all hang out 'cause we got a run to make." Garion's voice warbled through the helmets as the trio sped up.

"They must've been as bored as we were," Jarrod commented over the helmets.

"Yea, all we're doing is a bit of speeding," added Garrod.

"Time to split," came Garion's voice. "Let's give 'em bit of a chase!"

"The crossroad's just up ahead," Jarrod pointed out. "Time to break! Last one to the Interstate Overpass and back home does all the chores for a week!"

Folklore mentions that the Fae, when bored, would race their steeds challenging any comers at crossroads. These boys were no different. The twins, Jarrod and Garrod were half Fae and Garion was a former wizard turned Fae and they were just living their heritage. Much to the dismay of the humans around them.

So at the crossroads, the trio split, each one taking some of their followers with them as well as the pursuing police cars. It really didn't matter. The boys were faster and they were not stopping.

At least one squad car did not make the split and ended up taking out a couple of young saplings and part of a fence row.

0o0o0

Cory pulled into the sheriff's parking lot. He knew that he could've asked a couple of goblins to keep track of what's going on, but he also knew that he was needed at the sheriff's office. The boys were, after all, only letting off some steam from being so cooped up this past winter. It seemed cabin fever had that effect on them. He wanted to make sure no one was truly harmed, including his three hellion nephews.

Magic can only do so much but with a little money added to the fix, it helped.

Cory nodded to the dispatcher as he walked in. The radio was blaring away as the reports were coming in."10-4, Sheriff. Mr. McB. just walked into the office."

"Tell him to wait there. I'll break off pursuit and meet him. Looks like the boys have split up. Any ideas of the wager this time?"

Cory shook his head as the dispatch relayed the information. 'Jareth is going to have a fit when he returns.'

0o0o0o0

Garion was humming The Dukes of Hazzard's theme song under his breath.

"Just the good ol' boys,
Never meanin' no harm,
Beats all you've never saw, been in trouble with the law
since the day they was born."

He and his brothers were just letting off a little excess energy, 'there was no cause for innocents to get in the way or get hurt. The law was another matter. As long as it was just speeding and resisting, they will get fines and maybe a few days in jail. We'll definitely lose bike privileges over this. It's doable.'

However, anything beyond that was not. So he was pulling on his bardic magic to make sure that no one got hurt. He flew over a hill, soaring briefly as he went, landing with a 'thump'. A couple of the bikers with him kept up. He made sure none of them took a spill.

The two squad cars following him also sped up.

"Dude!" squawked Jarrod's voice as the sound of squealing tires and police sirens came across their link. "Seriously. A hay wagon? This time of year?"

"You alright, Jar?" Garion asked with some concern.

"Yea man," came the reply. "Lost a biker in the hay. He did not quite clear it. The county mounty was able too. The farmer is a bit pissed."

Garion chuckled. Looks like Uncle Cory will be putting out big bucks this year.

Garrod's voice came through, "I got three mounties on my tail. I can't ditch 'em. They're trying to box me."

"Trust your steed," Garion sang out. "I'm sure you can do it. "

"Easy for you to say!"

Of the trio Garrod was the weakest of them. He took after their mum more than his twin. However, he still had it in the magical department. It just took him a bit more trying.

Garion was snapped back to what he was doing, when he turned back towards the direction of the overpass. A road block consisting of a single squad car waited for him up ahead with trees on either side of the road. He saw a strip of metal was also across the road. There was no sign of his brothers.

"Well, Greased Lightning, this is where the boys are separated from the men! Ready?" Garion asked his mount as he released some of his magic.

A screaming, rev'ed engine was his answer as he felt his steed gather speed and power beneath him. A second later, they were over the squad car and headed for the overpass!

This was the moment of truth. They'd cleared the crash strip and roadblock. The squad car didn't move as the two tailing bikers ran into the crash strip. Magic told him that everyone was alright but it'll be a few seconds before the squad car could move to take up the chase.

"They're getting smarter!" Garion reported. "Just jumped a crash strip and a squad car. Lost my pursuit."

"Sweeeeettt! Wish I could say the same!" came Jarrod. "I must've got the bulk. Knew I should've never gone straight!"

