One Year Later:

"Bobby, Jean, go left!" Cyclops shouted to Jean and Bobby who were a few feet away from him. They both jumped to the left as a giant metal claw slamed it's fist into the ground where they were just standing. Dust and rocks sprayed at them scratching at their skin. "argg!" Jean hissed in pain. The giant robot raised it's arm back up. Cyclops thought fast as he looked around the jungle. He had to come up with a plan to stop this thing before it killed them all. Then it hit him, he had a plan. "Jean, you and Bobby go over there.." He said and pointed. "Matchmaker, you and me....Matchmaker?" He said and looked to face Holly...but she wasn't there. "Matchmaker?!" He shouted louder. He looked around, but she wasn't anywhere. "Argh!! Stop! Stop the program!" He shouted towards the sky. The sky then changed to a metal cieling, the robot vanished and the jungle turned back into the danger room. "Where is she?" He asked Jean and Bobby. "I thought she was here. She said she would be here." Bobby said. "Well, she's not here...." Cyclops said and sighed. "I could go get her" Bobby said. " No, forget it. I don't have time to restart the program and do it all over again. She should have been here." Cyclops said. " Come on, Jean". Cyclops and Jean left the danger room not saying one word to each other. Leaving Bobby wondering what happened to Matchmaker.

Holly, or as she has been come to be known as Matchmaker, looked threw her closet taking out different piece of clothing and then tossing it on her bed. They had given her the name Matchmaker not only because of her powers but because 1) Cupid was taken and 2) Cupid sounded like a boy's name. "I'm never going to find anything to wear!" She mumbled to herself in annoyence. She looked back through her closet. It had been about a year since her and Toad had started dating and they were planning on going somewhere, but Toad hadn't said exactly where. He had just told her it was a suprise. So there she found herself not knowing where she is going and not knowing what to wear. "Argg!" She said in frustration as she threw another dress on the bed. Just then there was a knock on her door. "Yes?" She called out. "Holly, it's me. Bobby." Iceman said from the other side of the door. "um.." Holly said and quickly grabbed all the clothes off the bed and shoved them under it. "Come in." She said and stood up before Iceman had a chance to see her hiding the clothes. Iceman opened the door and just stayed in the doorway. "Hey." Holly said. "Hey" Iceman said back. "What's up?" She asked sitting down on the bed. "Nothing...um..happened to you? How come you didn't come to the danger room?" Iceman asked walking into the room. Realization hit Holly. "Geez...I guess I forgot. I'm sorry...I just...was Cyclops mad?" She said very fast. "How could you forget I told you right after breakfast?" Iceman asked. "Look, I'm sorry. I just forgot...I have alot of things on my mind right now."Holly said hoping Iceman would just give up and go away. Iceman stood there for awhile just looking around. "Are you planning on going somewhere?" He asked after awhile. "What?!" Holly asked alarmed. She looked around and realized that she had left a pile of clothes on a nearby chair. "oh...I,um...was planning on going...for a walk." Holly said hoping it didn't sound as fake as she thought it did. Iceman frowned as he glanced at the pile again. "I was looking for this certain sweatshirt I had, but I couldn't find it." Holly said thinking fast. Iceman nodded, as if now understanding about the pile. "So yea...."Holly said to brake the silence. "I don't think you'll have time for the walk though." Iceman said. Holly frowned. "Why?". "You don't remember?" Iceman asked. "Remember what?" Holly asked confused. "How come you forget?" Iceman asked shocked. 'What is this a game of questions?' Holly thought to herself. "Just tell me." She said aloud. "We are doing a stake-out." He said. "Again?" Holly asked annoyed. "We just did one last night.". "I know, but Cyclops believes that the Brotherhood has something planned." Iceman explained. "Isn't that what he said about last night?" Holly asked getting up from the bed. Iceman sighed and nodded. "I don't like the idea of sitting in the dark someplace cold for hours much either, but we gotta do what we gotta do." Iceman said. Holly nodded. "I know.". "So remember we're meeting up at 8:00 in the basement. Be ready" He said and left. Holly shut the door and then threw herself on the bed. She couldn't believe that they were once again going on a stake-out that would probably end up being a waste of time. All week Cyclops had been talking about some Brotherhood plan and they had yet to see any proof of such a plan. Toad hadn't mention anything, but then he never mentioned anything. He had told Holly that the only way he would tell her any of the Brotherhood plans was if they would indanger her life. So far none of them had. She wished he would just tell if there was a plan. Though, she would have no way of proving to Cyclops if there wasn't a plan. She sighed in frustration. There was a knock on her door. "Yes?" She called out. "Matchmaker, it's Jean" Jean's voice answered. Holly groaned. It had been a whole year and she still did not get alone with Jean. They didn't really hate each other....they just didn't get along. "It's open" Holly said not moving from bed. Jean opened the door and stepped into the room, her hand staying on the doorknob. As if saying that her vist would be very short. "Holly, I would like to know why you weren't in our practice in the danger room." Jean asked. "I already talked to Iceman." Was all Holly said. "Well, I would like to know." Jean said. "Why?" Holly asked. Jean's eyes narrowed. She took deep breathes so she wouldn't lose control. "You've been acting more difficult than usual." Jean said through her teeth. "I'm just alittle concerned.". "Well, maybe if we didn't go on these stupid stake-outs I wouldn't be acting more 'Difficult' " Holly said and sat up to face Jean. "These stake-outs aren't stupid." Jean said in defense. "Then what are they?" Holly asked. "They are neccary precautions." Jean said. "Precautions? Precautions for what? What do we need precautions for?" Holly asked. "For what the Brotherhood has planned." Jean explained. "Does the Brotherhood even have a plan?!" Holly asked more frustrated. Jean didn't answer. She didn't have an answer. "I'm not going on the stake-out" Holly said in a-as-a-matter-of-fact voice. "You don't have a choice" Jean said. "Why don't have? Why am I being forced to go on these stake-outs? You can oblivously see that I don't want to go on them. Can't you find some else who is willing to waste their time standing around doing nothing with you guys?" Holly asked standing up. Holly and Jean were almost eye to eye. One more step and Holly would be right in her face. They starred straight into each others eyes. "We could do that, Holly, but then we would have to make sure that they would be able to fight in case we were to end up in a confrontation. Now to make sure someone would be able to fight we would have to have a section in the danger room. We had such a section today. We are going on a stake-out in about an hour, therefor we are unable to have another danger room seccion. Ergo we will be unable to get another person to go with us on the stake-out." Jean said without taking a breathe. Holly sighed. "You could have just said no.".

