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Chapter 21: What Happens in Vegas

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Ronon tried to use his body to shelter John as they waited outside the ship for Rakai to lower the door, knew the sand and winds were getting in their last licks because both were plummeting them unmercifully. And John's strength was weakening by the second, made Ronon wish he'd had time to assess Sheppard's injuries before bodily dragging him out into this desert hell.

Finally, the ship's door lowered with a wince grinding sound. With an arm around John's waist, Ronon propelled them through the opening as soon as he could and steered John toward the nearest bench seat. Tyre and Ara clamored in and the door slowly began to close, fighting the countermeasure of the wind. The sand still pingponged in the interior until the door completely sealed shut.

Rakai came from behind the pilot's seat to happily greet his friends, gave Tyre and Ara each a hug in celebration. Meanwhile, Ronon knelt down in front of John, pulled his friend's kerchief down and removed his goggles to get a good look at him. Well, as good as he could with John covered with sand. Cupping John's face, he worriedly prodded, "Hey, you with me?" because John's focus didn't seem to be on his surroundings or his worried companion.

'With me..' registered with John and he blinked away his thousand yard stare to really see Ronon. He nodded, was about to make a verbal answer as well but an unrelenting coughing fit stole his breath away, reminding him he'd choked down more than his fair share of sand that day.

Ronon's big hand pounded him on the back while his other splayed across John's chest to support him. Ronon growled out to anyone who'd listen, "Water. Get me some water." Didn't deviate his focus from John to see who handed him the water bottle. Lifting it to John's lips, he ordered, "Small sips," and John's first swallow caused deeper coughing, near gagging. "More," Ronon insisted, pressing the bottle again to John's lips. The second attempt was better, some coughing and then John was swallowing a third and actually reaping the benefit. Was able to draw an unfettered breath, enough to ask, albeit with a scratching voice, "Get the intel?"

Of course John worried about the mission instead of himself. "Got it." Withdrawing the thumb drive as proof, Ronon saw John's sand covered face crack to reveal white teeth as he smiled at their victory. John reached for the drive, like it was a holy relic and Ronon passed it into his care, knew it mattered greatly to Sheppard that they didn't fail Atlantis. But Ronon didn't miss the flinch John let slip when he had raised his hand, shifted his body to take the thumb drive. "Where you hurt?"

"Besides my pride?" John wisecracked, feeling so relieved he hadn't gotten Ronon killed with his cursed luck. And they had even gotten what they came for. Now he just prayed that Atlantis would be able to glean information from the files that could save them all.

"John," Ronon growled out a warning at John's deflection, knew his surrogate brother didn't value his own life and pain highly enough some of the time. Ok, most of the time.

From the other side of the ship Tyre helpfully provided, "He wasn't breathing, had no pulse when I pulled him out from the debris. I gave him a shot of adrenaline and he came around. Not sure where he's hurt."

Shocked and unnerved by the news John had died, even if he hadn't stay dead, Ronon felt lightheaded, like he'd forgotten how to take in air, breath. He flung a hand out to steady himself, a hand that landed on John's knee. Heard John's anxious call of his name from a great distance, wasn't expecting to have someone latch onto his sandy shirt front and give him a shake, demand, "Ronon! Answer me! Are you hurt?!"

And it was that fear in John's tone that broke Ronon out of his own stupor, had him draw in gulping breaths before leaning his head against John's. "I'm alright." 'Because you are, John.'

John didn't protest the closeness, instead breathed out a tremulous, "You had me scared there for a long minute."

"Same," Ronon earnestly returned before he lifted his head, met John's gaze. "So how about you be honest with me and tell me where you're hurt."

"Didn't know I did the whole…zombie thing," he rejoined. The adrenaline shot, it explained John waking up after the cave in with his heart racing a million miles a minute. Recognized that Ronon was still waiting for a status report on his health, like his nanny used to wait for him to confess where he'd been when he ditched her care for hours on end. But unlike back then, he didn't lie to Ronon, owed the man so much more than his fealty, especially since he still looked so concerned about him. "Yeah, my side's a little tender but I'm ok."