"Well, be careful on that S-curve. Remember last time!" his twin snarked.

"So what's the bet this time, and can an old dog get in on the action?" came a new voice on their helmets.

"Snuffles! Where are you?" shouted Garion.

"Look behind you. You don't think those hybrids of yours could keep up with me, now did you?"

Sirius Black, aka Uncle Snuffles, came barreling up behind Garion on his magically souped up vintage 1980's cycle.

Garion's bike rev'd in protest at being called a hybrid as he kicked up a bit of black exhaust and floored it. "Now, now Uncle," Garion chided. "Remember the last time you insulted Greased Lightning."

Laughter echoed on the comm. The last time he had insulted the goblin steeds, he found his beloved bike under a pile of manure from every steed in the herd. It took Snuffles, under the watchful eye of their father, two days to clean the garage from top to bottom. That was even with using magic! Mum's roses had never looked better.

"I see the Over pass," came Garrod's voice. "Uh uh! We got troubles."

"I see you Gar. Wow! I see what you mean. I didn't know they were going to work on the pass!" Jarrod said.

"I'm almost there! Snuffles' right behind me!" came Garion. "Wow! You think your pursuit can turn without crashing into them?"

Beneath the over pass were several big pieces of road equipment with lights and workers. With the new laws about harming road workers, things just went pear-shaped.

Garion cursed under his breath as he mentally searched for the right song to weave more bardic magic. With time running out, he decided to stick with those good ol' boys.

"Straight'nin' the curve,
Flat'nin' the hills.
Someday the moutain might get 'em,
but the law never will.
Makin' their way, The only way they know how,
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.
Just the good ol' boys,
Wouldn't change if they could,
Fightin' the system like a two modern day Robin Hood."

Garion let the magic out just as he got to the first barrier. He jerked the reins/handlebars of his steed and skidded to a stop. Workers stopped at the sounds of screeching tires and sirens. Whipping around before he did any damage other than skid marks, he turned.

A yell in his helmet and Jarrod, Garrod and Snuffles raced up to him. They turned to face the group of police cruisers blocking them in. They'd lost the few thrill seekers that had join them. The road crew had stopped their work as they watched the stand-off. No one had been harmed so far on either side of the law.

A silent signal was given and the four rev'd their bikes, and all charged the blockade. They soared up and over the hoods of the cruisers, landed on their roofs and continued on over the other side. Several of the newer law enforcement officers swore under their breath. The sheriff's deputy just shook his head as he threw his hat in the dust.

Several of the cruisers turned around to follow the foursome again.

The hat-less deputy was strongly reminded of the 'Dukes of Hazzard'. The teens have always been careful when they cut loose like this, as shown by their avoidance of the construction zone. He could hear the workers cheering on the bikers, much to the deputy's amusement. Looks like Mr. McB. will be paying a hefty fine this year. The New Construction Zone laws will see to that!

The race back was just as thrilling. The state cruisers, wise now to what's going on, tried to lead the bikers back into town to some sort of trap but the teens would have none of that. They had clear set rules of engagement and were not about to play by someone else's.

Someone tried to pull out of a blind lane, sending Garion over the vehicle. The race would be close, in his opinion. 'These guys must be new if they think they can stop us,' he mused.

The trip back through the hamlet was a bit more interesting as school was letting out for the day. So there was the crossing guard on Main Street shepherding her charges across the street. The total of students in the area was about 850, Kindergarten to 12th grade. And it looked like all of them decided to cross right now.

As they roared past, the white-faced and screaming crossing guard had the sense to pull the last of her charges off the curb and up on the side walk.

Garion nodded as he checked to see who was behind him. Two cruisers. Alright, no students on the street or in the way, so the street was clear, no need to ride the side walks, yet.

Home stretch! Sirens blaring as the quartet met up the last mile from the theatre. Garion checked the time. Not too bad, but not a record by any stretch. The road construction had thrown a snitch into the works.

The teens and one cackling Uncle Snuffles, jockeyed for position with four cruisers behind them, three State and one deputy Sheriff. It was almost neck and neck when everything came to a screeching halt.