An hour later Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, and Matchmaker were headed out on the stake-out. Cyclops was driving, Jean was in the passenger side, leaving Holly and Bobby in sitting in the back. Holly just sat there mindlessly starring out the window. Iceman kept looking from the window to Matchmaker, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. He had told Holly how he felt for her. All she had said in return was that she liked him as a friend and that she didn't even know him that well. That was about a year ago. Iceman thought that they had gotten to know each other better, he just wondered if Holly felt the same. "Holly..." Iceman whispered her name. She turned her attention to him. "I..um...was wondering..."He started out, but then chickened out. "What's on your mind?". "Nothing" Holly said and then turned her attention back to the window.
That wasn't true. There was alot on her mind. Right after Jean left she grabbed her phone and dialed Toad's number. There was no answer. She kept trying periodicly as she got ready for the stake-out. Finally, she just left a message saying she had some stupid X-men thing to do. She hoped he got it before he made too many plans for their date. She sighed as she watched the buildings go by. She wondered what Toad was doing right now.

Toad sat on the edge on a building. 10 Brotherhood members were around him. They talked and laughed about the plan they were about to play out. Toad didn't know all the details, all he knew was that they were waiting for someone. He guessed they were waiting for the X-men, who else would they be making such a fuss about. If it was the X-men they were waiting for, he wondered if Holly would be with them. She hadn't told him anything about going out with the X-men. He guessed if the X-men had planned going out Holly won't be with them. She had planned to go out with him. He hoped she wouldn't be mad about him not showing up. He had wanted to call her, but Magneto had just told him they had a plan and there he was. He looked around at everyone there. Most of them had looks of anticipation on their faces. Others looked like they were just plain bored. Toad looked back to the what layed below him, A dark narrow alleyway. That was where the battle would take place, where blood would be shed. He looked around the alley to see possible places where he would be thrown into. " A car's coming!" He heard someone yell. Everyone became quiet. The car turned into the alley. It made it almost half-way down the alley when there was a huge blast. Someone had shot one of the tires making it go flat. The car wasn't going that fast so when the tire blew it just stopped. The Brotherhood members went to the edge of the building waiting for a que to jump off and attack the unsuspecting victims. The people got out of the car. Toad reconized the driver as the one they called Cyclops. He then unsuprisingly saw Jean Grey get out of the passenger side. Followed by Iceman in the back. He didn't really hate Iceman he just disliked him greatly for pretty much staucking Holly. He smirked, he planned to go for Iceman. He noticed someone else getting out of the car. His heart sank and nearly stopped when he saw the fourth person was Holly.