Title: The chalk and talk of Voight

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Chicago PD. I'm only borrowing the characters.

CHAPTER 2

Hank Voight shut the car door behind him and looked up at the tall maroon and red brick building that towered over him. If he'd been a student on his first school day the building might actually have been intimidating. However, he wasn't. He made his way across the schoolyard that was filled with kids from six to 13 years old. The contrasts of their age was obvious when looking at the activities they were busying themselves with. The younger children were busy playing games, shouting and jumping rope, while the older children mostly stood in groups talking or making noise. He noticed that here and there people were having disputes with each other, but not having the time to deal with any of it at the moment he headed through the heavy front door inside, listening as the door shut behind him with a reverberating bang through the yet student empty corridors.

Hank halted for a moment to take a look at the signs on the wall. Principal's office was up one flight and to the left. He took the stairs two at a time and soon reached the top. In the middle of the corridor was a door with a glass window that had a sign that said "Office". He pushed the door open and entered a room with a couple of booths and a big door at the other end that said "principal" and steered his steps that way. Suddenly a curly blond haired head popped up from a booth.

"Sir, are you here to see Principal Jenkins?" said the woman with a squeaky voice.

Hank met her slightly stressed stare and nodded.

"He's not here. Texted us he was sick five minutes ago," she said with a quick glance at the big clock on the wall. "Without any information whatsoever about who's going to teach the 6th graders today. Oh heaven, I have to get to that right away before the bell rings." Her head disappeared as she turned her attention back to her computer, mumbling something about needing substitutes with grit.

Hank looked around at all the empty booths and made the assumption that this school either had some epidemic going on, or had a lot of absent staff for other reasons. He stepped over to the blond woman's desk and stood behind her until she turned with a creaking sound of her office chair on wheels.

"There's no need for that, Ms. I'm the new 6th grade teacher."

Her slightly pink face relaxed as relief seemed to wash over her. She blinked a few times, appraising him from top to toe as discreetly as possible and then stood.

"Goodness, that's good news Mr….?"

"Voight. Hank Voight. I was meeting Principal Jenkins for some information about the class and previous teacher."

"That would be teacherS. But oh, I see. Well, all I can say is...oh goodness where are my manners by the way? I'm Ms. Lane."

Before she could continue a loud signal blared through the speakers as the bell rang. Doors banged open downstairs and students started to well in and fill the corridors with loud voices. Ms. Lane was about to shake Hank's hand but seemed so distressed by the sound of the bell that she seemed to forget and Instead grabbed a stack of papers from her desk and walked past him.

"I'm sorry that I don't have more time to inform you about what you're getting into, Mr. Voight." She quickly put a hand over her mouth and looked abashed. "I mean, they're great kids and all but...oh never mind. You should get to form your own opinion without me influencing you. Anyway, I will show you to your classroom, this way, please. It's down one flight and to the right. Please follow me, Sir."

Hank let Ms. Lane do the talking and simply followed her down the stairs, past children of what seemed all ages. They all probably had a final destination that they were heading to, but it seemed like they were all just milling around the building shouting. School certainly had changed since he was in it. Or maybe it hadn't. The children began to enter their classrooms and soon the corridor they were walking through quieted down some and it was actually possible to hear the sound of the footsteps on the marble floor. Kids began to enter their classrooms, leaving the corridor more deserted. They passed coat hooks mounted everywhere on the walls and racks for shoes on the floor. As they began to approach the last classroom at the end of the corridor they could hear noise coming from the classroom. Hank also noticed something else; instead of hanging on the hooks several coats and jackets were simply dropped in heaps on the floor. and most choes were standing right on the floor, instead of on the racks.

They stopped outside the door and Hank glanced inside through the glass window. What he saw didn't surprise him. He hadn't had much information about what he would be facing but he had picked up enough from the commander to grasp that this was a school in need of assistance, and some of it was due to this class of 6th graders that he was about to meet.

Just as they were about to enter Ms. Lane's phone started to buzz in her pocket. She hauled it up and held up a finger in the air. Hank signalled for her that she should go, and that he was fine with entering alone. She looked almost relieved and nodded and grinned gratefully at him before she ambled up the corridor at full speed.

Hank grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open with no hesitation. Then he stepped into the classroom that belonged to Chicago middle school's 6th graders. What he met was the almost bizarre sight of kids sitting or even laying on the top of desks, leaning against walls while in deep loud conversations with each other or performing a dance recital in front of the class. One boy with dark hair was even sitting in a window with one leg dangling on the outside while smoking a cigarette. He didn't seem the least bit caught red handed when he noticed Hank at the door. He only glanced indifferently at him. Neither did most of the others for that matter. One girl noticed him and giggled before she yelled:

"Look, they sent us a grandpa this time. Isn't that great, guys?!"

