Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my original characters. Keep in mind that this takes place in the MCU universe. This OC will be the female Hawkeye in the MCU. In the Comic Universe, I totally adore Kate Bishop. I don't plan on having my OC be exactly the same as Kate. I ask that you try to separate the two. The dates may not match up, but I'm going to have this happen pre-Civil War.

Chapter One

Letter One- January 1st, 2017- Sunday- Morning

Hello, my name is Samantha Stan. People who know me usually call me Sammy. I don't know who will be reading these letters. I'm planning to keep a diary of my experiences here. Honestly, I don't know where to start except from the beginning. I died. Yes, you heard me correctly. My heart stopped beating. After a horrible car accident, I was sent to the hospital in critical condition. I didn't make it through the night. I don't remember much about my time in the light, but by some miracle, I was given a second chance to live. Before I knew what was happening, I woke up in front of the Avengers tower. I am in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm in a different version of Earth. I don't know who found me first. All of that is kind of a blur. My injuries and scars have carried on to this universe. S.H.I.E.L.D has had me under surveillance for 24 hours, demanding answers about whom I am and where I come from. After that excruciating period, I was finally released into the care of the Avengers. I'm in a building full of characters I've loved since forever. This isn't a dream. This is my new reality.

In a world full of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, I'm just an average twenty three year old girl.

Initially in the crash, I died from blunt force trauma to my cranium. There are scars and cuts littered all over my body. Sadly, I'll have to live with those reminders.

The most tragic part is that I'll never see my old family or friends again. In my version of Earth, super heroes don't exist. All of those stories were myths and legends.

Here I am in the flesh. No one here knows where I've come from. A girl's got to have some mystery to her.

I'm in my own tiny apartment inside of the Stark Tower/Avengers Tower. Pepper Potts has been so kind and accommodating since my arrival. She helped me move into this apartment, and she went as far as buying me all the essentials, like clothes and hygienic products that I need.

I'm not sure of what the Avengers will think of my presence here. I guess I'll find out once I finally step out of this apartment to explore the tower.

Love,

Sammy

There was a knock on Sammy's door.

For about a minute straight, Samantha Stan intensely stared at the door. Either there was an enemy or a hero on the other side of that door. Her heart raced as the anxiety set in. What was she even doing here? She was the world's biggest chicken. She was a cowardly little girl in a building full of super heroes. She glanced in the mirror, seeing that she wasn't a complete utter mess. She looked presentable enough. Who was she trying to kid? With the big geeky hipster glasses and coveralls, she was the definition of a dork. She was a short petite little thing. Her nose was too big in proportion to her face. Her dark black hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her brown eyes were also big. No one would see a girl that looked like her on the runway of fashion week. She wasn't too skinny or huge. She was certainly a unique gal.

"Is anyone still alive in there?" a familiar voice asked.

"Holy fuckballs!" Sammy exclaimed, covering her mouth after she realized what she'd said.

Her idol, her favorite super hero in the Marvel Universe was standing right outside her door. Any normal functioning person would have opened the damn thing already.

"I guess that answers that question," Hawkeye said, chuckling under his breath. "Next question, are you going to let me in? I was kind of sent here to check on you, and that requires that I actually SEE you."

She opened the door with her jaw dropped open. She was totally embarrassing herself. She choked back her excitement and tried not to act like a total fangirl.

"Hi, come in!" she squeaked, cringing on the inside.

"Clint," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to her.

Again like an idiot, she stared down at his hand for an awkward amount of time.

Another century passed and finally she reached out and shook his hand.

"Sammy," she mumbled out, shaking like a nervous freak.

She was shy…painfully so. Social interaction was not her strong suit. Her specialty was more along the lines of burying her face in a book or singing songs that no one else would ever hear.

There was a certain air of confidence to Clint Barton. He was one of the best S.H.I.E.L.D agents out there, but he was also a pain in the ass. He smirked at her nervous response, eyeing her up and down. He raised an eyebrow at her messy apartment. Her things were basically thrown everywhere. There was no sense of organization to the place. She was a tiny, awkward, and dorky ball of chaos. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets, flopping down on to her couch like he owned the place. He was curious about this mystery new girl. It wasn't every day that girls just suddenly fell out of the sky. She wasn't a striking beauty, but he thought she was sort of cute in her own right. He grinned as she gawked at him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here," he said.

"That would be nice to know."

"Well, I was the one that found you," he informed her, relaxing into the comfy couch. "I'm here because I want to get to know you, little peach."

"Don't call me that!"

"It's too late," he said. "There's no going back now! So, tell me your entire life story. I have all day just so you know. I'm not leaving till I get a sense of who you are. I'm here to protect the people, and I can't protect them if you're a potential threat."

"Fury wouldn't have let me get this far if I were a danger to all of you!" she argued, glaring at him like he was the worst kind of human being.

He barked out a laugh.

"You do have a little fire in you," he told her. "All you needed was a little motivation. I think you and I will get along just fine. However, I need the truth. I'm human, and you're human. We do have that much in common. I gather that you're having a hard time. You're in a new and unfamiliar place. S.H.I.E.L.D surrounded you like you were the human form of Area 51. Something in your eyes tells me that you have a story to tell, and I am a great listener. So just come take a seat next to me."

