Down to Earth (short story)

 was a Brief Encounter short story published in DWM 210. It saw the Doctor reunite with Liz Shaw to give her a farewell that was impossible during his exile.

Summary
The Fourth Doctor tracks down Liz Shaw at a restaurant in London to apologise for not saying goodbye to her, and offers her that which he had never managed until now: a trip in the TARDIS.

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Liz Shaw

Continuity

 * As the Doctor appears to be travelling alone, this story would appear to take place between TV: The Deadly Assassin and TV: The Face of Evil.
 * Liz could not properly bid farewell to the Third Doctor when she left him to return to Cambridge, as she was overcome by emotion. She was only able to say goodbye when she was out of earshot and the Doctor turned his attention away from her. At the same time, he was saddened to watch her to walk away and distracted himself from melancholy by playing with a caterpillar. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice)
 * As the Third Doctor did give Liz a trip in the TARDIS in PROSE: The Wages of Sin, whether the events of this story should be classed as "imaginary" is perhaps best left to personal preference.