But he'd said enough to get Ronon unzipping his jumper and lifting up his shirt to see his chest and the subsequent bruising on his ribs. Ronon prodded John's ribs as gently as he could and yet be able to determine their status. He winced when John did in sympathetic pain. Raising his eyes to John's, he gave the news grimly, "Cracked ribs, maybe even broken."

"Feels about right," John concurred, bracing his hand on his torso that was shooting pain throughout his body. Well, that and his head and his one hip and a lovely assortment of other body parts that didn't take kindly to having Wraith buildings collapse on them. Seeing the way Ronon was still eyeing him up, he decided a change of subject was in order because not lying to the big guy was so different from being all full confessional. Especially when he knew Ronon couldn't do anything else to help him with the other points of pain in his body.

"Is it just me or shouldn't we be making a fast exit before another earthquake sends a sand swell to swallow this ship whole," John drawled as the three Satedans were still caught up in their happy reunion. At the reprimand, Rakai sent John a dark look but he ambled off to the pilot's seat.

Catching Ronon's smirk, John said, "What? So I want to survive the day. Thought you'd approve of that mind set."

"I do," Ronon affably agreed, looking like the cat who had swallowed the canary as he claimed a seat besides John. Felt a thrumming of hope blossoming in his chest at John's new take on life. That John realized he deserved to live, to survive, wanted to even. It would sure make Ronon's life easier if John adopted that survivor's attitude fulltime.

Knowing without looking that John was suspiciously watching him, Ronon decided to distract the man from his curiosity. "Since this isn't earth, the quakes can't be called earthquakes, can they?" turning an innocent expression on his brother, who didn't buy it for a second.

"Now who's being all nitpicky," John drawled but there was a look of mirth in his eyes. Proved that his mind was already spinning on Ronon's proposition when he followed it with a replacement suggestion of "Landquake? Planet quake?"

Underhandedly pleased he'd distracted John from his pain, Ronon settled back in his seat and closed his eyes. "You can name it later," Ronon happily groused.

"Hey, that should be my line," John grumbled back, giving his companion an assessing look, which was wasted as Ronon didn't bother to open his eyes. Inexplicably, John felt a welling of belonging wash over him in that moment. Quietly supposed, "Guess you've been around me too long"

That had Ronon's eyes flying open and him sitting up to face John, even reaching out to coil his hand around his friend's forearm. "Could never be long enough," Ronon vowed, turning things serious again as was his wont when John tried to be flippant about their friendship, their brotherhood.

"We'll see," John lightly drawled with a twinkle of teasing in his eyes. "When we're old and grey and still bickering about the same old things, you might regret keeping me around."

Ronon's eyes sparkled and he had to fight down the urge to catch John in a bear hug and whoop for joy. Had to content himself with correcting John's predication. "I have regrets," and his eyes drifted to the three Satedans but they weren't the versions his mind was remembering. Then he focused again on John, said with utter conviction, "But having you in my life, won't ever be one of them."

'Way to make things serious,' John wanted to quip but couldn't fight down the emotion caught in his throat, the wash of affection he felt for Ronon. Plus something that he'd honestly never felt before: the peace of being where you were meant to be, with the people you were destined to grow old with. And to face space aliens with, apparently. "Same," he managed hoarsely, saw Ronon's surprise and then his friend's white teeth flashed among his own sand covered features.

Settling back in his seat again, Ronon shifted until his shoulder leaned against John's, needed that physical contact to reassure himself that this wasn't some dream, that if he dared to let down his guard, close his eyes, he wouldn't wake up back in the Wraith compound with John being killed by Tyre. Before he could actually shut his eyes, John's quiet declaration a moment later jolted his eyes to his brother.

"He saved me," John unequivocally stated, nodding his head to Tyre who was sitting in the cockpit beside Rakai. "Dug me out of the debris. Apparently gave me an adrenaline boost."

"He had to. You were linked with his cuffs. His survival was tied to yours," Ronon muttered, hadn't paid Trye back for that manipulation yet but he would somehow.

"Really?" John challenged, rising his unencumbered wrist. "My cuff was off when I came to. He did it for your sake Ronon, saved me." Needed Ronon to accept that truth.

"Because he knew I'd kill him if something happened to you," Ronon shot back, wasn't at all willing to give Tyre the pass John was.

