It's been over two months since I posted anything (the final chapter of Apples) and almost eleven months since I wrote about the bears. :-)

A 'thank you' to MapleleafCameo for reading this through for me before I posted.

The only things I own from this are the stuffed bears and dragon. Quite literally.

"He's at it again!" yelled a frustrated Sherlock Bear.

John Bear turned away from the window and sighed.

A few weeks earlier, Mrs. Hudson had given Sherlock an early birthday present. Knowing he liked a certain character in the trilogy John had forced him to watch, she presented him with a red stuffed figure. The good doctor had smiled at his flatmate's delight over the tiny horns, long forked tail, and wool blue scarf.

"It seemed right," Mrs. Hudson said.

While John relocated a pile of books, Sherlock had pushed his bear to the middle of the mantle and the red dragon with yellow eyes was set down on the left. Since that night, when the humans were out, there had been little peace in the flat.

The first time the new resident woke up, the two bears had done their best to explain the rules (Sherlock Bear) and be welcoming (John Bear) but it was a bit difficult to talk when he gave them each a suspicious look and then cried out, "I am the king under the mountain!"

The declaration forced both bears to pause; John Bear's paw still outstretched.

The wool dragon almost slithered over to Sherlock Bear and gave him a sniff before speaking in a low tone. "I don't remember smelling your kind before. Who are you and where do you come from?"

"Before? You have no before! And what do you mean asking me where do I come from?" Sherlock Bear was almost certain the creature he was dealing with was insane or stupid. "We all come from the same place, Mrs. Hudson's flat downstairs."

"What is a Mrs. Hudson? And why is it flat?"

"Mrs. Hudson is not a what, she is a who. You mean to ask who Mrs. Hudson is. And her flat is where she lives, her home."

Hearing the sharp tone in Sherlock Bear's voice, John Bear thought it best he step in since it wouldn't do to get off on the wrong foot. They would all be living together after all.

"Mrs. Hudson is the landlady and she made the two of you for Sherlock, he's your human. She made me for John Watson, he's my human. He's a doctor and Sherlock's partner. They solve crimes!"

To John Bear's dismay, the dragon brushed past them and made his way into the kitchen. The two bears hurried after him.

His name being called brought John Bear back to the present. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Sherlock Bear huffed. "I said he's at it again; him and his ridiculous nonsense about treasure!"

The tubby bear sighed. The week before, Sherlock had brought home some jewels he was borrowing for a case. Thinking he was funny, he had dumped them into a bowl and set it on the mantle for safe keeping. John had laughed and said if a dragon couldn't keep watch over the treasure they were doomed.

The trouble was, the case was now over and the gems returned. Smaug Dragon didn't seem to pay much attention when the humans were around. Sherlock Bear was convinced his desire for treasure caused a sickness that clouded his mind. John Bear had to wonder if he was right since they had been forced to listen to the dragon roar about his missing treasure, convinced the bears had taken it for themselves.

Just then, the dragon in question came into the living room. "Thieves! I hear you!"

Sherlock Bear made a gesture as if to say, "See?"

Certain he felt very much like his human counterpart did many times; John Bear made his way to the floor.

"Smaug Dragon, we've told you before, we didn't take your treasure. Your human did when he returned it to its rightful owner."

"Where are they hiding?" the dragon demanded as he started to look under the furniture.

Sherlock Bear snorted. "You really have no wits, do you?"

Knowing he would get no help from his friend, John Bear tried to explain. "You won't find them under there. They're far too large; surely you realize they are much taller than we are."

The dragon huffed. "I will have my revenge! My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! My wings are-"

Deciding he'd had more than enough, John Bear yelled, "I've had it! Your teeth are wool just like your claws! There's nothing sharp about them! You are a stuffed animal! This is not a mountain; it's a flat in London! You are not and will never be the king of any of us so you can stop that nonsense right now!"

After a breath, he continued, a bit more calmly this time. "Now, we've been more than patient with you. If you want to make a small pile of treasure and hide it under the sofa that's fine. They only clean under there properly once every few months. But you are not allowed to take anything that belongs to our humans. Also, my medical kit is off limits as is the magnifying glass Sherlock Bear's human gave him."

There was no answer but John Bear could see the dragon in front of him was doing something new: thinking.

"There are plenty of people who come here looking for help and once in a while an earring or something else small will fall out and land on the floor and roll off. Only once since we arrived has someone called to check. But they can be shiny and I'm sure you'd like them."

There was silence until Sherlock Bear came to stand beside his friend. "You'd better agree. Otherwise, I just might toss you out the window the next time it rains."

Knowing he wouldn't want his fire dampened, Smaug Dragon made up his mind.

"I may have all that glitters?"

"As long as it isn't of value to our humans, yes," John Bear promised. "Though, it's probably best you check with me before claiming something, at least for a little while. Just to be safe."

"In fact," Sherlock Bear said, "If you agree, I might tell you where two or three shiny and forgotten pieces are right now."

The thought of getting a start on his horde made Smaug Dragon agree and shake his claws with each of the bears' paws.

Sighing with relief, John Bear watched as Sherlock Bear told the dragon to search under each bookcase.

"Nicely done, John Bear, I'm impressed," Sherlock Bear said as they heard their flatmate cry out in happiness. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Well, a bear can only take so much until he gets a little fire in his own belly," John Bear joked.

Sherlock Bear laughed and then went into the kitchen; curious about the experiment his human was running.

Watching his friend walk away, and seeing the stuffed dragon was already heading towards the sofa with two small pieces in his claws, John Bear decided a nice nap would be a good idea. As he curled up on his human's chair, he was thankful things seemed to be settling down once more. At least for a little while, this was 221B Baker Street after all.

Certain phrases used are from JRR Tolkien's book The Hobbit and the Hobbit movies that followed.