She was beyond overwhelmed. Her brain was having a total meltdown, and her anxiety was reaching its peak. She gasped as he playfully yanked her down on to the couch next to him, acting like they were familiar friends already. She closed her eyes tightly, counting backwards from ten like her Father had taught her back when she was a kid. She was thankful as Clint stayed silent throughout her mini panic attack. His hand was gentle and steady on her back as she took in a couple of deep breaths. Once she was feeling steady, her eyes squinted at him in annoyance.

"Was that necessary?"

"Come on, girlfriend. You just need to take a chill pill," he said, clapping her on the back. "I'm not as scary as I look."

He was the perfect picture of attractive, but he wasn't her type. Also, he was married to the lovely Laura Barton. She was aware of his family tucked away on a farm.

"I just met you. I'm not exactly prepared to share every dark secret with you," she said.

"By your initial reaction, I get the feeling that you know who I am. I'd like to know a bit more about you. You and I should balance out the playing field here," he replied.

The light mood in her suddenly shifted to something darker. The night of her death was etched into her soul. Her memory had blocked the memory of her fall into the Marvel World, but she remembered how she died.

"Will you promise to take me serious? I don't want you to laugh or say something snarky," she requested.

"Pinky promise," he answered, linking his pinky with hers.

The move was cheesy, but it made her smile for just a moment.

"I was on a road trip on my way to see my parents. I love my family, but we had our differences. I didn't exactly get along with them all the time. I have my Mother's stubbornness, and I probably resemble her most in looks and personality. You know how women love to be right, and we hate to be wrong. She and I fought way too much." She frowned, looking down at her folded hands in her lap. She trembled at the memory of what came next. "I was about twenty minutes away from my childhood home. My family was initially from the city, but when I was born, we moved out to the country. I love to drive at night, mainly due to less traffic. It was night time, and it was raining. Somehow I'd lost control of my vehicle. There must have been a puddle or a dip in the road. My car swerved, avoiding the guardrail. My car did a complete 360, and the passenger side of my car slammed right into the side of a mountain. Many people have died on that deadly road. Surviving would have made me the miracle girl. Sadly, I didn't make it. A truck of technicians stumbled upon me and my car. They called 911. I was raced down to the local hospital. I was in critical condition that night and I passed away in my sleep. I don't know if you believe in God or Heaven. I don't have any kind of religion. I didn't know what to expect. I was brave, and I stepped into the light. My memories are fuzzy from there, but I ended up here."

"I'm sorry."

"You're taking this last part of my story to your grave, Hawkeye," she said, reaffirming the fact that yes she did know who he was. "The previous year before my death, I ran away from home. I got in a terrible fight with my Mother. She'd said a lot of things she hadn't meant. I struggled to forgive her the moment she said I wasn't her daughter anymore. The regret set in, and she tried to chase after me. I was already gone. My best friend took me in, and I lived with her for that period of time. I didn't tell my parents I was coming home. I wanted to surprise them for Christmas. My soul was in purgatory for quite a while. I was on my way to apologize. I was ready to forgive and move on." Now it was the New Year.

"Why are you telling me all of this? All I needed was the basics," he said, trying to read her face.

"Because I actually hope you'll come to respect me one day. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to call you friend." She looked away, processing all that had happened. "Why are you here? I may not know you personally since I just technically met you, but I do know enough. You're supposed to be retired. "

"Little Peach, this used to be my apartment. I was here to pick up a few items I left behind. Before I knew what was going on, you fell right in front of me. You startled me. It's not every day that a normal human girl just falls out of the sky," he said. "I waited about a week after you fell, and then I decided today was the time to come back."

"Are you really going to turn in your bow and arrow? Not to add to your ego, but you're my favorite Avenger by far," she said.

"You and I were destined to meet. It must be fate!" He grasped one of her hands in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Yes, I think it's time to just live my life. I want to be there for my wife and kids."

"Who will take your place?" she questioned.

"Are you offering to take my place?" he asked, avoiding he answer to her question.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't say no," he pointed out, looking excited at the possibilities.

"I just got here, Barton. Technically, I shouldn't even exist!"

"That's the beauty of it! You have a beautiful opportunity to start over. You obviously didn't succeed in saving yourself, but you can start by helping other people. It'll help you build character. Give you an actual backbone."

"Ouch." It was true. She was the awkward duckling to his confident self.

"If I didn't believe in Natasha, where would she be now? You deserve an equal chance to find redemption," he said. Like he'd seen in Natasha Romanov, he detected something inside of Samantha Stan. His gut instinct tended to be right. He'd risked his career for Natasha. She was Auntie Nat to his kids. He had a bad habit of taking in strays.

He was human, and he'd accomplished becoming an Avenger. Sammy was human, too, and there was no reason why she wouldn't be able to at least try.

"Give me a day to think on it," she requested.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." He gathered up his things and left the apartment, leaving her alone with her thoughts for the rest of the day.