Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gilmore Girls or the characters. I'm just borrowing them for my own delusions.

Author's Ramblings: I apologize. These updates are taking much longer than I anticipated. My muse has been on vacation. Maybe now that I'm enjoying my vacation it will come back. Also, thanks to germ for beta-ing this me for me and just for being there.

Moving Backward

Chapter 03: Physical Antipathy

"A woman may very well form a friendship with a man,

but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Logan and his date entered the party fashionably late. His arm hung loosely around his date's back, while she mumbled something about being glad to have a chance to finally hang out. It was easy for him to pretend like he was paying attention. All he had to do was nod enthusiastically with the occasional grunt. Meanwhile, his eyes searched the crowd for a particular brunette. Whether or not she was there, he was unsure of. She never called him back and for all he knew she could have gone home early that weekend and never gotten the message. Still, he couldn't stop himself from looking closely at each girl with coffee colored hair and ocean blue eyes.

What Logan hadn't expected was to find the very girl laughing with his best friends. She and Stephanie were exchanging a knowing look, stifling giggles as they watched Colin and Finn swoon over a petite Asian girl. He realized that she had to be Lane. Dressed in a funky plaid mini skirt and a hot pink top she fit Rory's descriptions perfectly. At the moment Lane was smiling wearily as Finn kissed her hand.

Checking to make sure that it was just the two of them and that Rory hadn't brought a date he allowed his gaze to fall appreciatively on Rory. Clad in jeans and a tight black top she was a sight Logan didn't mind viewing at all. Her hair was down, straight and loose. She tucked her head at one of Colin's comments and a few strands swayed. He itched to put them into place. He tightened his jaw. No; he couldn't.

Turning to his date, whose name had once again failed him, Logan nodded once more for good measure, complimented her on her outfit, which left nothing to the imagination (secretly Logan thought this was a shame) and excused himself to get them drinks.

"Well, well, well. I see I'm no longer needed."

"Nope." Colin answered. "Gilmore and her friend are far more entertaining than you, plus they're nicer to look at."

Logan resisted the urge to tell Colin he shouldn't be looking at Rory, and replied only with a false laugh. He turned to the brunette in question, touching her shoulder.

"Ace, I'm glad you came."

"Glad you invited me."

They held each other's gaze for a moment until the girl Logan had assumed was Lane stepped between them. "But not as glad as I am. Hi, Logan. I'm Lane. Rory has told me quite a bit about you."

"Nice to meet you Lane, Roryhas told me a lot about you, as well. But I must warn you, I'm sure only a fraction of what she's said about me is actually true."

The girl eyed him skeptically and he squirmed a little under her gaze. "Somehow I doubt that." That was her only reply.

He would have said more, if his date, Kimberly (or was it Kathy?) hadn't come up from behind, looping her arm through his. "Hey sweetie, I thought you were getting us drinks."

Biting back a curse he turned to Katie (he was pretty sure that was it.) "I'm sorry sweetie. I guess I got preoccupied. Let's go get those drinks now."

Rory Gilmore had never considered herself to be particularly jealous, that was until she had stared dating Logan. Sure she had her moments, like when Jess had been dating Shane or when she had been stupid enough to reopen the Dean/Lindsay can of worms. But she had never minded them talking to other girls, laughing with other girls, or being near them. After all, she had male friends. It was only natural.

Now as she watched Logan's date shamelessly throw herself at him she wondered what had been wrong with her all those years. She and Logan never even had a proper relationship and she wanted to run over and yank his date's plastic Barbie body apart.

She groaned and searched the area for Lane. It didn't take long to locate her being paraded around the dance floor by Finn. She strained her ears to hear a bit of their conversation and laughed as Finn asked Lane to leave her boyfriend and run away to Hawaii with him. At least Lane was having a good time.

"Rory Gilmore."

The voice broke through her gaze. Upon connecting the face to the voice a slight blush ran up her cheeks. She hadn't seen this particular person since a very bad, very unorthodox date.

"Robert, it's nice to see you."

"You too Gilmore, though it would have been nicer if you had answered any of my phone calls."

Her blush deepened. "I'm sorry about that. It was just…I…" She stumbled for the words. "I was having a hard time at the moment."