"Maybe," John meekly allowed, before quietly added on, "Or maybe because he's not the bad guy. He didn't betray you like your friend did, Ronon."

That had Ronon's whole body stiffening and his eyes searing into John's, wondering why he was digging into old wounds. Knew why the next second.

"Things can be different here…people can be different. You could…" John swallowed, hadn't thought of this before, making this offer. But it felt like the very least he owed Ronon, for all he'd been to him. "..could join them, have a life with them, maybe even on Satada. Maybe there are more people you knew alive. You could have back some of what you lost."

"I already have," Ronon instantly replied with conviction, but he wasn't looking to the three Satedans he'd reunioned with but John, only John. "I got you when I lost my Sheppard. That's more than enough for me."

John felt his eyes well. When had he ever been enough for anyone?! Not his family, not his Air Force unit, not the woman he didn't save, or the woman he loved but who abandoned him when everything with Afghanistan came to light. Turning in his seat, regardless of the pain his ribs gave at the movement, he faced Ronon head on, didn't want his words to go by the wayside. "Truth is…I didn't want you to go. Am selfish enough to not want to lose you. I know I don't deserve your loyalty.."

"Yes, yes you do," Ronon emphatically vowed, his eyes boring into John's. "As much as my Sheppard did." Waited until John nodded in acceptance before he smiled. "Besides, it's not that easy to get rid of me."

"I've noticed." John joked, "I have to try harder apparently."

"Please don't," Ronon snapped back. "You're trouble enough for five of me."

"I think there's an insult in there somewhere," John accused with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, while you figure it out, I'm going to catch up on some sleep." Putting action to words, he closed his eyes but quietly admitted, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I know you didn't," John commiserated, knew how worried Ronon had been. Worried about him. Ronon had wanted to bail on the mission, especially didn't want John to play a part in it. 'But he did let me come because I asked him to trust me. And he did.' "Thanks for trusting me. It's been…a long time…well…since I deserved to be trusted. Glad I didn't let you down."

"You didn't," Ronon instantly declared, referring to John not dying at first then jerked his head to the Satadans in the front of the ship. "And your instincts were right about them. Well..Tyre. Ara she's…"

"Hot for you?" At Ronon's look of surprise, John laughed, "Oh, yeah, it's obvious there's smoke between you. So your other and she were an item." Ronon gave him that squinty eyed 'you're not making any sense' look so John tried to explain, "A thing, were stepping out together…" sighed and went with the easiest description, "were lovers."

"She seemed to think they had something between them," Ronon agreed lowly, so his voice wouldn't carry to the woman across the ship from them. "But this Ronon, he only cared about vengeance. It's what got him killed most likely." Fought down a moment of indecision before he confessed to his best friend, "I was driven by the same blindness. I almost murdered innocent people out of vengeance. You made me give them the chance to prove themselves." Then Ronon grimly predicted, "If you and I came here alone, if you and I had split up and Tyre hadn't been there to save you, dig you out and give you the adrenaline, you might have died."

"Good thing we made it a group effort then," John nonchalantly remarked, wasn't willing to take on much credit for Ronon's goodness.

Ronon nodded, didn't like to think he'd almost sealed John's fate, not by trusting Tyre this time but by not trusting his old Satedaen friend. "Yeah, good thing we did."

"Did they get the intel they needed?" John asked, hoped they had.

"Yeah, I think they did."

"Should we…I don't know, help them on their rebellion?" John posed, though, honestly, he wasn't keen on keeping up the relations. These particular Satedans weren't the most comfortable allies he'd encountered, what with the exploding cuffs and all. But for Ronon, he'd make an effort to get along with them. Well, ok, more like not turn down their friend request on Facebook anyway.

But Ronon resolutely shook his head at the idea. "I won't put Atlantis," (or you) "in danger to aid their rebellion." John's piercing look told him his friend wondered if he was denying them assistance again to protect him. Which ok, partially Ronon was but there was deeper reasons to, which he announced, "We need strong allies, John. They can't help us…and we can't weaken ourselves to help them…more than we already have."

"I wish we could do more," John said with regret, felt like this whole universe was looking to Atlantis to be their saviors and they weren't making the grade.

Ronon grunted out a snarky laugh. "Why aren't I surprised that you said that."

