Title: Tigger Holmes and The Three Bears
Fandom: Winnie-the-Pooh
Rating: PG
Length: 1,289
Summary: Tigger Holmes has been summoned by King Septimus because Gladys has done something, somewhere
Warning: A tale of Tigger with grown-up mentions

Tigger looked up from the note which a liveried footman had brought and said to Rabbit, “I’d better take Eeyore as my Watson today.  In the circumstances I don’t think Pooh would be appropriate.”

Rabbit hummed.  “I believe Eeyore was going to visit Dylan this morning.  He said they was going to groove with Zebedee.  He may not be back yet, and even if he is, I doubt he’ll be in a suitable condition to help in your investigation.”

“What am I going to do?  Tigger Holmes can’t go without his Watson.”

“I suppose I could come with you.”

“But I don’t think we could have another Watson.”

“I was thinking more of being Mycroft.  He is, after all, the more intelligent Holmes.”

“But they’re brothers.  And we’re, you know.”

“Not brothers,” replied Rabbit.  “So there’s no problem.”

“Okay,” Tigger wasn’t entirely sure, but he trusted Rabbit.  Implicitly.  Especially when they were, no he wasn’t going there.  At least not at the moment; there was a case to solve.  “But you will need a suitable hat.”

“I believe my umbrella will be sufficient.”  Rabbit picked up the bright green umbrella and passed Tigger the sou’wester.  “Let’s see what King Septimus has to tell us.”

***

When they arrived at the palace, the footman took them straight to the throne room, where the king was waiting.

“Good afternoon, Mr Holmes,” King Septimus said.  “Thank you for coming so promptly.  I’m afraid I don’t recognise your companion.”

“This is Mycroft,” Tigger said.

“Good afternoon, Mr Mycroft,” the king said.

“No,” Tigger explained “He’s Mr Mycroft Holmes.”

“Excellent, you two are married then.”  The king smiled happily.  “Now, can you explain to us what has happened?”

Tigger tried hard to look as if he could answer the question, and in the end said, “I think I need a few more details before I can come to a conclusion.  Your letter became a little hard to decipher at the end.”

He held the letter out and the queen took it.  Once she had examined it, she said, “It would probably have helped if you hadn’t dropped yoghurt on the bottom of it.  I did tell you to finish eating before you wrote it.”

The king nodded.  “It’s probably easier if I explain anyway.  This morning Gladys rushed into the throne room in a terrible state.”

“Gladys?” Rabbit queried.

“My first wife’s step-daughter.”

Tigger hummed.  He had assumed the king’s first wife must have died.

The queen noticed Tigger’s confusion and said, “I’m sure you are aware I am the second wife.  Mabel and our two oldest boys are my step-children.”

At that one of the boys in question waved and said, “Hello!”  Tigger waved back.

“Yes,” said the king.  “They decided to stay when their mother left.  It turned out she preferred women and she and my brother Tertius’ ex-wife set up home together.  Only their cottage isn’t very big, so it makes more sense for them all to live here.”

He paused, so Rabbit said, “And Gladys?”

“Gladys is Tertius and Columbine’s daughter.  She lives with Columbine and Amaryllis, because Tertius is away being kingly somewhere strange.”

“Right,” Tigger said.  He felt none the wiser, but hopefully the family arrangements were irrelevant.  “What happened when Gladys rushed in this morning?”

“She said, ‘I’ve done it now.  I’ve ruined everything and all because of what I did, and where I did it.’  She added nothing more, and when I said, ‘You did what where?’ she burst into tears, rushed upstairs and has barricaded herself into the night nursery.  So we’re rather hoping you can sort things out so we can have the nursery back by bedtime.”

“Have you sent for her mother?” Rabbit asked.

Everyone turned to look at him.  “I don’t think that would help at all,” the king said.

“No,” agreed Tigger.  “This is definitely a case for Tigger Holmes.  Is Daisy around?”

“Yes,” the king waved vaguely, “She’s in the walled garden.”

“Thank you.”  Tigger bounced off.  He expected Rabbit to follow, but clearly the role of Mycroft didn’t include following him around in the Watson fashion.  Not that it mattered, he was fairly sure he could solve this case by himself.

Daisy the dragon smiled when she saw Tigger.  “Hello, Mr Holmes,” she said.  “You look like you’re on a case.  What can I do to help you?”

“I am indeed,” Tigger replied.  “Could you have a quick fly round and see if you can see if anything untoward has happened locally.”

“I may not need to.  There’s been a lot of comings and goings at the Bears’ house this morning.  Mummy Bear has been talking to all her neighbours, and Daddy Bear has been dealing with the carpenter.  And there’s been some truly awful music coming from Baby Bear’s bedroom window.”

“Ah-ha,” said Tigger.  “What sort of awful music?”

“Mournful songs about being a teenager in love, how the world is coming to an end, everybody hurts, that sort of thing.”

“Thank you.  It’s just as I suspected.  These things will happen.”

Tigger bounced back to the throne room and said, “Could you summons Daddy and Mummy Bear for me please.  Or, invite them over for a cup of tea.  Something like that.  And it would probably be best if Columbine came too.”

“Should I invite Amaryllis as well?  It’s all perfectly amicable between us,” the king asked.

“Yes, if you like.”

Shortly afterwards everyone was gathered around the tea table.  The cook had provided a large plate of jam tarts and everyone was tucking in.

Tigger began, “Mummy Bear, I believe something strange happened at your house this morning?”

“Well, yes,” Mummy Bear said, “someone had eaten the porridge which I’d prepared for breakfast.  I always prepare it the night before, but when I came down to cook it this morning, it had all gone.”

“Thank you.  And Daddy Bear I understand you had to get the carpenter in?”

“Indeed,” replied Daddy Bear.  “Both my son’s chair and his bed are broken.”

Tigger looked across at Rabbit, who raised his eyebrows.  Tigger tried not to think too hard about when they’d had a similar problem.

“You need to have the carpenter add extra struts underneath,” the king suddenly said.  “That’s what we had to do, didn’t we, dear?”  This last comment was addressed to the queen, who nodded.

“We’ve done that too,” Daddy Bear replied.  And then he said, “Ah!  But who?”

“Gladys,” Columbine said.  “I thought she was seeing someone.”

“Do you think it’s too soon to start planning the wedding?” Mummy Bear said.

“You can hold it here,” the queen added.  “I do love a good wedding.”

King Septimus stood up.  “Quick, go and fetch your son,” he said to Daddy Bear.  “And I’ll go and tell Gladys to hurry down before the wedding’s completed planned.  Maybe we can encourage them to elope.”  Then he turned to Tigger and said, “Thank you so much once again, Mr Holmes.  Your help has been invaluable.  I suggest you leave now before they start asking you your opinion on the colour for the wedding favours.”

Tigger and Rabbit bowed, and the footman escorted them back to the coach which would take them home.

Once back at Rabbit’s house, Rabbit said, “I assume Gladys and Baby Bear ate the porridge.”

“Yes,” said Tigger.  “Late at night, after Mummy and Daddy Bear had gone to bed, Gladys called round.  They were hungry, so sat in the same chair to eat all the porridge, which is why it broke.  They then went to bed and were a little too energetic, with a similar result.”

“Hmm, all this talk of energetic activities in bed is giving me ideas.”

“Excellent,” replied Tigger.  “Me too!”