First off, I would like to say I do NOT own Marvel and all it's characters and never will (althought I'd love to!). The only character I own is Hannah. Second, I would like to thank you for coming to read this story. I have been working on it for a while and, if you all like it, it was totally worth it! Third, this is my second Avenger fanfiction story, right next to Unexpected Family. If you like that, you can always check it out on my profile. Last but not least, I hope you enjoy this story. Please review when you're done. It always makes me so happy to see that I got some reviews. Have fun reading!

Bruises

Chapter One

"Ms. Hannah Barton, come to the office please. Ms. Hannah Barton." I perked up in the middle of the class history lesson. The eyes of the other students were on me, as well as the teacher. I never got called to the office...until now. I slowly got up and, leaving my things behind, and went to the door. The halls are quiet and empty, save for Al the janitor mopping up a mess on the floor.

"Called to the office, Hannah?" He asks. I nodded and he laughed. "Because you're such a troublemaker." This caused me to give a giggle. Little did I know it was the last bit of happiness I would have in a long while. I made my way to the office, only to be greeted with blank faces from the office secretary and the principal, Mr. Mack.

"Hannah, please come into my office." Mr. Mack said as he motioned toward the room. The atmosphere was tense, like there was something terribly wrong. But I had no idea why. He gently closed the door and sat behind his desk, and I followed suit and sat down opposite him.

"Hannah...something has happened." He started.

"Mr. Mack, have I done something wrong?" He shook his head.

"No, no. It's nothing you've done at all." There was a small silence as he looked down at his feet for a moment. He rubbed his temples for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking at me. "Hannah, you're father, Bernard...he was in a car accident with a semi this morning on the way to work."

"Wh-what?" I asked. "Is he okay?" He had to be alright. My father was all I had. After Mom died of cancer a few years back, Dad and I were the only two left. I was all he had. He was all I had.

"Hannah, it hurts me to tell you this, but your father, well, he was killed by the semi. He died instantly." The relief of knowing that my father didn't feel any pain when he passed was quickly replaced with shock. I held back a few tears and looked at Mr. Mack. I wasn't going to break down. Not now, at least.

"What happens now?" I asked.

"We have contacted your next of kin." He said, quickly answering my question. My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. I had never been told of any other family members, not that I remembered, anyway.

"What? Who is it?" I asked curiously.

"Your father had a brother. Didn't you know?" I shook my head.

"We have contacted him and he shall be here shortly." Mr. Mack said. "He has agreed to take custody of you until further notice."

"You can't do that." I objected. I didn't know this guy. And there had to be some reason Dad had never told me about him.

"I'm afraid the state requires that I must." Mr. Mack said. "He will be here to collect you in about an hour."

"Please, Mr. Mack, I don't even know him."

"He was approved by your father for custody if anything should happen to him." Mr. Mack said as he started to leave the room so I could have some privacy. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

I sat back in my chair, dazed and confused. Why would my father never tell me about his own brother? And why had this uncle of mine never contacted us in all these years? Why did this have to happen to me?

Clint's P.O.V.

I hadn't seen my brother in years. The last time I had seen him was at the circus we had escaped to from a foster home years ago. Now I come to find out that he had a daughter; a seventeen year-old daughter. Hannah. I pulled up her face on the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. She reminded me of Barney. That light brown hair...those blue eyes. I couldn't believe it at first, but when I saw her eyes, I knew she had to be Barney's. And that made her my niece. I was an uncle. What an unexpected surprise.

I had called Nat and she agreed without question that she should stay with us. But there were so many complications. Our jobs, for instance. We couldn't keep that a secret for long. The only other option would have been a foster home, and I was not about to go there. I had been in the system and I was not going to allow any kin of mine in that sort of environment. As I drove through the small town in Iowa (Barney had not strayed too far from where we had been raised ourselves), I wondered how much of a culture shock it would be for her to live in New York City.

I pulled up to the school and parked there for a few minutes. I closed my eyes, trying to think of what I was going to say. But what could I say to a seventeen year old girl? I wasn't one for talking. I silently prayed that neither was she. It made it easier, at least for me.

It was now or never. I got myself out of the car, my legs numb, as I approached the front office.

Hannah's P.O.V.

The car ride was silent. Good. I wanted it that way. The man in the driver's seat was my uncle. And he had a striking resemblance to Dad, except for being a bit younger. I had retrieved my book bag from class, never expecting to come back when I learned he lived in New York. I held back the tears as I left the classroom, my friends and fellow classmates giving me a soft goodbye.

Right now we were going back home to collect my things. Dad was going to be cremated, I guess. He had been too badly mangled to even consider a funeral. And truthfully, it was better that way. He had never had any really close friends. Like I said before, I was all he had. When we arrived at the house, I looked at it with sadness. It wasn't much, but it was home. I unlocked the door and headed directly to my room. I opened up a few suitcases and quickly packed my bags. Just clothes, some personal items, and a laptop I had saved up for a whole summer.

"I'll call someone to deliver your other things." My uncle, Clint was his name, said as he looked at my room. But he saw as well as I did that there was not much left.

"Don't bother." I said coldly as I zipped up the last of the suitcases.

"Can I help with your bags?" He asked, trying to keep as polite as possible.

"I don't need your help." I snapped. We had been fine without him all the years he had never bothered to contact us. I didn't need his help now. He let me pass him as I drug all my belongings to the car and threw it in the trunk. I hopped in the car and we were about to start off when I remembered something. Without thinking, I jumped out of the car.

"Hannah!" Clint said as he jerked the car to a screeching halt and got out of the car, trailing right on my heels.

I rushed into the house and into my bedroom once more. I looked at my dresser and couldn't believe I had forgotten it. A picture of Mom, Dad and I. I was about twelve when it was taken. Before we knew Mom had cancer. Before she became too frail and helpless to even get up. In this picture, she was the pristine image of health, with a big smile on her face. Like it was perfect. And I was not about to leave that blissful moment of perfect behind. That's when my uncle rushed in.

"Don't ever jump out of the car while it's moving." He said sternly.

"Sorry. Forgot something." I mumbled before walking right past him and back into the car. I watched as the house slowly became a small dot on the horizon. I would never see it again. All the memories with Mom and Dad were in that house, and they might as well have been lost forever too.

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