I own no one but my own people
A/N Okay so this is my first solo CPD one shot and I hope you love it.
Chicago, 2001, Voights House
"You don't try to pass when you have the lead with two seconds left, the hell is wrong with you?!" Voight shouted at his TV as the Chiefs snatched the ball from midair thanks to the misjudged throw from the Bears quarterback and sprinted towards their goal line.
He watched in disgust as the opposing teams Cornerback ran towards their goal line and, with zero seconds left on the clock, scored a touchdown and took the lead away from the football team Henry 'Hank' Voight had supported since he was still in diapers.
Voight shook his head in disgust as he leaned back in his recliner watching the Chiefs team celebrate their win. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" he barked in his signature deep scratchy voice as if the players on the screen could hear him. Voight was just about to finish off his soda when his front door opened.
He glanced towards the front door and smiled a very rare smile as he saw the two teenagers walk through the threshold into his living room. "Hey, guys," he greeted the two teenagers, one a beaming sixteen year old girl and the other a sullen fourteen year old boy, happily. "How was school?"
Justin just shrugged as he loosened his uniform tie and threw his bag down on the floor. "Same as yesterday; boring, stupid, I got hit with a ruler…"
"What'd you do to get hit with a ruler?"
"Called Sister Declan a bitch because she made me late for history."
"Why did she make you late for history?"
"Because I was late for HER class and she was lecturing me after the bell."
Voight shrugged carelessly as he took a sip of soda. "Show some respect and don't be late, you won't get hit."
Justin rolled his eyes but knew arguing was useless so instead he just stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room shut.
Voight sighed softly but instead of going up to start a fight with his son that would have repercussions for the entire week, he turned to Erin and smiled at the beaming grin on Erin's face.
Before he had taken her into his home, he never saw a smile on the young girls face. Her eyes were always empty, dark, her face was sullen and sunk in from not eating, and there was always a hard dark look on her face that came from years of hard abuse and living.
But now, not even two months of living with her surrogate father, she looked genuinely happy with a constant smile, the way every sixteen year girl old should look.
"So how was your day?" he asked with just as much genuine curiosity as he had asked Justin.
"It. Was. AWESOME!" Erin announced with a huge grin as she went over and sat beside him in that whispery voice Voight could recognize in half a second even in a crowded room. "I got that math test back and I got a B+!"
Voight, knowing how much of a struggle math was for his surrogate daughter, nodded approvingly. "Good job, Erin. I'm proud of you."
Erin seemed to grow a thousand feet and her smile got even wider if possible. Before Voight, she had NEVER been told by anyone that they were proud of her for anything. Now he made sure to tell her those four words that meant the entire world to her as often as he could.
She beamed at him before she practically jumped up from the couch. "I'm gonna get started on homework and you mind if I go out tonight?"
"Where, what time, how long, and who with?"
The first few times Erin had tried to go out she had argued with Voight over those questions. Bunny didn't care one way or another how long she was out or who she was with so she wasn't used to what she thought was a HUGE violation of privacy. That ended up with her not going anywhere the first few times she asked to go out.
So eventually Erin learned just to answer honestly and usually Voight had no problem letting her hang out with friends from her new school when she did.
But, if she was to be completely honest with herself, she liked having someone in her life care enough about her to ask those questions. To actually be concerned with her well being and care about whom she was spending time with.
It made her feel loved…
"The movies and Dragons Pizza for dinner, I'm getting picked up at eight, I'll be home by eleven, and with Troy Steele," she answered.
"Movies and pizza fine, eight is fine, eleven… It's a Friday so fine but no later than eleven and call me if you're gonna be late, and who's Troy Steele?"
"You don't know him."
Voight blinked "… Him? You mean a boy is picking you up?"
Erin nodded. "Yeah."
"Is this just you hanging out with a friend who so happens to be a boy or is this… ya know… like a date?"
