From the moment she stepped into the room Duncan Keith couldn't take his eyes off her. The way her eyes sparkled, even in the dull fluorescent lighting, the cute half smile she wore as if just to intrigue him. The black track pants she wore had the right leg left unzipped, offering a partial view of the knee brace that explained the slight limp she walked with. There was a hint of disappointment in her demeanour, was that from her injury? Most probably, he decided, seeing as this was the biggest opportunity most athletes ever saw. Did she at least get to compete in her event? He hoped so. There couldn't be anything worse than making it all the way to the Olympics, only to have your dream of representing your country ripped from your grasp in a practice session.

Duncan's sudden lack of interest in the conversation going on around him didn't go unnoticed by the teammates he was sitting with. Brent Seabrook, siting to Duncan's left while Rick Nash and Shea Weber sat on the opposite side of the table, was the first to follow Duncan's line of sight. It didn't take him long to pick up on his best friend's distraction.

"You know her?" he questioned quietly, leaving Rick and Shea to continue talking uninterrupted.

"Huh?" Duncan's vision finally strayed from the blonde who'd had him so captivated for the last few minutes. Brent pointed towards the girl, who now had her tray of food and was headed in their direction to find an empty seat. "Oh, no. Just wondering what she did to that knee." He wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to downplay his assessment of her, especially to Brent of all people.

The top defensive pairing for the Chicago Blackhawks were more than just teammates, they were the epitome of bromance. Not having much chance to just hang out together during their Olympic experience so far because they weren't rooming together, they decided to make the most of their day off by exploring the athlete's village and maybe venturing out around Vancouver after practice and a quiet lunch while soaking up the atmosphere. A few other players caught wind of their idea and tagged along, claiming that since tomorrow's game was do or die, they'd rather get the outing in before they were lynched or chased out of the country on the slim chance they lost against Germany.

Brent smirked at his friend's elusive answer, nodding towards the formerly empty seat on Duncan's right. "Now's your chance to find out."

Duncan was convinced some stroke of luck had led her to the seat beside him, he just couldn't decide if it was good or bad luck. Good, for the obvious reason of having her in close proximity, or bad because he wasn't the type of guy to just strike up a conversation out of nothing. He was a quiet guy, not exactly shy, just reserved and contemplative. Not to mention he was a little intimidated by the way he couldn't get her off his mind.

Shaking his head a little to dismiss Brent's suggestion, it took a lot for him to keep his eyes from straying back to the girl while he tried to keep up with the conversation.

"It's good to see you boys made it out of the arena alive after yesterday's game," she commented after a few minutes, referring to the heartbreaking loss the Canadian team had suffered against the USA. She spoke with a captivating accent. He couldn't quite place it - not harsh enough to be Australian and a hint of British pronunciation.

If there was anyone under pressure at these Olympic games, it was the Canadian Men's Hockey team. Every hope had been put in them to avenge history and bring home the gold medals the entire country felt they so deserved. After all, Canada was the home of hockey.

Turning herself more towards the men, she revealed the writing on her jacket, proclaiming her to be a member of the New Zealand national team as Duncan once again let his guard down and took in as much of her as he could, without making it completely obvious.

"We've still got a chance," Brent took the initiative to speak seeing as Duncan was too preoccupied while Rick and Shea looked a little shocked at her outright comment. "If we lose tomorrow though..."

That sentence didn't need to be finished. That was a fate not even worth thinking about. It couldn't happen, this team would do everything short of stacking themselves in front of the goal for the entire game to prevent another loss in their home country. The devastation they had felt upon letting their fans down was as bad as missing out on the Stanley Cup, possibly even worse. They would do everything possible to avoid having to feel that way again.

"True," she mused. "Everyone has their off days, it's just a pity so many of you decided on the same day. I really thought you coulda tied it up at the end, aye. I was screaming abuse at Corey Perry for not playing the puck and letting in that empty netter though. Oh, I'm Rachel, by the way."

That prompted introductions all around, though they weren't entirely necessary. Duncan was impressed by her honesty, and the ability she had to not come off as a puck slut because she obviously knew the sport. That someone from the other side of the world would care so much about their performance was an unexpected surprise. Sure, he knew hockey was out there in the rest of the world, but for someone to pick his country over all the others to support? It was honestly flattering to think she was cheering for him, and not just because he was attracted to her.

"So, you know our sport, but what about yours?" Duncan finally found the nerve to join the conversation, curiosity getting the best of him as he found her green eyes kept shyly straying to his.

"I was in the snowboard half pipe. Didn't end so well, but it was fun."

"Wait a minute," Duncan remembered seeing some of that event while flicking through the channels as he killed time between lunch and his pre game nap before the Switzerland game. "Were you the one that wiped out in practice before the semi-finals, but still did both runs?" He recalled the commentators mentioning such a scenario several times throughout the coverage, and was silently impressed at the dedication.

