Walking Dead: Hidden Fortunes

Chapter 19 of my Walking Dead story, enjoy.

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Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead or its characters.

Chapter 19

Becca grimaced as she finished getting changed, pulling on the denim jacket over her black T-shirt, which, along with a pair of black pants and boots, formed the clothes she had changed into after finally being discharged from the hospital. Following their crazy encounter with David and his parents, the three of them now in jail for what they had tried to do, Becca and Shel had been brought to the hospital to check them over and make sure they would be alright and recover fully, especially after being drugged. Awkwardly touching her nose ring again, Becca sighed and left the room she had changed in, a feeling of relief finally filling her as it finally, truly, registered to her, she was safe, Shel was safe, it was over.

'Still, for a guy to date me, just for some apparently worthless item...I don't get it and, and...' She thought sadly, but quickly stopped herself. 'Urgh, fuck, no. I am not going to let this get to me, it's his fault, David's fault, fuck him and his family.'

With that she exited the room and spotted Shel at once, clad in jeans, a light green coloured sweater and slip-ons, talking to a pale young woman with short blonde hair and green eyes, clad in a typical police uniform, Molly.

"Ah, Becca, you alright now?" Molly asked as she saw her.

Shel turned at that, eyes wide. "Becca..."

Becca nodded. "I'm okay, thanks, I'm just, glad it's over."

Shel agreed and the sisters hugged, Molly smiling, glad that things seemed to have calmed down at last.

Leaving the hospital now that things were resolved, Molly had even returned the brooch to Shel's possession.

"Well, guess we're heading home now." Becca remarked.

Shel paused for a moment. "Maybe...Becca look."

She turned and her eyes widened when she saw that some unexpected people present. Namely Clementine, clad in a dark red hoodie, jeans and converse, along with Violet, wearing a black Nirvana T-shirt, ripped jeans, converse and a black beanie. Louis was also present, wearing a white T-shirt under a black jacket, ripped jeans and white shoes, along with, most surprising of all, Terrance.

"You guys?"

Shel smiled. "Go on, it's cool. You can come home when ready, after what we've been through you could use time with your friends. I'll be fine, I'll see you at home."
Becca nodded and they went their separate ways. Becca smiled at that the others.

"Hi guys, what…?"

Clem laughed. "We came to see you of course. We heard what happened, you're alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine." She replied.

Louis nodded. "Good, cause um...one of us in particular is eager to talk to you, about something...important."

Terrance flushed at that. "Louis."

Becca bit her lip, noting that.

"C'mon guys, let's give them some time to talk. We'll be just over there, come join us when you're done." Violet said.

With that they headed over to where Violet had indicated, leaving Becca with Terrance.

"So um..." He began.

Becca shifted. "Is...is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, just...well, I..." He stammered.

Becca was confused at first, but then it dawned on her, recalling their closeness, their shared childhood and the awkwardness they faced after she became friends with him and the others again.

"I..." She smiled, her own cheeks flushing. "I think I know."

His eyes widened. "Wait, you mean…?"

"We can always try..." She agreed.

Smiling they both nodded and went to join the others.

It was three days later, Becca had spoken to Shel about the awkward but hopeful chance that she and Terrance might officially start a proper relationship, depending on how their dinner date that weekend.

"So, you sure this will work?" Becca asked as they entered the jewellery store.

Shel shrugged. "I hope so, we'll see."

Things had changed since everything that happened, Becca was now sporting a full black dye in her hair, wearing a black T-shirt under a red and black unbuttoned flannel, black pants and black shoes. While Shel was clad more simply, in a yellow sweater, jeans and slip-ons. They had come to the jewellery store to try and finally resolve the mystery of the brooch at last. They had learned that the Reid family was actually related to them, they had missed it as the brooch was passed mother to daughter, so obviously names changed, but apparently their great-grandmother had been one of twins, her sister being the great-grandmother of David. They had clearly felt, as they still knew the secret while the other side of the family didn't, that they deserved the brooch more and that was why they had tried to claim it. They approached the elderly jeweller at the counter.

"Can I help you?" He asked pleasantly.

They began to explain about the brooch and finally let him examine it, hoping he could help them finally figure out the secret.

He took the brooch and began examining it.

"Mid 19th Century," the pasty-faced old man pronounced, turning the oversized brooch over in his hand. "These locket brooches were popular then. This one's a bit larger than average; there were some jewellers in the East, New England and New York, you know, who made these oversize brooches back then"

He felt its weight in his thin-skinned, wrinkled old hand.

"Much heavier than it should be, though. Almost as if someone has hidden something in it." He shook it gently. "Hmm, and the rattling?"

"The clasp is broken," Shel added helpfully, feeling her heart squeeze a little at the notion of something hidden in the brooch. The idea had, of course, occurred to her after hearing it rattle after the call from David's father. "It has been for generations, as long as anyone can remember."

The jeweller examined it through a jeweller's eyepiece, then with a stronger one, closely examining its edge. They all heard a quiet "ah…" The man then looked up with a mysterious smile on his face.

"This clasp isn't broken," he noted significantly. "It's been sealed."

"Sealed?" Becca asked blankly. Why would they?…

"Shall I?" the old man asked, brow raised.

The girls shared a look and then nodded in agreement, they were eager to learn the truth of this once and for all.

The old man got out a soldering iron, small with a very sharp point, and heated it up while he set up a magnifying lens through which he would look while he worked on the clasp. Gingerly he took the iron to the edge of the clasp, muttering to himself as he worked.

"Old solder, very old solder, look at the lead in it…very professional job; whoever had it done had to be wealthy enough to know a really good jeweller…easy now, just enough heat…" He picked away old pieces of solder, setting them aside with the tip of his iron, still murmuring to himself. "yes, there's the clasp, just a little bit of flange…good, no solder in the clasp, that helps…very good workmanship, very elegant…yes, I think that's it…"

He looked up at the girls. "It's free, ladies. Shall I open it?"

They both nodded, looking at each other anxiously, wondering just what they were going to find. They couldn't deny they were anxious, even a little fearful.

But now the clasp was open, the old man delicately easing the cover of the brooch open—they all tried to peer inside. They all saw velvet draped inside, dark and rich, which the old man unfolded with his subtle jeweller's touch. And a glint of reflected light caught their astonished eyes. A gem!

The old man lifted it out with a tweezers, and they all saw the gemstone's brilliancy, its intricate cut, but also its sheer size—

"It's a diamond!" Becca breathed, her eyes dinner-plate size as the gem was lifted into full view.

"A big diamond!" Shel added.

While the girls gasped and gaped, the old man put in his eyepiece.

It was hard to spot the sudden but well-controlled tremor in his professional old hands.

"Beautiful." The man murmured to himself as he examined the stone. "Perfect clarity…what an exquisite cut!…must get its size, but it feels like…amazing specimen!"

"Is it…a real diamond?" Becca stuttered, amazed at what had come out of the brooch.

"Very real," the jeweller smiled, admiring the stone. "And very valuable. Very valuable," he reiterated, his old eyes huge. "I'd say…500,000 at least!"

"Dollars?" Shel yelped, startled.

The old man nodded. "At least," he affirmed with a smile. "One of the most perfect diamonds I've ever seen!"

Becca turned to Shel, eyes still wide. "We could finally pay off the house, all those things we were worried about, that we thought we'd never afford...Maybe even get you a new car."

Shel laughed at that, the two of them so overjoyed at the fact that things really were looking up for them now.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.