Erin looked down at the floor, a sheepish grin and blush giving Voight the answer.
The cop pursed his lips slightly. Yeah Erin had more street smart than any sixteen year old should have, but she was for all intents and purposes his daughter. He loathed the idea of some punk getting handsy with her or disrespecting her or not treating her the way she deserved to be treated.
But, he reminded himself, albeit very grudgingly, she was sixteen and she knew how to take care of herself. If some little ass wanted to pick her up and take her out, he'd have to let her.
Voight sighed as he looked over at her, his next words causing him physical pain. "…You… can go on... on your date," he grumbled, his voice so gruff she barely understood the answer.
Erin's head snapped up, her brown eyes wide. "Seriously? You're letting me go?"
"Be home by eleven," he warned with a no nonsense tone. "Otherwise no more dates for six months."
Erin let out a very un-Erin-ish squeal of delight and hugged Voight tight around the neck. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed joyfully practically jumping up and down.
Voight hugged her back for a moment before she pulled back, a huge grin on her pretty face. "Okay, I'm gonna- alright I'm- okay homework then I gotta get ready. Thank you again!"
With a final squee of joy, Erin practically ran out of the room and up the stairs. "Send down Justin!" he shouted after her.
She didn't answer but thirty seconds later Justin, out of his school uniform and now in a Cubs shirt and a pair of jean slumped into the living room where Voight was still sitting. "What?" asked Justin, none too patiently.
"First off drop the attitude," Voight warned with a raised brow. Justin stood defiantly with his arms crossed for a moment before he let them drop.
"What do you need?" the young boy asked, this time a lot more respectful.
"First, did you get the ruler in the palms or the knuckles?"
"The knuckles."
"Are you okay?" Voight asked his son a lot more gentler then he had spoken to him when he first came home.
"I got some ice in the nurse's office, I'm fine."
"You sure?" asked Voight as looked over his sons bruised and scratched up knuckles from the many beatings the nuns had given his son since he had enrolled him when he started ninth grade. "Justin... If you wanna go to a public school where they can't hit you just tell me. I just assumed since I got Erin in St Ingnstius you'd wanna go too."
"I'm fine there, Dad, I promise." To assure his father he gave him a smile that Voight didn't quite believe but never the less let the conversation drop for now. "What did you wanna see me about?"
"What do you know about Troy Steele?"
"Troy Steele?" Justin asked, almost shocked that his dad didn't know about the legend at his and Erin's school. "He's a TOTAL badass! They say the nuns keep him after school for all the beatings he's gonna get the next day just because they don't have time to do it before during class, that's IF he goes to school that day. Plus I heard that he actually beat the shit out of his teacher in public school once and they had to call the cops to get him off."
The officer raised his brow at his sons gushing admiration for the punk he was talking about. "That's not something to admire, Justin."
"No no I know. But yeah Troy is hardcore. Are you investigating him for something? They say he sells pot right out of his locker." After a moment Justin added, "but don't tell him I said that."
"No I'm not investigating him for anything. But… do you… I mean do you know how he is with girls? Is he respectable to them, a one girlfriend kind of guy?" Voight asked hopefully.
Mirroring his father when a perp said something idiotic to him, Justin raised his brow. "…Seriously? I heard he's working his way through the junior class. Kings said he's had fifteen girlfriends so far this year. If you can call them girlfriends I mean…"
Voight pursed his lips for a long moment. He had already given Erin permission to go out with this guy; he couldn't take it away just because of some rumors his son heard. For all Voight knew, he could be an upstanding moral citizen and all the gossip was fake. "Thanks, Justin. Go get started on homework."
Justin nodded and ran back out of the room and up the stairs. Waiting until he heard his son's door shut Voight picked up the phone and dialed a very familiar number. "Hey, Hank," the mellow voice belonging to one Alvin Olinsky answered.
"How you doing, Al?" Voight asked one of his oldest friends.