"You accusing me of going soft?" John retorted with mocking indignation.

"Ara accused you of being soft," Ronon only too happily revealed.

"And you defended my honor, I'm sure." When Ronon only smirked, John pressed, "You did right?"

"She's always been a good judge of character," Ronon drawled with a wide smile.

"You're a jerk," John groused but his affection for the jerk couldn't be hidden away.

Ronon laughed. Sitting beside John, leaning against his brother's shoulder, he let companionable silence fall for several minutes before he spoke. "Thanks for keeping your promise to me."

John opened his eyes, met Ronon's gaze. Knew just how seriously Ronon had taken his pledge, was offering his gratitude for him upholding it. John nodded his head in acceptance. But a moment later, he quirked, "You think we can..I don't know, do something without sand next time? I hate the stuff," he groused, brushing more grains from his hair and off his five o'clock shadow on his face.

"Sure," Ronon too readily agreed before his devious smile gave John a forewarning. "I think McKay talked about a planet that has swamps.." Ronon's eyes twinkled as he revealed the best part, "…with man eating plants."

John groaned dramatically. "Sounds about right for this universe. I think we did this wrong." At Ronon's curious look, John qualified, "You should have come to Vegas with me. I could have shown you the sights."

But the statement wiped any mirth from Ronon's visage, and he wincingly recalled, "I did come to Vegas. You were bleeding out in the desert."

"Well, yeah but the better part of Vegas. The casinos, the buffets, pretty girls," John ticked off the highlights of his former home.

"Were you happy there?" and Ronon didn't even pretend to ask the question lightly, his eyes gave it away even if his tone didn't. He feared John's answer.

For a beat, John didn't answer, let his eyes drop to his hands as he tried to wipe them free of sand. When he did reply, it was with raw, painful honesty, "No." Looked over then to see Ronon's reaction, which he couldn't read, knew Ronon was trying to be a blank slate, neither approving nor disapproving. "Does it make me a case for the mental ward if I said..if here's ..if even after a day like today…"

Ronon knew where John was leading the conversation. "I don't know what a mental ward is…but " here he broke out into a beaming smile, ".…today was a good day."

"I didn't say good," John sallied back, fighting back his own smile.

"You were going to…" Ronon argued good naturedly.

John's joyous smile lit up his sand covered features. "Yeah, I was. But I think it's the company I keep and not the events of the day," John allowed, hoped Ronon got that it was him, his friendship that made even a day John nearly died into a good day.

"You didn't have a pulse when Tyre dug you out, so you better not say that was good," Ronon groused, didn't want John to ever think it was acceptable for him to nearly die. Because it wasn't. Not ever. But instead of looking contrite, John was smirking, giving him that, 'you're not such a tough guy, Ronon' look. Assured John got the message, Ronon let the contentment that they were both alive and together wash away the rest of his acidic fears. Today, he hadn't lost this John like he had his best friend…his other best friend. Because this John, he was no longer a stand it, he was the real thing, was as much his brother as the first John Sheppard had ever been.

John offered up a smart-alecky concession of "Yeah, that's not making the good list." To which Ronon simply snorted. The matter settled, John allowed his eyes to slip closed, felt the tension ebbing away. Thought he just might be able to rest peaceably. Ronon was ok and by his side, they'd completed their mission and were escaping a dying planet, so yeah, there wasn't much wrong in his universe at the moment…even this different one.

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Hours later, when John flew their jumper through the stargate back into Atlantis's hangar bay, he wasn't expecting a welcoming party. Sure, they maybe had retrieved actionable intel but as far as he knew, they still had months until the Wraith were in range to be a threat. He and Ronon exchanged looks, braced themselves for bad news and then debarked the jumper. Elizabeth, McKay and Teyla greeted them, not with grim expressions but smiles.

"I was beginning to think you'd gone on a road trip," Elizabeth teased, glad to see the two men back, not only for Atlantis' sake but her own personal one.

"More like a reunion tour," Sheppard quipped, looking to Ronon, hoping his friend took it in the jesting way he intended.

