"You understand the rules okay?" Karl asked. They had set up a ping pong table in the middle of the ancient town. Karl had explained the rules to Valde who now stood opposite him. They were going to play to twenty and the stacks were high. Valde was playing for his queen and the continuation of his bloodline, while Karl was playing for his freedom and that of Amelia's. Amelia was forced to stand at the sidelines and watch. She was very near fainting from worry. Worry of Karl losing, and worry of Karl's shoulder. Karl was hurt, he was weak. He was good but could he still be good after losing so much blood? Amelia was surprised he could stand let alone play. Why didn't he let her play? She's good. She's probably not as good as Karl is, but at this point Karl isn't as good as Karl is.

"I understand mammal now serve!" Valde yelled at him growing restless. He wasn't used to being challenged. Karl grinned at Amelia and then served the ball. Valde hit it quickly and Karl had to duck so it wouldn't take hit him in the face.

"Point for me," Valde said with a grin. Karl looked at Amelia with a worried look and Amelia looked back at him showing him the same.

The score was 19 to 19, and Valde was serving. Valde still looked as fine as he did when the game had started. Karl was weak and sickly. He was short on breath and looked like he was about to faint from exhaustion. Amelia was ready to run over and catch him when he'd fall. He lost too much blood. He was hurt. Why did he challenge a god in the first place? Amelia's grandmother would say that Karl looked like "death warmed up."

"One more point, mammal, and I win," Valde said.

"One more point, freak, and I win," Karl said, too exhausted to sound intimidating, but the anger in his voice was evident. Valde served the ball and Karl hit it back, all of his fatigue now disappeared. The ball flew back and forth for awhile, Karl hitting it every time with a pained look on his face. Valde smashed it hard and the ball just passed the table before heading straight to the ground. Valde knew there was no way Karl could get it, Amelia knew there was no way Karl could get it, Karl know there was no way Karl could get it. But Karl got it. The ball flew past the shocked god and onto the ground behind him. Karl landed down hard on his right shoulder in the dirt. He was too tired and too exhausted to try and get up. Amelia shouted a cheer of surprised joy and ran over to Karl.

"Karl you did it! Oh goodness Karl you did it!" she told him and he smiled. Amelia tried to help him to his feet but she couldn't lift him. She sighed in worry and looked at Valde.

"He won Valde, now take us home," Amelia told him. Valde glared at them angrily but snapped his fingers. Two flying dinosaurs swooped down, one picking up Amelia and one picking up Karl to make pained noises.

Swiftly the dinosaurs swooped and tucked upward around columns of rock and stone. Everything was going so fast Amelia could barely keep her head on straight. Karl didn't even try. He just closed his eyes and tried to deal with all of the pain he was feeling. Finally they left the caves and soared high above the forest. Amelia was happy to have her lungs filled with fresh air again. The dinosaurs flew quickly to Waterfall City were they dropped the two of them by the city gates and flew off again. It was night but Karl and Amelia's eyes were already adjusted to the dimness. Amelia ran over to Karl and helped him struggle to his feet. He walked some and leaned on her some as they made their way through the empty marketplace. Carefully Amelia opened the door to Zippo's door, knowing he'd gladly welcome them. She was a bit surprise to see Zippo, Marion, Earhart, David, the Matriarch, 26, and a man she assumed to be Mr. Scott. They were all equally surprised to see her and Karl as well.

"Karl? Amelia?" David asked walking closer to them. Karl let out a pained laugh.

"Hey David," he said before losing all strength and collapsing to the floor.

Karl had been moved into the room with two beds and a doctor had been called. David and Mr. Scott peered over the doctor's shoulder as he cleaned and wrapped Karl's wounds. The Matriarch had gone to the manor but Marion remained to learn of Karl's condition. She was pacing back and forth Zippo's front room, Zippo joining her. Amelia was leaned against the doorframe, watching the doctor from a distance. Earhart walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her he was there. She turned away from the doctor and looked at him, placing one of her own hands on top of his.

"You gave me quite the scare," Earhart told her. She smiled.

"You didn't have anything to worry about, I can take care of myself."

"I know. Where were you two, any way?" Earhart asked her. Amelia motioned him to come closer so he did.

"The World Beneath," she whispered in his ear. He pulled away and looked at her with amazement. He was about to respond but the doctor emerged from the room.

"He needs some rest and a few good meals when he wakes up, and don't let him do anything strenuous until he regains all of his strength back. Good night," the doctor said tipping his hat and leaving. David sighed as he walked over to Marion and Zippo to give them a full report.

"You must be Amelia," Mr. Scott said to Amelia and shook her hand.

"You must be Mr. Scott," she said with a smile. He nodded.

"Listen, uh, I want to thank you, for taking care of my son like you did…" he told her.

"We took care of each other, Mr. Scott," she told him and he smiled. He nodded to her and walked away. Zippo stepped over to her.

"Where were you two?" he asked her eagerly. She laughed simply and walked away from him, not answering. Zippo then entered the room Karl was in and they heard Karl yelling at him to go away and Zippo obeyed. 26 then joyfully trotted into the room.

"Thanks, Zippo, for letting Karl stay here for a few days," David said to him.

"It's my pleasure, truly," Zippo reassured him.

"You'll come tell us if there's any change," Marion reminded him.