"Not bad. How's the vacation? Don't tell me you're already missing bashing people's skulls in already."
"You know it," said Voight with a smirk. "But that's not why I'm calling. I need you do me a favor and look someone up…"
Later that night, Justin and Voight were sitting in their respectable places on the couch watching a Cubs game. Voight's service rifle was laid out on the coffee table in pieces as well as a cleaning kit that he was using to clean and polish the individual parts. Erin walked down the stairs and stood in front of the TV to make sure she had their attention. "So… how do I look" she asked as she twirled once to make sure they saw the whole outfit.
She was wearing a jean mini skirt that JUST covered her ass and a black halter top that showed off her bare midriff with strappy black heels making her appear taller than usual. Her hair was pulled in a high tight ponytail and had caked her face in makeup with large fake gold hoop earrings.
Justin shifted slightly in his spot and Voight raised his eyebrow at his surrogate daughter. "Where's the rest of it?" the cop asked only half joking.
Erin rolled her eyes and smoothed out the already wrinkle free skirt. "Come on, seriously what do you think of it?"
"I think that you need to go back upstairs and change. People know you're a woman already, you don't need to throw it in their faces."
The young girl scoffed and crossed her arms. "Hey, I am sixteen years old. If people are sexualizing me that is their issue not mine."
"Yeah well you don't need to make it easier for them to do that. Go. Change."
Erin opened her mouth to argue with him but was interrupted by a car honking in their driveway. She looked desperately from the door to Voight who gave her a look told her something she knew all too well about the Cop.
He wasn't going to back down.
She let out a loud groan before she sprinted back towards the steps. "Go out there and tell him I'll be right out!"
"Will do," said Justin as he craned his neck to watch her run back up the stairs and licking his lips as he did so, only stopping when his father smacked him, hard, in the back of the head.
There was another loud honk and Voight got up from his chair. "Can't even come to the damn door," he grumbled as he walked across the living room and out the door. There was a rich flashy car in his driveway blasting some rap song so loud the neighbors would be able to hear it. The boy inside it was tall and thin with bright green spiky hair, an eye brow piercing, and was wearing a leather jacket over a 'FBI, female breast inspector' t-shirt and an earring in his left ear.
Troy Steele was too busy bopping his head to the ear shattering music that he didn't notice Voight walk out of his house and walk up to him until the cop tapped on his window. The boy jumped before he turned towards the window and lowered it. "What's up, man?" he shouted over the music. "Can I help you?"
"First, you're gonna turn down that music."
The green haired teen raised his brow for a moment but, slowly, reached over and turned down his music. "Look, is Erin gonna be out here soon or is it one of those things where I'm gonna sit here for ten minutes?"
"Its gonna be one of those things where you come inside and wait for her like someone with half a shred of decency," answered Voight.
"…Or nah. Look, Man, the movie starts in thirty minutes and I-."
"I don't give half a horses ass what time the movie starts, Man," said Voight with careless shrug and that look in his eye that let the unfortunate person on the receiving end know he wasn't fucking around. "Get out of your car, and come inside."
"Hey, if you got some kind of problem with me then just say so."
"Okay I got a problem with you. Glad we cleared that up. Now, I'm gonna make this real easy on you... Get out of the car and come in voluntarily or I will drag you in by the earring."
Troy expected to see a smile on the cop but after several moments of Voight looking at him emotionless, his face fell and he swallowed hard. "Fine."
"Good." Voight stepped back so Troy could step out of the car. He slapped him a bit harder then was necessary on the back and led him into the house. "She'll be down in five minutes."
Troy said nothing as the pair walked into the house and Voight took his seat back in the living room. "Troy, this is my son Justin. Justin this is Troy Steele."
Justin nodded at the older boy. "'Sup?" said Justin, as cool as he could manage as he leaned back on the couch. Troy managed a half assed wave and sat down the furthest away from Voight.
"So how long is she gonna be?" asked Troy, already impatient to leave. "I don't wanna be here all night."
