A/N: 1450 hits as of posting. Holy hell, people, you are incredible!
As a present to themselves for having successfully completed their project, they'd gone out for chips, and ended up spending the day wandering the city, both seeing it now with new eyes. It was then that Tardis explained what she knew of Rose's fate to John, and why she'd found it so important to help him unlock his memories.
"You think her disappearance has something to do with the Doctor," he'd stated, and Tardis had little else to do but nod. He raised the same questions she had once asked herself. Why would Rose have left without saying good-bye? If the only time travel ship in existence was in another universe, how could he, John, go back to find Rose? Even if he did manage that, he wasn't the same Doctor anymore, truly, and Rose would therefore be unhappy with only an echo of the man she once knew. But Tardis was positive that Rose would only have left so suddenly if the Doctor had come for her, and thus there was some obvious work to be done.
And John Smith, being an echo of his previous self and having the same drive to discover and learn, accepted this reasoning as a good beginning to a grand adventure. He'd waggled his hand at Tardis in a gesture so familiar to her from Rose's stories that she'd nearly rocketed her hand to meet his. They'd turned the corner, grinning from ear to ear at each other…
… and nearly ran into the blue police box that had blocked their way. They were both too shocked at first to notice anything except the fact that it was there, after John raced in a circle around it and Tardis stared up at the light on top, they both came down to stare at the plain envelope that was taped to the door.
John seemed to only be able to stare at the box in what appeared to be something akin to horror, so Tardis was the one to step forward and rip the envelope open at one end. Two plain silver keys spilled out into her hand, and wedged inside the envelope, she found a plain piece of paper. Someone had scribbled something on the inside.
I won't bore you with the rather spectacular details of my particularly genius plan, she read aloud, but suffice it to say that I am ever so brilliant, thank you very much. Anyway, thought this might help. She's getting near the end of her life, so don't dawdle. There should be enough left in her to get you where you need. Now, get to it! Hop to it, in fact, if you can. Allons-y! Tardis paused for a moment, trying to let her brain catch up before she read the last bit.
P.S. Tardis, tell me about this when you see me, and tell me it's like Bill and Ted's garbage can. If I'm very clever – and I know I am – I'll be able to figure out the rest. In fact, I have figured it out, so thank you in both advance and reminiscence for telling me. Cheers!
The two only stared at each other for one long moment. The next moment, they were charging through the doors of the ship for which Tardis was named.