The Meeting (short story)

 was the first short story of the Brief Encounter series in Doctor Who Magazine. It was not titled on its initial publication, but received a name upon its reprint in Doctor Who Yearbook 1992. It was notable for writer John Lucarotti turning himself into a fictional character in the Doctor Who universe.

Summary
Tucked into the Parisian inn known as L'Auberge du Pont Romain, John Lucarotti hopes for a glass of Medoc and a chance to soak up the inn's historic atmosphere. As he leans in to order his wine, he hears the voice of the first Doctor behind him. The Doctor reminds Lucarotti of the times they've shared together over glasses of wine. Lucarotti briefly indulges the Doctor before coming to his senses. He insists that the Doctor is fictional. The Doctor humours him, but then mysteriously suggests that he can go wherever Lucarotti has been. The Doctor suggests that maybe Lucarotti wants to go to Samarkand. Lucarotti defers a decision on Samarkand to a later date, then closes his eyes. When he reopens them, the Doctor has vanished. He tries to shake off the whole encounter as a figment of his imagination, then calls to the waiter for a his bill. The waiter, though, insists that the wine has been paid for by "the little old man with the long grey hair". Upon hearing this, Lucarotti resolves to go to Samarkand.

Characters

 * First Doctor
 * John Lucarotti

Continuity

 * The Doctor discusses the events of DW: The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve with John Lucarotti. In reality, Lucarotti wrote that story.

Timeline

 * This story occurs after PDA: Ten Little Aliens
 * This story occurs before ST: The Three Paths