Be sure to read my new, revised chapter 11 before reading this chapter!

"DADDY?" the teary-eyed Grace called after 5 minutes of silence. Maggie put her hands on Gracie's shoulders, squinting because the sun was blinding her. She needed to find her family. They were in Times Square, and it was unusually empty. Not one person was on the street, not one person was in a car… nobody was honking their horn and screaming at the person in front of them, nobody was quickly walking down the street, nobody was talking into a payphone… it seemed as if not one person was even in New York! "BRIGHTON? NILES?" Gracie called again.

"Grace, they obviously can't hear you!" Maggie pointed out, angrily. She was tired, scared, nervous, and felt like crying. It was so quiet, it was scary. Maggie could drop a pin and hear it if she wanted to. A white piece of paper blew in front of them and Maggie caught it, reading it, hoping for some kind of information.

Phil's Taxi Service:

Available whether you need a ride or not!

Seriously, we get no business, we're never too busy.

We'll abduct you right off the street if you don't give us business.

Call: 555-7329 for more information

24 Hour Airport Service

.com

Creepy, but it was the only way to get around. Maggie read over the note at least ten more times before deciding it was the only choice… even though it seemed completely unsafe. Maggie walked over to the payphone and put a quarter in. "Are you sure we shouldn't wait for Brighton?"

"That troll? He's the one that sent us here in the first place. He can find his own way!" Maggie looked around the empty New York one more time, figuring she'd never see anything like that again, before a mans voice came on the other line.

"Yeah? So? Can I help you?" The man asked.

"Hi, yes please, can we have a taxi cab in Times Square near The M&M factory?" Maggie asked, hoping she was being socially correct, since she never actually called for a taxi cab before.

"Wha -? Umm…. Yes, yes of course! Be right there… ohmigosh… LOU WE HAVE BUSINESS!" the man said to a coworker.

Maggie kind of giggled and hung up. By the time she turned around, a taxi cab was on the street. Maggie and Grace looked at the cab driver in disbelief. How had he gotten there so fast? He was an overweight man, must have been over 300 pounds, and about 6'4. He was missing at least 3 teeth, and he had one gold tooth… but that didn't really stand out, since all his teeth were yellow. He was also bald, and his shirt was a dirtied white with pizza stains. His jeans were too low on his waist, and he seemed to be drooling over how pretty Maggie was. He'd probably never seen a girl this close up, Maggie figured. Wasn't he at all surprised about how empty Times Square was? Maggie smiled, showing her blindingly white teeth and sat on the grimy, greasy seats, and Grace sat on her lap, refusing to sit on the seats. Maggie ordered the driver to drive to their home address, and they sat in silence. Maggie dragged her finger across the window, which was so dusty she couldn't even see out of it. She then looked at her finger and almost barfed; wiping it on a handkerchief she had in her purse.

"You know, you might get more business if you cleaned up a little…" Maggie suggested in disgust. The man looked up into the mirror, shooting them an angry glare. Maggie was immediately silenced.

Once they arrived in their neighborhood, Maggie ordered the driver to let them off there, handing him a $100 dollar bill, because she didn't know how much a taxi actually cost. The man kept driving, though, no matter how much Maggie and Gracie protested. "I said, let us out!" Maggie said.

"You're the first pretty girl I've ever been this close to!" The man started. Maggie smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear before frowning and dropping her jaw, beginning to open the door. "I'm not letting you go." He said, once he saw what they were trying to do. He began to drive so fast, that they were sucked into the seats and couldn't move. "And don't forget, I know where you live. If you protest again I could hurt your whole family." Maggie swallowed, deciding to at least save Gracie somehow… somehow…

After an hour, the cab driver had low gas. He began to slow down and pull into a station. Maggie opened the door and threw Grace out. Grace limped off, but she would be fine. Maggie sighed with relief. The cab driver frowned angrily and opened his mouth to yell at Maggie. "It's me you want!" Maggie yelled. "Let her go, she's only twelve!"

"But she can tell someone!"

"We don't know your name or where you live! We don't even know your license plate number!" Maggie yelled tearfully. The cab driver sighed and looked at her through the rear view mirror. "You better hope she doesn't do anything to get me in trouble or else…" he let his finger slide across his neck, as if to say 'you're dead'. Maggie gulped. The cab driver locked the doors and pumped his gas. When he came back, he looked at the frightened Maggie and hit her over the head with something. She was knocked out.

Meanwhile….

"Okay, so we're home now…" Max said as he walked into his mansion. "So why does everything look so different?"

"And why does the calendar say 1989?" Niles asked, observing the calendar on the night stand.

Max walked into the kitchen. "I thought Fran redid the kitchen!" He said. "Niles, start the hot tub for me, I need to relax." Niles nodded and went upstairs.

Suddenly, a 1989-version-of-Maxwell-Sheffield walked through the door and looked at his older self in shock.

Meanwhile (again)…

Maggie woke up groggily, looking all around her. She was in a tiny, gray room. The one window was locked with bars. She was sitting on a cold, uncomfortable chair with her hands handcuffed to a cold, gray table. The cab driver came into the room and smiled. He closed the door, and Maggie looked into his eyes frightened. "Where am I?" she asked, then immediately thought about Gracie. Where was she? Was she going to tell someone? Was she going to get me killed? The cab driver kicked the chair underneath Maggie so she fell.

"Welcome home…" The cab driver said.