"Yes of course. Now the three of you look awfully tired, go rest. Karl and Amelia are safe, no worries," he said gently shooing them from his house and closing the door behind them. Zippo turned and sigh to Earhart.

"I wouldn't mind a good nap myself, I- Uh oh," Earhart started to say but saw Amelia fast asleep on a bench.

"There's an extra bed in the room Karl's in," Zippo told him and left with a smile. Earhart walked over and carefully picked Amelia up. She didn't stir at all. He carried her into the other room, passing Karl in his bed with 26 laying by it, her head closer to the door then Karl's head. Earhart laid Amelia on the bed and removed her shoes, placing them on the ground by her. He turned around to leave the room but noticed Karl was still away and looking from him. Earhart cleared his throat.

"I'd like to thank you," Earhart stated.

"For what?" Karl asked still a little weak.

"For taking care of Amelia, like you did," Earhart confessed and Karl smiled.

"We took care of each other, Earhart," Karl answered. Earhart seemed content with it left and the room, closing the door behind him.

During the night Karl opened his eyes and looked across the room at Amelia, who was asleep. Karl closed his eyes and listened to the sound of 26's snoring. Amelia opened her eyes and looked across the room at Karl, who was asleep. So she closed her eyes and tried to block out the sound of snoring she heard from the other side of the room. Karl opened his eyes again to look at Amelia, and then she opened her eyes and looked back at him. They both sat up and smiled at each other. Karl carefully stepped off the bed and over 26's tail. He softly walked over and sat down on Amelia's bed, figuring she was having as much trouble sleeping as she was.

"Every time I looked over you were asleep," he said to her.

"Every time I looked over you were asleep," she said back with a smile.

"If we ever looked over at the same time we'd have been up ages ago," he said.

"I have a confession. I thought that was you snoring," she said and he laughed slightly.

"No, 26 always snores."

"Earhart mumbles," she said and he smiled at her. She turned away from him and looked out through the small circular window that was letting the moonshine into the room. Karl looked up at it too. After a few moments Karl sighed.

"Who do you think she's going to pick?" Karl asked looking at her. She turned her head and looked back at him.

"Who?"

"Marion."

"Oh," Amelia said sadly.

"You think she likes David more, don't you?" he demanded from her.

"Karl I don't know enough to tell."

"That's a bunch of crap! You know more about what's going on than I do!"

"I don't know anything until Marion makes up her own mind."

"But you think she'll chose David," Karl accused her. Amelia sighed.

"Karl listen. First, before you get upset, think. If David had absolutely no affections for Marion, would you still love her as you do?" she asked him and he narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Of course I would," he said sternly but with some wavering.

"I don't know if I can believe you on that," she confessed. His eyebrows furrowed and he got off of her bed and stormed out of the room.

"Karl wait!" Amelia yelled after him, but he was gone. Amelia sighed and looked at 26 who was still asleep.

"Are all Outlanders like this?" she asked the sleeping giant.

Karl grabbed a coat to throw over himself and his bandages before storming out of the house and into the silent marketplace. He breathed in and out strongly for a few moments, trying to collect himself. He looked up at the stars and the moon. He recognized the constellation Gemini. He huffed a few more times and looked around at all of the closed and dark stores and houses. He heard Zippo's door open and close and looked behind him to see Earhart of all things walking toward him. Earhart wordlessly stood next to him and looked up at the stars and moon too. He reached his arm up and pointed to a few gathering of stars.

"That's Mary," he told Karl, who was looking at him oddly. Earhart looked briefly at Karl and then back up to the stars.

"Well it's not really Mary, but Amelia and I think of them as her, makes her fell closer to us," Earhart explained. Karl looked up at the group of stars he thought Earhart was pointing to.

"Who's Mary?" Karl asked him.

"She was Amelia's older sister, by two years. She was a very nice girl, looked more like their grandmother than Amelia does," Earhart explained.

"She drowned, didn't she?" Karl asked and Earhart nodded.

"Mary wasn't a very social person, she kept mostly to herself. But oh, Amelia idolized her. We would spend hours watching Mary, following her. She never complained. Amelia loved her so much. But then she slipped, and fell…"

"Earhart, did Mary, did she have scales?" Karl asked looking at him. Earhart turned and looked back. He searched Karl's eyes for a bit before answering.

"Mary and Amelia are very special. They're different from every one else."

"Amelia isn't sick, is she?" Karl asked him.

"She's sick as long as she believes she is," Earhart answered and the two fell again into silence.

"Their father was special too, wasn't he?"

"Very much so… Karl," Earhart started making sure Karl was looking and listening fully to him. "Mostly, Amelia only does things when she thinks they can help. She knows you and your brother are torn between Marion, and that Marion is torn between the two of you. She doesn't like her friends to be torn."

"I know. But I bet she didn't say any of that stuff to David. Why would she think he affects my feelings for Marion? My feelings are stronger then that… aren't they?"

"Only you can know the answer to that one," Earhart said patting him on the shoulder and heading inside. Karl looked once again up at the stars and moon.

When Karl walked into the room again, he found Amelia sitting on the floor by his bed with 26's head in her lap. They were both fast asleep. Karl smiled and sat carefully down next to Amelia. He petted 26's head slightly but she was too asleep to notice. He then ran the back of his hand down Amelia's cheek. He leaned back, and fell asleep.

See "Survival of All or None"