Ronon smiled, appreciated John's humor now that things had turned out alright. Reading John's silent question, he gave a nod for his best friend to go ahead. Knew how much it meant to John to be the one to give Atlantis this chance to fight back. Even so, he saw John hesitate, like he feared he hadn't done enough, was going to fail all over again. That unease had Ronon reaching over, laying his hand on his best friend's shoulder, telling him he'd done good and he was standing by him.

Encouraged by Ronon's sign of support, John pulled out the thumb drive from his interior jumper pocket and handed it to Elizabeth. "We were able to get this from the compound before the planet got very unhospitable."

Dr. Weir took it with the reverence in which John handed it to her. As grateful as she was for Sheppard and Dex's work retrieving it, she was a leader first and foremost, and the lives of all those she led were in danger and this single thumb drive could sway the balance of their very survival. So she posed, "Do we know if what's on this is current enough to help us?"

"I don't know," John solemnly confessed, his own hope dimming. "Compound was abandoned years ago …"

John hadn't finished his sentence before McKay grabbed the drive greedily from Weir's fingers. "But the Wraith have their systems interlinked, automatically upgrading information, even across the galaxy to disused compounds," he told the gathered group, more to show his intelligence than enlighten them as he jammed the thumb drive into his computer. It took a few keystrokes for him to get the Wraith translator up and running but after it did…a smug, excited smile emerged. "And this compound was no different."

Without a preamble, Rodney walked away, already busy talking to himself. "If I were a Wraith, what would I name ship locations…." Before he had covered a few meters he unexpectedly stopped, turned around and looked to Ronon and John. "Glad you two are back…stayed safe. Atlantis wasn't the same without you." Then looking almost embarrassed at his emotional words, he headed for the hanger's exit faster than before, frantically typing on his computer as he went.

Taking McKay's word that the intel was viable, Elizabeth beamed at her two-man gate team. "Good job, gentlemen. Glad you didn't get caught in the planet's destruction," she said a little tongue in cheek because she knew with these two, it had most likely been a close call. Nearly had proof of it as she reached out to John…and brushed some sand from his hair above his right ear. "Or maybe you cut it a little close…" sought out Ronon for confirmation or denial, since he was the lead on the mission.

But John answered with a smile she'd not seen him sport before. "Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes, ma'am."

Taken by surprise by his cocky confidence, it took Elizabeth a moment to decide how to feel about this change in Sheppard. He seemed so different from the vulnerable, self-depreciating, injured man she'd met in the Daedalus staging a jail break from the Infirmary. Felt something in her ease, like she'd carried this worry for John and now..she didn't. Drolly, with a quirky eyebrow raised, she advised, "Then I suggest you two don't play around with either because close calls seems to be your superpower," her look encompassing Ronon and John equally.

"Yes ma'am," John and Ronon said in synch, fighting back unrepentant smirks. Elizabeth accepted them at their dubious word and left the hanger bay.

Teyla smiled knowingly at her two teammates. "Why do I suspect you two were up to more than downloading a file?"

"Because you have good instincts," Ronon granted Teyla the victory she had earned with her perceptiveness. Then he began pulling John along by the elbow toward the hanger exit like they had an appointment they were late for.

"What's the rush?" John nearly whined even as he two took quick steps to catch up to Ronon's longer stride so they could walk side by side. "We have somewhere to be that I've forgotten about? Poker night? Midnight buffet? Free brass knuckles at the shooting range for the first ten participants?" John joked, felt on a high now that he'd gotten home, that the intel he and Ronon had risked their lives to get just might save Atlantis, that he had the people he loved around him.

Ronon couldn't hold back an amused snort at John's last example. But he refused to be waylaid. Anticipating Sheppard's reaction, he tightened his hold on his stubborn brother as he drawled, "You know where."

Teyla already knew the answer, suggested before John could even get out his objections, "Maybe you should shower before you go there. Carson would probably appreciate that."

"We don't need to bug him for some scrapes and bruises," John balked, trying and failing to extract his elbow from Ronon's steely yet careful grip.

Ignoring John, Ronon kept their pace moving forward and on a resolute path to the infirmary. Choose to reply to Teyla, who was flanking them. "Shower because of some sand?"

"It's more the Wraith goo he objects to," Teyla amusingly clarified, pulling some of that goo out of Ronon's dreadlocks. "And knowing you two, if Ronon was neck deep in goo…" here she turned her look upon John, "…then you were too."