He held up his hand in protest. "Say no more. I knew my chances were shot before I asked you out. You were dating Huntz, and though it was fair game, I could tell neither you nor he were that thrilled by the idea."

"Well, it doesn't really matter what Logan thinks, because we're not seeing each other anymore." She winced at the bitterness that easily escaped her lips. She didn't want anyone, least of all Robert, to tell she cared who Logan was dating.

"You and Huntz are done, really?"

"Yep."

"Well in that case, Rory, would you be so kind as to dance with me?"

"Oh…I don't know. I'm not really—."

"Come on, I'll be a perfect gentlemen."

She glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, everyone but her that was. "Sure, why not?"

"Exactly the kind of enthusiasm every guy wants to hear."

She giggled at his self-abuse and let this boy - so different from the one her thoughts had previously been on-lead her to the dance floor.

He felt her presence immediately. His body tensed, his eyes searched and then he saw her. She was dancing with Robert, and there was not a thing in the world he could do to stop it. He had a date; she didn't. She was free to dance with whomever she wanted. Even if he hadn't had a date, he realized, there was still nothing he could do because they were in fact, no longer dating.

He let this new form of helplessness settle over him. He didn't like it. And then, a new idea occurred to him. He and Rory were supposedly friends. Surely he and Rory could engage in a friendly dance. He left a conversation that he had long ago lost interest in without a glance backward. (His date had left to go to the bathroom to 'freshen up' fifteen minutes ago and he hadn't worried about her lack of presence since.)

Tapping Robert on the back, he smiled genuinely. "May I cut in?"

Robert gave him a twisted grin. "Come on Huntz, you've had your chance. I thought I was free to pursue Miss Gilmore from now on."

Clenching his fists Logan restrained himself. "You were always free to pursue her Rob. It's not my fault she's just been running away from said efforts."

"Logan." Rory hissed, stepping out of Robert's embrace "Stop it."

Using this change of position to his advantage Logan grabbed Rory by the waist, pulled her towards him, and then steered the both of them away from Robert. He smirked at his dance partner smugly, but she did not seem amused.

"Why did you do that Logan?"

"I wanted to dance with you. Robert shouldn't have you all to himself Ace, he needs to share."

"I'm not his to share." She bit out angrily. "I'm not anyone's to share Logan, and this whole friendship will work out a lot better if you remember that."

"Duly noted."

She frowned. "Come on Ace, you're not really mad at me, are you?"

"Well, his debate over whether to name his parrot Polly or Paula was getting slightly annoying." She admitted.

Laughing, Logan twirled her around. "That's my girl."

Except, neither of them seemed to realize, she wasn't.

Living in Stars Hollow for her entire life, Lane Kim had met some eccentric people. None, however, seemed to compare the creatures that sat before her. She sat with Colin, Finn and Stephanie, all of whom had consumed more alcohol than her, yet seemed completely sober.

"So…" Finn took another swig of his drink before addressing Lane. "You've known our dear reporter girl her whole life?"

"Yep; we've been friends since we were three."

It was Stephanie that spoke next. "Logan, Colin and I go that far back too. And then Finny joined our little club around the time we all hit puberty."

"And what a perfect time to join it was."

"Hush Finn, I'm trying to make a point."

"Which doesn't happen very often."

"Be quiet Colin." The blonde's attention returned to Lane. "So I assume Rory told you all about 'The Adventures of Ace and Huntzberger?'"

"Every last detail."

"So you too know that they won't last long before they're back in the same situation?" Colin questioned.

"I don't know about that…" Lane shrugged. "Rory was really upset after she ended things with Logan. I don't know if she'd risk it all again, at least not the way things happened last time."

Silence engulfed them, but Lane pushed forward. "Logan must be some guy for Rory to do that in the first place though. She's not that type of girl."

"Never thought she was, love." Finn shook his head. "I was rooting for her though; she kept Logan on his toes."

"Looks like she's still doing a pretty good job of that." Colin observed, nodding his head towards the dance floor.

They watched for a moment, and then Stephanie spoke. "Alright, so who wants to keep track of the bets?"

"I'll do it." Lane volunteered.

Eagerly, they began creating a pool. "But just in case Rory asks, I had nothing to do this and am appalled by your behavior."

"That goes for me too." The other girl told them. "Logan would kill me. I'm supposed to know better than you idiots.

The two idiots in question simply shrugged.