"As long as it takes her," Voight answered as he picked up the bolt of his revolver from the coffee table and put it back in its place with a forbidding 'clink'. Troy glanced over and, even if it was half assembled, knew exactly what Voight had in his hands. The cop glanced down at it and smirked at the young man. "You like guns, Troy?" he asked as he clicked the grip back in place.
Troy swallowed hard, his eyes wide, trying hard to maintain his 'fuck authority' attitude he had perfected over the years. Voight pulled back the charger, letting it slam forward then, making triple sure the safety was on, turned it towards Troy. "This here is a .40 Glock… Standard police issue and could do some SERIOUS damage to someone. Did Erin tell you I was a cop?"
He shook his head, not taking his eyes from the gun. "No? I can't imagine why. Anyway, this guy could do some serious damage. Ya know what else could put a hurting on someone?" Voight reached down next to him and grabbed the strategically placed rifle he had placed their earlier in the day. "M4 Carbon Rifle… It's what the military uses." He peered through the sight and, after making sure the safety was on, aimed it at Troy. "Not exactly street legal but damn it has a nice kick."
Leaning back further into the couch, any traces of attitude was now gone. Voight set the rifle next to him down and twirled the Glock casually with his finger. "Ya now the best part about being a Cop, oh excuse me, Detective, Troy? I can find out information on ANYONE I want too. Hell, if I wanted too I could get your entire past in just sixty short seconds, ain't that something? Like say, if snot nosed spoiled little rich kid lied about being kicked out of three hardass public schools because he was Billy Badass when really he was just suspended from one Prep School for fighting with a 13 year old girl, which he lost by the way."
When Troy didn't say anything he continued. "Plus I'm in Gangs. That means I got contacts ALL around the city that'll do what I tell them. Hell some of the local Gang members I'm actually pretty friendly with. They'd be willing to do what I tell them and ugly violent things too, for the price of a pack of smokes so long as I don't turn them in. REAL hardasses that have been through a lot more shit then you'll ever see in your pampered puff lifestyle. People like my daughter, who I love enough not only to die for… but to kill for, Troy, if someone doesn't treat her with the honor and dignity and respect she deserves. You get what I'm trying to say?"
The young boys' skin had turned a sickly shade of white, his weak chin trembling. Voight raised his brow. "Well? You don't got anything to say to that?"
"I I do, I mean I- I get it," Troy told him with a shaking breath. "I won't hurt Erin."
"Make sure you don't because I promise, Boy..." Voight got up and walked over to him, looking down at him with a look that had grown men trembling. "You hurt her? You have me to answer to. You will not touch her without her EXPLICIT permission, you will not pressure her, you will not be rude, or disrespectful, or an asshole to this girl. Understand?"
Troy nodded, a slight sheen of sweat appearing on his brow before there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Voight went back to his chair and hid both the pistol and rifle out of sight as Erin reappeared, this time wearing jeans and a long sleeve fishnet top over a plain black tank top that was tucked into her jeans. She had also washed off half the makeup and was letting her hair go down long. "I am so sorry for the wait," she told Troy, "he made me change. Speaking of, is this better?" she asked Voight as she spun around.
Voight nodded approvingly. "You look beautiful. Troy, you gonna tell your date how nice she looks?"
"You look nice, Erin," he stammered out.
Erin blushed slightly before she smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Voight and hugged him with the Detective matching the gesture. "I'll be home at eleven okay?"
"That's fine. Call if you're gonna be late please."
"Will do. I love you."
Voight smiled. "I love you too." The two pulled away and Erin looked over at Troy. "You ready?"
Troy nodded and stood up, eyeing Voight with uncertainty like he would pull the two guns he had sitting beside him and fire if his eyes so much as dared leave her face.
Voight couldn't help but smirk as the two teenagers walked away. Maybe having Erin date wouldn't be so hard after all…
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