"Because that's the curse of teamwork?" John quipped.

"No, because it's the nature of brothers," Teyla remarked with a joyous smile, had noted, not only the goo and the sand clinging to the two men, but that the last brick of the emotional walls between them had been cleared away. They could now be as they were meant to be all along. "Over dinner tonight, Rodney and I will expect more details than you gave Weir," she playfully warned before she parted ways with them.

"Ronon, Teyla was right. Shower. Food. Bed. Then Beckett," John attempted to sway Ronon.

Ronon shot down John's suggestion with one amused word. "Nope."

"Beckett nearly threw up the last time he had to touch Wraith goo. He's not ready for…" Sheppard waved his hand over himself because he knew he got slimed when he got buried under the collapsing Wraith compound.

"He'll deal," Ronon briskly replied before he turned to John and playfully warned, "And this time there will be no going AWOL from the infirmary and hoping Weir protects you."

"Hey, I didn't need her protection…" John protested like a whiney little boy, which just amused Ronon.

"Sure you didn't," Ronon said and absolutely didn't mean.

"I didn't," John insisted.

"Remember I saw it all," Ronon stated, mirth now where there had been worry back then. Was nearly overwhelmed at how blessed he felt that things were so different.

"Voyeur much?" John jeered but couldn't suppress the memories from that time. How it had felt to wake up in that room on a freaking space ship and yet know unequivocally that he hadn't been alone, abandoned. To find that Ronon had covered him up with a blanket, got him clothing to change into and meds for the pain and been hoovering outside his door like his own personal bodyguard. And every day since then…John knew he hadn't been alone either. Found that, as unworthy as he felt about such loyalty at the start, he couldn't envision his life here without it.

Like he was reading his mind, Ronon's eyes were soft as they met John's. "It's better being by your side than trailing behind you."

To that, John had not a single objection. Well one. "The company's remarkable. It's the destination that I'm not so keen on. Becket always gets all….doctory."

Ronon snorted. "Doctory? And I'm supposed to take lesson from you on how to fit in better with people from Earth?! Besides, Beckett gets paid to go all doctory."

"Yeah, well..he doesn't have to take it so seriously," John muttered but knew he was waging a losing battle. That Ronon would no more let him be in pain than…John would let Ronon. Yeah, brotherhood, it was a complicated thing.

Ronon laughed, course John Sheppard would object to a doctor actually trying to heal his wounds. But John wasn't truly bulking, was moving forward of his own free choice. Sure, maybe it was for Ronon's sake and not his own but that was ok with Ronon. All that truly mattered to him was that John was going to be alright.

Strangely, even as he was being herded to medical by Ronon, John felt contentment wash over him. Thought of that Charles M. Schulzt quote: "In life, it's not where you go, it's who you travel with." And in John's book, he could have never chosen the people in his life better himself: a protective, loving brother like Ronon, loyal friends like Rodney, Teyla, and Carson and a leader like Elizabeth, who was willing to risk her career by forgiving his past mistakes and putting her faith in him. And with his Ancient Gene, the entire city of Atlantis seemed to prove daily that he was needed there, even belonged there.

So yeah, sure, the Pegasus galaxy was chocked full of life draining aliens, was caught up in a possible universe ending war and there was danger at practically every port of the stargate. But surprisingly, it felt more like home to John than his original world ever had. Like all the paths he'd traveled in his life, all the miseries, they had been shaping him, and leading him there.

Not to replace anyone but to be who he was meant to be all along.

Far from feeling like a burden he had to carry, it felt more like the best gift he'd been given. Of second chances and faith and forgiveness, redemption, and family. And it wasn't all that strange now that his journey there had all started with an alien goth who liked to gamble in Vegas. Apparently, what happens in Vegas…sometimes leads to the greatest things in life.

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The End

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Sending out mounds of appreciation for all those who started this journey with me and peeked back in to catch the finale. It's been so wonderful interacting with my reviewers and knowing others are out there enjoying it on the down low too. Thank you all for reading this fic and making the Pegasus Galaxy seem not so far away. (Minus the Wraith of course…them I wish in the nine circles of the farthest galaxy from us. Hehehe)

Cheryl W.