Microhoo may be over, but it's just the beginning of a long quest for matrimony for the executives at Time Warner, who have been looking for a suitor to take AOL off their hands.

So who is in the running to take AOL home from the dance? According to The Times, the role of Romeo could go to Microsoft. Executives at AOL reportedly contacted Microsoft soon after the Yahoo news broke.

For Microsoft, AOL could turn out to be a cheaper version of Yahoo, according to Smart Money. But any deal between Microsoft and AOL would be complicated by the fact that rival Google has a 5 percent stake in AOL and handles the company's search business.

AOL also might not be Microsoft's for the asking. In the past, the company's parents at Time Warner have looked to any number of buyers, including Yahoo. According to the Smart Money story, rumors about Yahoo and AOL have resumed, but neither company has confirmed those reports.

As for AOL, no suitor would seem to be a quick fix for what ails the company. Despite having one of the largest online advertising networks, AOL has been in disarray as it struggles to transition from an internet service provider to an advertising company.