A/N: Hello...and welcome to Part III of my "Raggedy & Regal" saga. For those of you not in the know, this is a follow-up to "The Final Day" (Part I) and "The Lady's Return" (Part II). I strongly recommend reading those first to make sense of this. Then again, if you just want a good read - and you like the Doctor/Romana pairing - carry on.

Prologue

It was a very peaceful night in Leadworth. The only sound that could be heard outside was a slight breeze. Every denizen of the village was fast and sound asleep. That is…every denizen except a seven-year-old Scottish redhead girl by the name of Amelia Jessica Pond, whose eyes were closed and hands were pressed together in a prayer gesture.

"Dear Santa," she began, "thank you for the dolls, and the pencils…and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you…but honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in my wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack…but I know it's not because…at night there's voices…so please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a Policeman? Or…" Her prayer was interrupted by a wheezing, groaning sound, followed by that of a crash. The girl's eyes snapped open. "Back in a moment." She took a look out of her bedroom window, and spotted a Police Box that had landed, on top of where the shed had been, on its side, its doors facing upwards. "Thank you, Santa," she whispered in gratitude. She put on her Wellington boots and headed into the garden…

*DW*

When the girl finally got close enough for closer inspection of the Box, the doors swung open…out of which flew two grappling hooks, which landed on the nearby haystack. Sometime later, a black-haired raggedy man lifted himself out of the Box as though he had just climbed the whole height of Ben Nevis, followed by a red-haired woman clad in a regal-looking golden brown pinafore dress. They both took notice of the girl staring up at them.

"Could I have an apple?" asked the man, a crazed look of joy plastered on his face. "All I can think about! Apples…I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving?!"

"Funny," spoke the woman in a wry voice, though she too had an insane grin on her face. "I can remember the days when you had a craving for Jelly Babies, love. You'd offer them to just about anyone."

"Are you two OK?" asked Amelia, worried that they had injured themselves.

"We're fine," the woman assured her as the pair climbed out of the box. "We just had a fall all the way down to the Library. Climbing back up is like climbing a mountain."

"You're soaking wet," Amelia observed. How could you get soaking wet in a Library?

"We were in the Swimming Pool," the raggedy man clarified.

"You said you were in the Library!" the girl reminded them, her voice a little pointed and sharp with confusion.

"Thanks to him," the woman told her, pointing to the raggedy man, "so was the Swimming Pool. I really must get him to move it."

"Are you the Police?" the girl questioned them.

"Not the last time I checked," the regal woman replied.

"Why? Did you call the Police?" the man answered with a question of his own.

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" asked Amelia, deciding to cut to the root of the problem she was faced with.

"What crack would that be?" asked the regal woman. But before Amelia could reply, the raggedy man cut her off, letting out a gasp of pain and falling to the floor.

"Are you alright, Mister?" asked Amelia.

"I'm fine," the man replied. "It's OK. This is all perfectly norm-" But he hiccupped, right before letting out a breath of golden Light.

"Who are you?" Amelia finally questioned. Most people did not breathe golden-coloured Light out of their mouths. To be honest, she had to admit to a feeling of awesomeness about all of this wonderful mess.

"I don't know yet," he told her, his attention half-focused on his glowing hands. "I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?"

"No, it just looks a bit weird."

"He meant the crack," the woman interjected sharply. "Does the crack scare you?"

"Yes," Amelia nodded in admittance – there was no point pretending.

"Well then!" the man announced. "No Time to lose! I'm the Doctor and this is my fiancé, Romana. Do everything we tell you, don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off!" the now-identified Doctor instructed, before spinning and walking headlong into a haystack.

"You alright?" Amelia asked in worry.

"It's alright," Romana assured her soothingly. "He just has a terrible sense of direction."

"Oi!" protested the Doctor, while Romana and Amelia burst out laughing...