A/N: Wow! Not one review! :( I hope if you are reading that you'll take the time to review! It helps keep me motivated.

Chapter 2

Tom, Weaver, Hal, Maggie and Ben gathered around at first light in an attempt to come up with a plan on where to go next. They all hovered over a map, intensely staring at it as each offered ideas.

"As much as I hate to leave Massachusetts, I think it's time we think about heading south...maybe permanently. " Weaver remarked.

"What?...You planning the party without me?" Pope remarked.

"Course not...but we can't help it if ya don't get here on time...ain't like anyone here's your momma...gotta learn to get up on your own..." Weaver said crassly.

John Pope smirked. "Yeah well you would be one ugly ass mother..."

Tom Mason couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Go ahead professor...laugh it up..." Pope remarked. "So get me up to speed...what's the plan?"

Weaver went on to point out areas on the map of possible routes as Pope listened. He knew exactly the route they should take but he knew there was one big problem.

"This area here..." Pope pointed to the map. "...will be our best way to go...but there's one big problem..."

"Skitters?" Hal asked.

"No..." Pope replied. "Bingham..."

"I don't understand..." Maggie remarked.

"Bingham...was a guy I did time with...nasty son of a bitch too...he had formed his own little alliance in this area and if he's still set up there, he won't let us pass...let alone if by some miracle we do, he'll do his best to take all the weapons and supplies he can." Pope continued. "Bad thing is...that's probably is our best way to go..."

"Well since you know him, you don't think you can talk to him...talk him into leaving us alone and letting us pass?" Tom inquired.

"Listen here professor, just because we did time together doesn't mean we're BFF'S...in fact...I'm the last person ya want trying to reason with him...he hates my guts with a passion!" Pope stated.

"What a shocker..." Ben mumbled...

"Hey razor back...why don't ya keep your smart ass comments to yourself?" Pope snapped.

"Alright...alright...let's all settle down...Pope you sure this is our best route." Weaver asked.

"No doubt..." Pope replied.

"Then we'll just have to punch our way through..." Weaver told them.

.

They all took cover as gunfire erupted around them.

"Whose bright idea was this?" Pope shouted.

Tom leaned against an abandoned vehicle as Pope crouched nearby behind a barrel. "I believe it was yours Pope!"

Pope shook his head. They were pinned down. Bingham had gotten stronger than he thought.

"Pope...if you stay low you may be able to cut across and position yourself to give us some cover fire...Tom, take Ben and swing around the left side...Maggie and Hal, you take the right. We can close in on them and take the advantage..." Weaver ordered.

"Oh sure...put the target on me while you all are safe in the wings..." Pope mumbled.

"What's that Pope?" Tom asked.

Pope put on an obviously fake smile. "Aw nothing...just saving all your sorry asses as usual. Pope crouched down and rushed forward to put himself at an advantage.

Gun fire erupted again as they all followed Weaver's orders and within a matter of minutes they had Bingham and all his men at gunpoint. Pope grinned with satisfaction as Bingham stared down the barrel of his gun.

"Long time no see Bing..." Pope remarked.

Bingham had reluctantly dropped his weapon and rested his hands against his head. "Shit...Pope is that you? What a funny coincidence..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pope looked confused as he stared at Bingham.

Bingham just smirked at him.

"Enough chit chat ladies...we just want to pass...if you don't give us any trouble we'll let you go with no problem..." Weaver stated.

"Who the fuck are you?" Bingham asked.

"Captain Weaver of the 2nd Massachusetts..."

Bingham looked back at Pope and laughed. "Never imagined you as a company man Pope...what's in this for you cause I know you ain't doing all this because it's your patriotic duty..."

"Don't worry...this is all just temporary...but don't worry yourself about me." Pope snarked.

"You don't want to cross me any more than you have Pope...I got something you want...what do you say about a little trade?" Bingham asked.

Tom stepped forward after he finished tying up one of Bingham's men. "Doesn't really look like you're in a position to trade anything..."

"Maybe not for you...but Pope here's a difference story..." Bingham cringed as Tom tied his hands behind his back.

"You don't have anything I want...at least nothing I can't just take." Pope grabbed his rifle from the ground. "See...just like that..." He laughed and started to walk away.

"Lea was always such a beautiful woman..." Bingham stated as Tom pulled him up to his feet.

Pope froze in his tracks for a moment then slowly turned back to face him.

"That's right...I know where she is...and if you don't let me go then who knows what will happen to her...shame really..." Bingham smirked.

Pope felt like he had been punched in the gut and he knew the shock was written all over his face. Quickly he shook it off and started to walk away again. "My ex wife is my ex for a reason...you need to make up a better ploy than that..."

"It's no ploy...she's here...found her a few months ago..." Bingham stated.

Pope wanted to ignore him but his own curiosity got the better of him. He marched back over to Bingham, grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him face forward on the ground.

"You want to fuck with me? Huh? Do you honestly expect me to believe my wife is alive and made it up here all this way from Florida?..." Pope could feel his anger about to boil over.

"Pope, let him go..." Tom rested his hand against Pope' shoulder but Pope quivkly shoved him off.

"Get the fuck off me!" Pope directed to Tom then returned his focus on Bingham.

Bingham began to laugh only agitating Pope more. "Think want you want Pope...but she's is...that's a fact...".

Pope let go of Bingham and stood up. He slammed his foot into his side and spit on him. Pope walked away and mumbled under his breath. "Bastard..."

Weaver approached Tom as he picked Bingham off the ground and helped him to his feet. Bingham hunched over from the pain.

"What the hell was that about?" Weaver asked Tom

"He claims he knows where Pope's wife is...says she's here..." Tom studied Bingham's face as he spoke trying to detect anything that would let him know if he was telling the truth or not.

"Is that so?" Weaver asked Bingham.

"It is...What do I get if I let you have her?" Bingham asked.

Weaver smirked and rested his hands on his hips. "You get to live...Tom take this one and the others into that building over there...Hal and Maggie have already cleared it. We'll keep them there until we get the rest of the group through this area..."

Tom nodded. Weaver walked over to Pope as he rounded up Bingham's group's weapon, checking the ammo in each.

"These will be a nice addition to what we already have..." Pope remarked.

"That really what you're concerned with right now?" Weaver asked.

Pope sighed deeply before looking at Weaver. "What?...Something more important going on than killing Skitters? The better prepared we are the easier it's going to be."

"What about your wife?"

"Ex wife...There's no way she made it all this way...she probably didn't survive the initial attacks...he's lying...just trying to save his own ass...that's all." Pope told him.

"I think it's worth checking into...what if he isn't? Don't you have kids? Don't you want to know wha..." Weaver was quickly cut off by Pope.

"NO!...I don't need to know..." Pope insisted. "They're dead...they're not here...and I'm glad they're not..."