AN: Okay, I think the last chapter gave you an appropriate idea as to where this chapter is going to go. Yes, the Ducks are an unstoppable force...even when it comes to matchmaking, badly. I will also add that part of this chapter was inspired by Counting Crows and "Accidentally In Love." Use your imaginations as to what that one means.

Chapter dedication: This one goes out to Woody, who never reads any of it, but knows how much I love him!

Input request: I dunno if I want to continue this past the end of the movie, but I have a really good idea for a school dance and for further events. Let me know what you guys want to see in further chapters, and I'll see what I can work out with my muses. Between the five of us, I'm sure we can come up with something!

"Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match...So I Can Set My Best Friend on Fire"

"Hey, Ro, scoot over so I can sit down a minute," Jesse said, setting the pizza tray down in front of his friends.

"Jess, I can't go anywhere else," she protested. This was, in fact, the truth; she was already squished against Adam's side so tightly that she might as well have been sitting in his lap. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Fine, then I'll just sit on your lap," he said simply. Her eyes widened and she all but climbed onto her best friend's lap. She raised her eyes in a look that asked plainly, 'Do you mind?' He shook his head and moved his hands awkwardly to accomodate her. Jesse sat down, shooting Charlie a wink that only the pair and Ken, on their immediate other side, missed. Several eyebrows rose, and wicked grins spread like wildfire in dry grass.

"So, how's public school, Jess?" she asked, shifting slightly, causing Adam to suddenly go pale. "Oh!" she exclaimed, shooting to her feet, beet red. "I'll...I'll be right back." As she cleared the table, she grabbed Julie's wrist, who, in turn, grabbed Connie's. The chain of girls disappeared into the bathroom. Jesse laughed at the expression on Adam's face.

"What's the matter, cake-eater? Thought you'd be glad to have her on your lap." Blue daggers flew through the air towards him.

"She elbowed me in the ribs," he said, color slowly returning. One dark eyebrow rose.

"Dude, we're all guys here. We know what happened," commented Fulton, lifting a piece of pizza to his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. "You look like you were going to faint."

"Shut up," Adam ground out. "I said she elbowed me, all right?"

"Sure, man." The girls reappeared, giggling madly. Several eyebrows rose again, this time in their direction. They ignored them. Maurae didn't even bother to ask Jesse to move, but slid into the bench next to him. "Uh, Ro, I gotta get up." She stepped out again and let him through, sitting down next to Adam again.

"Sorry about that," she said to her friend. "I didn't hit you hard, did I?" Adam shook his head and she smiled. She looked up at Jesse and sighed. "You know, this is almost a team reunion. All we need is Portman, and we're good." She sighed and dropped her head onto her arms.

That wasn't what any of them had expected, save maybe the other two girls, who were stuffing their fists in their mouths to stifle giggles.

"What, you didn't know she and Portman were attracted?" Connie finally asked their dumbstruck faces, drawing out the word attracted.

"Cons," Maurae said, voice muffled. "I am not attracted to him. I think he's an oaf, actually." She looked up, eyes glittering. "Jess, I need to talk to you, please." She got up and took his arm, practically dragging him away. Once they were across the shop, she stopped. "Please don't try to play matchmaker between me and Adam. I'm not..." She looked back over to her best friend and smiled wistfully. "I'm not ready for it, all right?"

"You do have a thing for him, then?" he asked gleefully. She looked him dead in the eye.

"If you tell anyone, I will skin you alive and leave you to bleed to death in your own bedroom," she threatened with a low growl.

"Ookay..." he replied. They returned to the table. "I think my mom would be cool if you guys want to hit up a movie or something," he said. It seemed like a good idea, so they hurried to get their stuff together and pay for the pizza (who cares if it was free, they're all good kids). It was almost like old times as they skated over to Mall of America, and up to the movie theater.

"Ooh, let's go see the new Steven Segal!" exclaimed Goldberg. Averman elbowed him into silence, earning him a glare until the redhead leaned over and whispered an explanation. Dark eyes went round and he mouthed a startled oh.

Connie rolled her eyes from where she was conferring with Guy, Julie, and Charlie. "I think we should see this one," she said finally, pointing to the poster advertising Troy. Maurae's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Oh, yeah! That would be awesome!" Surprised by her enthusiasm, the others agreed one by one. They got in line to buy tickets, and were soon waiting in line to enter the theater. "Hey, Ads, come with me to buy popcorn?" she asked. He was staring at her like she had two heads.

"We just ate!"

"A drink then," she replied easily, shrugging. "Please?" He sighed and followed her out of line, managing to catch Charlie's amused, "He's whipped." Tossing a casual glare over his shoulder at his friend, he followed Maurae to the concession stand.

"What do you want?" he asked, ever the gentleman.

"Nothing," she replied. "Adam, can't you see what they're doing?"

"What, you mean besides trying to matchmake us?" he smirked.

"Good, you noticed. Now...I think we should give them a show. I have a couple ideas."

"Like?" he pressed, intrigued in spite of himself.

"They're going to insist we sit together. I say we make them let us sit in the middle of the row."

"Why?"

"So they'll all be able to look over and see us."

"Have you ever been on a date?" She flushed slightly and he knew the answer. "Okay, then I have a couple ideas of my own." He proceeded to whisper them to her as they waited in line. Coming back without at least a drink was stupid, so they got a soda to 'share' and some jujubees. Then they ducked back into line with their friends, just as the doors opened.