"Oh shit, you heard that? I was hoping they wouldn't make a big deal out of it." Red covered her cheeks now as she cringed slightly, only causing Duncan to become more attracted. Was there anything about this girl that wasn't going to turn him on at the moment? "It was my only shot at the Olympics, so I had to go for it, you know."

"Why is this your only chance?" Shea chipped in, asking the question in all of their minds.

Taking her eyes off Duncan she took in the other men again, "I just decided to retire yesterday, actually. I'll be twenty-nine by the time Sochi rolls around, and with my knee getting worse, I wont be keeping up with the competition," she shrugged, as if that was the clearest explanation in the world.

Doing the simple math, Duncan was surprised to find she was only a year younger than him - she looked twenty-two at most.

That disappointment Duncan had sensed in her earlier was only increasing with the conversation, transferring to him as he realised the slight similarities in their sporting futures. This could possibly be his only Olympic outing, depending on the outcome of the NHL's decision to release their players for future Games. But at least if that did happen to him, it was out of his control.

After Rachel had finished her meal Duncan took it upon himself to offer his services as tour guide, earning a shy, thankful smile and blush for his efforts. She'd mentioned that she was planning on having a walk around anyway, so they might as well enjoy each other's company. His friends had no objections, so they joined forces with Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf and Mike Richards who'd been sitting a few tables over, then commenced with introductions and their outing.

Of course such a large group decked out in Team Canada uniforms drew a lot of attention, but they were largely left to themselves by the other athletes who milled around the secure area of the village. It was obvious to Duncan that Rachel felt a little out of place, but she talked to any of the guys that asked her questions. He kept close to her while he talked to Brent and Jon quietly, being interrogated about what the deal was with this girl.

"I don't know," he shrugged helplessly. "I really don't know. I just glanced up and I couldn't take my eyes off her. It's doing my head in, but I don't really want it to stop," he blushed a little at the confession.

"She seems cool," Jon added his assessment. "I mean, she knows who we are, but it's like she doesn't care. It's nice, and she's cute."

Brent laughed at Jon for eliciting the backhand to the chest that Duncan landed him with, but agreed with him. "Just got for it man. She's been checking you out just as much as you've been staring at her. And she's an athlete here so you don't have to worry about her using you just to get into our games. Gotta love that all access ID."

It seemed like that was Duncan's final instruction as his fellow Blackhawks increased their pace to hijack Rachel's current companions, effectively forcing him to make his move now before they headed out onto the open streets of Vancouver.

"Do you usually get to look around much when you're here?" Rachel asked as Duncan fell into step beside her.

He explained to her the usual routine of away games, stealthily grabbing hold of her hand as the sidewalks became more crowded. They talked easily about hockey, snowboarding, New Zealand and travelling, interspersed with copious amounts of subtle flirting, while following the path of those in front of them. They almost lost track of the team in the constant sea of red that Canadians wore in support of their athletes, but seeing as Duncan was 6'1" he quickly found them again.

Neither of them really took in the sights they'd ventured to see, but they weren't too worried about that. They were enjoying getting to know each other, being kept in close proximity, and feeling the obvious sparks of attraction fly.

Once they were back in sight of the Village, Duncan decided it was time to do something about his current preoccupation with her lips. Letting his teammates proceed ahead of them through the security checkpoint that was worse than most airports, he kept walking straight past to a little secluded area off to the side he'd noticed on their way out. Not even giving her a chance to process what was happening, he swiftly swung Rachel around into his arms and bent to attach his lips to hers. Almost groaning with relief when she immediately kissed back, one hand moving up into his hair under the knit hat she'd called a 'beanie' while her other was still linked with his, he could only pull her closer and match the intensity.

He enjoyed the way she teased him - starting to pull away before resuming her attack, sucking on his tongue, or gently scraping her teeth over his bottom lip. Finally pulling away to catch their breath he admitted he'd wanted to do that for quite a while.

"I hope that's not the only thing you've wanted to do to," Rachel smirked, her free hand moving to rest dangerously on his thigh, stroking up and down lightly.

That was all it took for them to leave their still unnoticed spot. Duncan wasn't usually one to just run off with any woman offering, and he had plenty of offers, but there was something about this girl he couldn't say no to. Not that he'd ever dream of turning this opportunity down.

Even the security hassle couldn't deter their mood, heading straight for the New Zealand House that was substantially closer than Duncan's room. Rachel also had a room to herself since half of the team were still up in the mountains, so it was the logical choice anyway. The only deviation they made was to grab a handful of the free condoms that were abundant throughout the Village.

"I always wondered why they had so many of these around," Rachel joked, waving one of the empty packets, as they lay together. "Guess I know why now."