Hank met her sparkling gaze with a steely one of his own. As he began to make his way slowly towards the front of the classroom with the teacher's desk on a small landing more kids began to quiet down slightly and observe him with interest the closer he came. He moved with slow steps, meeting the gaze of a new kid with every few steps he took, a small grin playing at the corner of his mouth. A handful of kids found their desks and took a seat and most of the others quieted down on their own. The girl who had spoken first giggled gleefully as she stared at Hank challengingly with her arms crossed over her chest. The boy at the window looked like he had no care in the world and like he had no intention to put out the cigarette in his hand and take his seat. He stared out over the schoolyard and paid Hank no attention. One loud boy with blond hair continued to do a little hip hop dance and deliberately ignored Hank's presence. The boy didn't move but continued to keep his back to Hank and practice his moves in front of the desk. When Hank's stare had finally gotten at least ten out of eighteen kids to either sit down or back up and he felt he had everyone's attention, in one way or another, he approached the dance boy from behind and slapped his heavy hand down on his shoulder hard enough to make him jump, despite the fact Hank was convinced the boy had been aware of his presence the entire time.

"Take your seat, kid," he said evenly with a nod at the desks. "I recommend you do as I say right away."

Everyone in the room seemed to halt what they were doing and just focused on Hank. The blond boy stared open mouthed at Hank over his shoulder at first but then slouched over to a desk at the front and dropped down on a chair. Soon others followed and sat down.

"Thank you" he said acerbically.

He then stood looking out over the slightly buzzing class.

"My name is Hank Voight. I'm your new teacher for the foreseeable future."

The kids in the class started talking to each other with low voices right away and to Hank's big surprise the dark haired boy in the window suddenly got down from the window and crossed the classroom heading for the door. As he reached the door Hank realized he was about to leave and got ready to stop him, however just as he started to move the sound of two upset voices got his attention.

"I said stop it, asshole!"

"Shut up, you dickfaced idiot!"

Hank turned his head and saw a boy and a girl glaring with hostility at each other. The girl sat at the desk in front of the boy and as she turned back to stare ahead Hank witnessed the boy grab her auburn haired ponytail and pull her backwards. The girl shrieked and grabbed her ponytail and tried to pry his fingers off it as her face scrunched into an expression of pain. Hank heard the door slam behind him and the boy in the window was gone. He set his mind on solving the situation in front of him first and promised to revisit the problem of the escaping boy at a later time. Preferably with the boy within reach.

The volume in the room increased as others began to meddle and shout at the two fighters. The girl had now begun to show strong irritation and aim with her fist at the boy's face trying to hit him as well as prying his fingers off at the same time.

"It's a trip right to the principal's office for you, Chip!" the boy who had been dancing shouted over the chattering and bickering voices in the room.

Hank sighed and took a visible breath. Then he roared to loud one girl actually slid off her chair and landed on the floor. No one laughed because everyone had just stopped in their tracks and stared at either each other or Hank at the front of the classroom. He didn't bother to head over to the two fighters but remained where he was, just staring at them. The boy let go of the auburn haired girl and sat down again with a thud, looking at the top of his desk. The girl righted her ponytail and cast one last furious glare at the boy before she turned around.

With order restored Hank continued. He stepped down from the small landing where the desk and blackboard was down to the main floor of the classroom and stared out over the pupils.

"Like I was saying: my name is Hank Voight and I'm going to be taking over as your teacher. I want you all to know that I'm no rookie at dealing with disorder of different sorts and you guys aren't the least bit intimidating to me. Whatever you come up with I GUARANTEE you I've seen worse."

He crossed his arms over his chest and met their stares with a small grin playing on his lips.

"And what I just saw happen will not be tolerated by me. Not ever." He glared specifically at the two fighting youngsters who met his stare now and then sheepishly.

Hank turned to the boy who had performed by dancing earlier.

"Which person that will be making a trip to the principal's office and when will be decided by me and me alone. If anyone wants to challenge that rule you can come see me at recess."

And with those words declared he headed up to the desk, pulled out a drawer and found the attendance list and started the work of learning the kids names while checking who was absent and present.

To be continued

A/N: Please let me know what you think of this chapter by just sending me a few thoughts. Where do you think it should head? Is Hank the right kind of person to handle this class that he's taken on etc?