The self-defense class had been a bit more of a work-out than she’d been anticipating. She’d spent as much time chasing Angel around and trying to get the pregnant woman to stop being so physically involved in the class as she did demonstrating the moves Angel asked her to.

Ellie narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I’m starting to wonder if you asked me to come help with this class under false pretenses.”

“Would I do that?” Angel quipped, making her voice nasal as she batted wide eyes and gave Ellie such an innocent smile there could be no doubt of her guilt. “Jessica and Kate are coming too. And obviously Leigh and Lexie since they’re already here.”

“You could have just asked me to come out tonight,” Ellie said, trying to sound stern although a laugh kept trying to bubble up. She put down the towel and went to grab the last of the equipment which needed to be stacked in Stronghold’s storage closet.

“Yeah, but I really did need the help, so it worked out.”

Giving her a look, Ellie shoved the arm pads into the closet. Angel might be pregnant, but she still seemed to have twice the amount of energy Ellie did. She’d sat down a few times during the class - mostly when Ellie or Leigh insisted.

Turning around, Angel yelled across the room to Leigh, who was just coming out of the ladies’ locker room. “Ellie’s hanging out with us!”

“I never actually said that,” Ellie complained as she closed the closet doors.

“You didn’t say no either, so that’s a yes in my book.”

“You realize you sound kind of super rapey, right?” Leigh asked, laughing, as she came over to join them.

“Hang-out-rape?” Angel asked, musing. “That seems okay.”

Leigh threw her hands up in the air and even Ellie dissolved into giggles with them.

Five minutes later Kate and Jessica had arrived and Lexie had come out of Patrick’s office and they were all hanging out in the Lounge area after getting some drinks. Ellie and Leigh chose simple rum and cokes to imbibe, Kate made herself some kind of blue mixed drink, Jessica just grabbed a beer, and Lexie poured herself a glass of Baileys on ice. Patrick had taken one look at what was going on and turned straight back around, retreating quickly into his office.

“He still has more work he can do,” Lexie said. “We’ve probably got about an hour before he decides I’ve had enough fun and drags me home.”

“Where you’ll have a totally different kind of fun,” Angel said, lifting her glass of water to Lexie. She was sprawled out on her chair entirely inelegantly, slouched down with her legs apart and her baby bump sticking straight up, her head resting on the back of the low armchair.