Standing in the parking lot, in front of the Sheriff's cruiser, was their father, Jareth, in his human form. With arms crossed and a deep frown on his face, he did not look happy. Sarah was also standing there, along with Uncle Cory and the Sheriff.

The cruisers bracketed the road and driveway, blocking any escape back the way they'd come. The troopers got out of their cars. Thankfully no guns had been drawn yet.

Garion could thank magic for that. He'd been laying down bardic magic right and left since the race began. He just prayed it was enough, but one look at their parents and he knew it wasn't.

Jareth swaggered to the quartet and held out a gloved hand. Four sets of keys were dropped into it. The Sheriff came to stand beside him.

"Boys, be thankful that your father and uncle are here. If'n it was up to me, all three of you would be on your way to lockup. Black, you are under arrest. Hands up."

Snuffles spit and sputtered but did what he was told. He was supposed to be an adult after all. He didn't have to join in the race. Being under age, the boys would be remanded to the custody of their parents until the hearing.

"Mr. King, make sure the boys are in front of Judge Wilson tomorrow morning," the Sheriff said as he lead Black off to his squad car. One of the State troopers came over and he and the Sheriff conferred for a few minutes as Snuffles sat in the back seat.

A slight chuckle was shared by the pair of law enforcement officers before they parted company.

Jareth looked at his wayward sons. Every few months, they would pull a stunt like this. He should be used to it by now. "Get your steeds cleaned up and then wash up. We'll talk after dinner."

Dinner was a quiet affair. The boys exchanged a few quick glances but for the most part kept their heads down.

Garion had been raised in this family but memories of his past life as Harry Potter sometimes raised their ugly heads. He withdrew into himself under Jareth's stern demeanor.

"Boys, go help in the kitchen until I call you. Not you Garion," Jareth ordered as he placed a hand on his oldest son's shoulder.

As the twins went to the kitchen to help clean up, Jareth led Garion into Sarah's study.

Garion stood waiting for the proverbial last shoe to drop. Yes, it had been wild and fun. Yes, they've done it before and yes, they've always accepted whatever punishment was handed out.

Garion knew he was loved and wanted, but he hated this part. He always did. Bardic magic had traces of empathy mixed in it. Bards needed strong empathy gifts to better handle their magic. However, once a bard was on a downward spiral; it became a vicious cycle self doubt and depression.

Strong arms wrapped around him as Jareth stopped being the stern Goblin King and became the loving father. Soft words of comfort whispered in his ear.

When the moment passed, Jareth lead Garion over to a comfortable sofa.

"Now then, Garion. Let's deal with the fall out," Jareth said, with a smile.

Garion smiled back.

0o0o0o0

Later that night, Jareth closed the door to their son's room as he looked over at Sarah.

"Now Sarah, we've been through this before. They could've gone Underground to let off steam, but they didn't," Jareth said to his queen. "The only damages this time was a hay cart, a few bruises and several suspicious looking hoof shaped dents on the roofs of police cars. No one was hurt."

"YET!" she almost shouted.

"No, Precious," Jareth corrected. "You know full well Garion will not allow it. He uses his magic to ensure it. Both Cory and I felt it. You would've too if you hadn't been so upset."

She huffed, but allowed him to escort her back to their rooms. "What about the fines and Snuffles?"

"Snuffles will pay his own way, as is the deal. The boys will do extra chores and community service as they have in the past. Sheriff Rand really can't say much but he and Deputy Enoch get just as much of a thrill out of the chase as the boys. I think it is the only way they keep their 'hot pursuit' skills sharp. It was just unfortunate that they tripped a State cruiser speed trap before they made it to the village."

"From what Sheriff Rand said, they were making Dukes of Hazzard comments on the radio," Cory said as he came up stairs. "Boys asleep?"

"Finally! They are such hooligans at times!" Sarah huffed again.

"You would not have it any other way, my precious."

0o0o0o0

As promised, a short side story of Garion/Harry. It was written during NaNoWr. We hoped you enjoyed it.

Look for a Garion/Stargate cross coming.

Until next time. -GF and the Frau