"You could have asked JARVIS to get one of us" Steve said, swiftly picking Katherine up and carrying her to the bed.

"I figured you were all busy and I can still crawl. I'm not that injured" Katherine replied

"We aren't busy, just trying to give you some space" Steve said

"I'm surprised with how long I was in the bathroom no one checked on me" Katherine said

"Honestly, I've heard Tony takes even longer showers" Steve said

"I was in the bathroom for an hour and a half, HOW can someone take longer?" Katherine asked

"You don't want to know" Steve said

"I think you're right, although now I can't get it out of my head" Katherine grimaced as the thought of Tony in the shower for that long led to only one thing.

"You're the one who asked" Steve said, "also, I like the pants, they look really nice on you"

"Oh, um, thanks I guess" Katherine said, "I know they're really soft"

"That's good" Steve said, "um, Katherine, may I ask you a question?"

"I think I know which question and I guess I'm going to have to answer it sooner or later" Katherine said, "yes, some of the scars I inflicted on myself. Some of the burns I inflicted on myself, some of the scars and burns are from my parents. Most of them do hurt and some of them did cause injury that isn't just scarring"

"Why?" Steve asked

"I hate myself, I hate that I'm short, I hate that I'm fat, I hate that my parents treat me horribly, I hate that I do it, but I can't stop, I can't feel anything most of the time, doing it made me feel like I was human" Katherine said, tears forming and her voice cracking, "but then the scars make me hate myself and I carve into myself because I hate myself, it just never ends"

"How long has this been going on?" Steve asked

"A long time. Longer than I'd like and longer than it should be. No one seems to question the scars. After awhile, they just believe I'm a klutz. I mean, I made it believable. Once in Chemistry I managed to burn myself on the bunsen burner. They all thought it was a mistake" Katherine said, "finally after the third time of burning myself or so I got told I wasn't doing labs anymore"

"No one questioned you doing this?" Steve asked

"They asked me if I was alright, I had people pulling me aside, but I just lied. They saw me always falling and tripping and I always told them I was just a klutz. Went with the whole 'I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached' spiel and it worked." Katherine replied, "I wasn't very high on their radar most of the time so I just skirted by. Besides, if they knew what was really going on, they obviously didn't care enough to really try and help me."

Steve let his hand wander along her hands and arms, letting his fingers engrave every scar into his memory. He felt how some of the scars were smooth and others left jagged ridges and craters in her skin. He felt how some sections under her skin were bumpy and jagged. He looked at how some were still bright pink and red, some still had blood oozing from them. He saw the older ones were almost white in areas and others were just dark lines that looked like dirt. He couldn't image the pain it caused or what kind of pain she was in. The idea that someone could do this to their body was shocking to him. He wished he could remove all traces of the scars and the memories that came with those scars and caused them to happen in the first place.

"They never will fully fade" Katherine replied, her voice quiet.

"Do you want them to fade?" Steve asked

"Sometimes I do, and other times, I don't. It just depends on my mood. If I'm happy, I don't normally notice them so I don't care. Most days though, I'll see them and wish I hadn't been so stupid and weak. Sometimes they trigger me to want to add to the collection" Katherine replied, "the ones on my wrist are the worst. They almost always seem to beg for more company"

Steve gently lifted her arm and looked at her wrist. He could see the small gathering of neat white lines that created a contrast to her already pale skin. Letting his thumb run over the scars, he could feel some of the raised scars. He could feel her pulse racing under his thumb and gently, as if he would break her, he gently placed a kiss over her scars. Feeling her body tense, he looked up to see her crying, "I'm sorry Katherine"

"Please, don't be sorry" Katherine replied, "you're the only one who knows what I've done in detail and you haven't rejected me like everyone else has. Most people see the scars and shun me. I'm a leper almost"

"You aren't a leper" Steve replied

"No, I'm worse. I'm just a reject" Katherine said

"Katherine, you were abused, not rejected" Steve said

"It feels the same to me" Katherine said, "people see the scars and they run. They hear my voice and they run. The few friends I had left me because I was too much work for them to deal with. I've gotten used to being on my own because my parents pounded it into my head that I was never good enough for anyone. My parents think I'm a joke to begin with. I'm never what they wanted. They wanted someone perfect and they got me instead"

"Katherine" Steve said

"Please, just go, I'm just going to disappoint you" Katherine replied

"You won't" Steve replied

"Trust me, it always happens. No one gets mad or sad, they just are disappointed in me" Katherine said

"I promise I won't" Steve said

Katherine rolled over, curling herself into a ball she let the tears fall freely. She knew Steve was still next to her and when he laid down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she cried even harder. He was being so nice to her, he was trying to help and she just wanted him gone. She wanted to just be alone because then if she got upset and hurt herself, she could just blame herself. She wouldn't have to think about how disappointed Steve or any of them would be. "Please, Steve, I'm begging you to just leave. I'm honestly better off alone. I know you think you can fix me, make me better, but it's not possible. So many people have tried and all have failed"

"I'll leave for now, but I'm not going to fix you, I'm not going to try and make you better. I'm just going to be a friend for you. I'm going to help you and be there for you when you need it" Steve said, giving her a hug and heading back out into the living area, "JARVIS, did you happen to record the conversation Katherine and I just had?"

"Yes Sir, I did" JARVIS replied

"Good. I'm going to need that for everyone to see. I think they need to hear what Katherine has to say about herself" Steve said, hoping that the others would be as understanding as he was.