A/N It's not clear to me where Maura is supposed to live within the TV show universe so I'm saying she lives in the Beacon Hill neighborhood because it is convenient for my story.

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use.

Jane thought she had a pretty good plan. She just had to get Maura to the Bruins game without letting her know where they were going. Her guess was that Maura had never been to a hockey game, although her past experience with Maura suggested that she shouldn't make any assumptions. If Jane was being honest with herself she'd admit that she was afraid this would somehow be a disaster. Maybe she should have continued to let Maura make the plans.

Friday morning Jane sent Maura a text: Are you free tonight?

Jane got an almost immediate reply: Yes! Is it time for my surprise?

Grinning, Jane typed back: Yes. Wear something casual and warm because we're walking a little bit. I will pick you up at your house at 7pm.

"What are you so giddy about?" Korsak asked.

"I'm not giddy. I'm taking Maura to the Bruins game tonight. But don't tell her, it's a surprise."

"Be careful, Jane. Don't lead her on and don't hurt her."

"What the hell are you talking about now, Korsak?"

"I've known you a long time, Jane. Just don't hurt her."

Jane rang Maura's doorbell at exactly 7 o'clock and Maura came out ready to go.

"You wear heels even with jeans, huh?"

"Of course."

"Alright, c'mon. Don't complain, I told you we were walking."

It took about twenty minutes to walk to their destination and get to their seats.

"This is officially my first hockey game. But why didn't you just tell me this is where we were going?"

"Because I didn't want you to spend all afternoon looking up the rules. I just want you to relax and enjoy the game. Most of it is pretty self-explanatory and I can explain anything else that comes up during the game. And if we are really lucky at least one fight will break out."

"Among the spectators?"

"No, among the players."

Jane was really into the game and Maura couldn't help catching some of her enthusiasm as the Bruins scored early and kept the lead. The fans were also rewarded with an early fight and full scale brawl in the third period.

During the brawl Maura confessed, "I really don't understand the fighting."

Jane tried to explain, "The Atlanta player hit the Bruin's player with a cheap shot to his neck. It was a borderline dirty hit that could have been called a penalty but wasn't. His teammate took exception to the hit and went after the Atlanta player and it snowballed from there. The refs don't always see when dirty plays happen so sometimes you have to stick up for your teammates or for yourself."

"Hmm," was all Maura said.

"This was a bad idea wasn't it? You're not enjoying the game."

"As my first introduction to hockey it has been...eye-opening. I don't think the sample size is big enough to say whether or not I like hockey yet. I'm a little surprised you enjoy such a violent game. But I am enjoying spending time with you. So if you are nervous I'm not having a good time, don't be, I'm having a great time."

After the game they picked up some take-out and walked back to Maura's house to eat. Maura poured them both a glass of wine.

"I think I know why you like hockey," said Maura."

"Really? This outta be good. Please enlighten me."

"From what I observed tonight, hockey requires an incredible amount of skill but also an almost impossible amount of toughness. Teamwork is vital to success and protecting and sticking up for your teammates, even if it means risking bodily harm, is highly valued. It reminds me you and how you do your job."

Jane was taken aback and kind of embarrassed at Maura's description and how much thought seemed to go into it. She remembered Korsak's warning from that morning. Maura had unintentionally steered them toward a much more serious conversation and Jane focused on her food as she took a moment to decide how much further she wanted to go. "Uh, you know, being a homicide detective isn't just a job to me."

It was Maura's turn to be taken aback. She had no idea how they got here from hockey, "What do you mean?"

"Being a homicide detective, solving murders, bringing closure to families, it's more than a job to me. It's my purpose in life. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do and it's more important to me than anything else. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I use medical knowledge and science to determine cause of death and find other information to solve murders."

"That's an accurate description of your job. Is that all?"

Jane was staring at her so intently, Maura felt the urge to run away. Instead she returned Jane's gaze, willing herself to answer Jane's question. Looking directly into Jane's eyes, Maura said, "No, that's not all. I speak for the dead. It's my mission. They tell me their secrets and I speak for them."

"Good...I uh, I'm on duty this weekend so I should probably get going. I'll talk to you later." Jane was up and out the door before Maura could respond.