They filled almost an entire row near the middle of the theater, and like Maurae had predicted, the whole team insisted that she and Adam sit together, though it wasn't so blatant as all that, until Charlie finally sighed. "You have to share your drink anyway, so why not sit by each other."

"Okay," Maurae said, filling the word with reluctance. "But I want to sit in the middle." Connie and Guy immediately moved over two, causing the rest of the team seated on their other sides to grumble and get up, moving over to make room. "Thanks, guys." She and Adam sat down. She hid a smirk. This was going to be fun.

The lights went down in a hurry and the previews started. Adam moved the soda to his other side and raised the armrest between them, so they could scoot closer together. She pretended not to notice. Next, Adam slid his arm around her shoulders. She pretended to be surprised and looked over and up, to find him smiling. She smiled back and leaned closer to his shoulder.

It was a good movie...or it would have been if any of them were paying any attention. Maurae and Adam were playing their roles and the others were watching eagerly. After a while, he started to rub circles on her arm and she laid her head on his shoulder. Pretending to be sleepy, she closed her eyes. Connie heaved a sigh.

Maurae hid a grin. Wait for it...wait for it...

"Well, is he going to kiss her or what?" came to them in a stage-whisper from down the line. "Cuz this movie is actually interesting." Averman, then. Maurae sat up, looked left, looked right, and started to giggle silently. She doubled over and Adam touched her back lightly. He was laughing too.

That was enough for her. Wiping her eyes, she got up and left the theater, still laughing helplessly.

Adam and Maurae were laughing when they stumbled through the Banks' front door. Maurae sobered first. "I'm glad things are back to normal...sort of," she said. They climbed the stairs slowly. "It was killing me, not having you and Charlie speaking to each other. And then not speaking to me...I thought I was going to cry in front of Riley that day when you...well, you remember."

"I was an ass," he replied matter-of-factly. She stopped in front of the door to the room she always used when sleeping here and turned to look at him.

"No. You were hurt. I hurt you. And I'm sorry." She crossed the hall and lifted onto her toes to kiss his cheek. It was what he'd been waiting for. He turned his head and caught her lips. After a brief, electrifying moment, she stepped back. "Ads..." Anguish filled her eyes and he suddenly felt like he'd just ruined everything. "I can't..." His face fell and he started to turn. She stopped him with a gentle hand. "Not yet," she added. "Give me time?" He nodded, barely containing his joy.

"Night, Ro."

"Night, Ads."

She closed the door behind her and leaned on it, then lifted one shaking hand and touched her lips. 'He kissed me,' she whispered to herself. She sighed, crossed to the bed, and flopped down face-first. 'I guess it's finally time for self-analysis,' she mused. Rolling over,she stared at the ceiling.

The first time she'd even had an inkling that she might like Adam as more than friend and teammate...she thought back. The first day of hockey camp. She had missed Adam, not Dwayne. Adam, not Charlie or Jesse. She moved on. When he'd confronted her after the scholarship ceremony...when they'd do their homework together...she owed her passing grade in math to him, she knew. She remembered when Carrie and Derek had planted the idea in her head that Adam loved her, the flash of jealousy when Carrie had asked her about Adam that first night in the dorm, her discomfort whenhe'd made Varsity, the fury when she'd thought he'd helped prank them, the hurt when she thought he'd deliberately not wanred them about the Minnesota Club incident...memories and thoughts swirled fster than she could recognize them.

Sighing, she got up and pulled on her headphones. Music would help. Music always helped. She hit play and music started blasting in her ears. She rolled back over and stared some more at the ceiling, humming, but not really hearing the words for a few minutes, until:

How much longer will it take to cure this,

Just to cure it cuz I can't ignore it

If it's love, Love, Makes me want to turn around and face me

But I don't know nothin bout love, uh-uh.

She sat up slowly, listening closely, then starting to smile hugely. This was it exactly! She pulled the headphones off and hit stop, thinking hard. She knew she didn't just like Adam as a friend anymore. It was more. Less than love, probably (she's only fourteen, people!), but much more than friendship and perhaps, someday...She shook her head at that notion. 'Let tomorrow worry about tomorrow,' she reminded herself sternly.

She pulled off her capris and exchanged them for her sleeping shorts, the t-shirt for her cami. Then she pulled her hair out of its tail and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Daniel grinned at her from his side of the sink and winked. She only rolled her eyes and stuck her toothbrush in her mouth, brushing vigorously and trying to ignore the boy she thought of as another older brother.

He rinsed and spat and put his toothbrush away. Walking out the door, he paused and turned to look at her over his shoulder. "I think he's still awake, if you want to talk to him." The look on her face was priceless, and made more amusing by the white foam in and around her mouth. Then she glared at him, rinsed and spit. He was gone when she straightened to retort. She sighed and shook her head.

"I've had it up to here with nosy matchmakers," she growled to herself as she stalked back to her room. She saw Daniel's eyes watching through his cracked door. "Good night, Daniel!" she called before shutting her door behind her, again.

AN: Okay, so this one is rather short. But seeing as I've updated like four times in the past two days, I figured I'm entitled. This one was more of an interlude than anything else, but I didn't want to call it that, especially so soon since the last one. I've really got the creativity flowing now, and I hope I've kept my die-hards happy so far.

Next chappie will be up soon, and we'll be doing the board meeting. I hope you don't mind my getting inside the characters' heads. It's kind of fun, the slow realization thingy. And for those of you who knew it would happen before even I did, I salute you!

ChocolateCoveredJockey: I hope that was hilarity enough for you. If not, I apologize profusely. I'll try harder next time.