Inseparable: Ashley's Frozen Secret

Chapter 15 - Time to Work

"Howard was able to wake me up and I hated him for it." Taking a deep breath, Ashley wraps up her story. "All I wanted was to be with them again..."

"What does this have to do with you being frozen?" Bruce asks, accidentally interrupting.

"I didn't get a lot of sleep after that. I stayed awake all night wondering why the serum didn't work. Howard kept an eye on me and even ran some tests on my blood to see what it had done. The most of what we could tell, it burned my blood cells so bad that it changed them. Turning all my blood black; but it was also killing me." She paused for a moment. Taking in the exasperated expressions in the room.

"Howard said that when he found me. He thought he saw my veins moving. Like something was crawling in me, but all we found was black blood. So, in the hopes to develop a cure for the fucked up Serum, Howard froze me from the inside out. Stopping the spread and keeping me asleep until he could save me."

The room was enveloped in utter silence. Each person taking the time to soak in the information that was handed to them. The team had lost people in their lives, sure, but they never imagined killing themselves from the grief.

Slowly, each one realized that they had never lost everything they had. Wanda realized this more than the others. Even though her brother was the only thing she had left. The instant he died, she had gained more people to live for. A family and a purpose. She became an Avenger and made amends with her past.

Ashley was alone. Even though Howard was her friend, they were more coworkers than anything. There was no one to save, and no one to protect. She had no purpose to keep going.

After a long time of sitting in silence, Ashley spoke once again. "I found Howards cure that he made in the basement with a message. He developed a cure but doesn't think it will work. It's in the Lab now. Tony and I ran it on a sample of my blood. We're just waiting for the results."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. told me that the results were ready while we were in the gym. I haven't looked at the results yet. I figured you would want to be there." Tony said.

"Thank you, Tony. I would, yes."

Steve and Bucky gently squeezed Ashley's hands. Their own worry was apparent on their faces, but their eyes showed a spec of hope. Hope that this cure would work and they can go on living their lives with her. Instead of having to lose her after just starting a relationship.

"Bruce? Can you help Tony and I in the Lab?" Ashley asked.

Bruce answered without hesitation. "Of course."

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The rest of the day, Tony, Bruce and Ashley spent their time in the lab. The results came back negative for any signs of reversal.

They instantly got to work on poking and prodding at Howards cure. Trying to find any ways they could change it to make it work, or if they had to resort to developing a whole new cure on their own.

With three days left in the vacation, the team wanted to take advantage of their time. Not knowing how to help the trio with the cure and Ashley telling them that it was okay to have fun. They spent their time watching movies or playing board games to pass the time.

The Guardians and Carol continued their vacation with the team while Fury opted to go back to headquarters.

Steve and Bucky on the other hand. They stayed close by. Trying to stay out of the way, so the three could work. They lingered in the hallway, keeping a close eye on Ashley's state. They wanted to be at her side in a moment's notice if she started feeling dizzy again.