Amelia came in to wake me up at 10:30 the next morning.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," she yelled in my ear as she shook me.

I grumbled and tried to roll over, pulling my pillow over my head as I did. Eric had kept me very busy the night before and it was practically morning by the time I slept. It was our last full night together before he went away, probably for months, and we had made the most of it. I really wasn't ready to wake up yet.

She sighed and tried a different tack.

"OK, Sook, I guess you can stay here, buck-naked in a bed full of cooking oil and rose petals. I'll just bring Mr Cataliades in to see you. I'm sure he won't mind, demons don't mind nudity, do they? I'll be back with him in a sec."

"Amelia!" I exclaimed. "Don't you dare bring him in here! I'll get up. I hate you, evil roomie."

I pulled a sheet around me and got out of bed.

"You hate me? Me?" she teased. "I wasn't the one who kept her roommate awake all night with her moaning, and screaming, and gasping, and grunting, and-"

"Get out! I'll see you in a few minutes," I told her as I pushed her through the door and closed it loudly behind her.

I pulled on jeans and a dark blue blouse, brushed my teeth, combed the tangles from my hair, and wiped the smudged mascara from my cheeks. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had a rose petal stuck to my neck. I peeled it off and inspected my appearance. Despite my efforts, I still looked like someone who'd had a very big night.

I almost walked out looking a mess before I realized I didn't have to. I concentrated, snapped my fingers and I was presentable. I was wearing the same outfit, but my clothes were now freshly ironed. My hair looked as though it was professionally blown out and my makeup was subtle but perfect. Even the dark circles under my eyes were expertly concealed. I smiled broadly. This was one power I loved having. I silently thanked Niall for whatever it was that he did to me.

I went into the kitchen and found the lawyer sitting at the table, drinking tea and chatting with Amelia. They were discussing New Orleans, and how the re-building efforts were progressing. As I walked in, she excused herself and left.

"Hi Mr Cataliades, it's great to see you," I greeted him. "I'm so sorry I kept you waiting, I had a big night last night."

"Miss Stackhouse, it's lovely to see you too, and please don't worry about it," he replied. "Miss Broadway told me that your Viking leaves tomorrow. I hope he is returned to you safely, although knowing vampires they will demand some form of bloodshed. Nasty business, that, especially while you are under de Castro's protection."

I just nodded. I had no idea where Eric was going or why, only that he didn't expect to be able to see me for months. I was trying not to think about it.

"I'm glad to see Amelia made you some tea. Can I get you anything else?" I offered, remembering my manners.

"I am fine. Please sit." He gestured to an empty chair and I sat.

"What can I do for you, Mr C.?"

"Miss Stackhouse, today it is about what I can do for you. I have some news that I hope will make your life a great deal easier."

"What sort of news?" I was apprehensive.

"When your great-grandfather left this world, he made arrangements for you to inherit most of his estate. He accumulated a modest fortune while he was here, as well as some very interesting assets. He decided that of all his descendants, you would make the best use of these. The way he has done this is most unusual, which is why it has taken me a couple of weeks to finalize the paperwork and bring it to you. If I were to speculate about his reasons for structuring things the way he has, I would say he believes he may return to this world, because the arrangements he has put in place make it very easy for him to reclaim the bulk of his assets and simply keep making your trust fund payments each month."

"Trust fund? Uh, I don't have a trust fund."

"You do now, Miss Stackhouse," he grinned a wide and plainly inhuman smile.

"Niall left me a trust fund?"

"Niall left you all his assets, but your monthly trust fund payments are the easiest for you to access, apart from the personal effects he asked me to deliver." He gestured to a cardboard box on the table.

"So... what does that mean?"

"Niall's estate would be worth many millions, at least, if it were entirely liquidated, but my instructions are to leave his assets intact under the management of his current staff for now. The paperwork here will make you the owner of all his assets, although they are held through a series of trusts and shelf companies that make it almost impossible to trace you as their owner and beneficiary.

"Control of his businesses and properties will be transfered to you over a period of time, after his people have taught you how to manage them. They have value and power far beyond their monetary worth and it is important you fully understand what you are getting before you take possession of it.

"In the meantime, he has put together a small trust fund that will give you monthly payments for the rest of your life. It's only $10,000 per month, adjusted annually for inflation, but Niall felt that would be enough to make a difference to you, even before you take control of his other assets. He has also made arrangements for Jason and Hunter to each receive $2,000 per month from the trust, subject to your approval."

I was speechless. "Uh, this is a lot to take in." I had no idea what to do, but I knew there was someone in the house who might. "Do you mind if I get Amelia down here to help me with this? She knows a lot more about money stuff than I do," I admitted sheepishly.

"Certainly. I imagine Copley's daughter would be a good adviser to have," he agreed.

Interesting. So Mr C. knows Amelia's father, I thought to myself.

I went upstairs where Amelia was reading a book in her sitting room and asked her to come downstairs to help me. She sat with us as Mr Cataliades patiently explained about Niall's estate all over again. When he was done, Amelia was all over the details in a way I hadn't been; she clearly understood what was going on.

"So what does Sookie need to sign today?" was her first question.

"I have paperwork that makes Miss Stackhouse the sole owner and director of a holding company that now owns, directly and indirectly, all of Niall's assets in this world." He pulled a folder of papers from a pile in front of him and put it in front of me. "I also have paperwork to authorize Miss Stackhouse's monthly payment from the Stackhouse family trust, which she and I will jointly control, and paperwork for Jason and Hunter's monthly payments as well, if she chooses to authorize them."

Amelia just nodded. "You're certain this holding company won't be traced to Sookie?"

"Of course. The paperwork connecting each asset to the company is deliberately convoluted and obscure. For added insurance, we have wards in place that deflect any attention that is paid to the paperwork connecting her to these assets, and alerts us to the enquiries," he smiled very proudly.

"So she won't have inheritance tax problems over this?"

I sat watching Amelia discuss everything with my lawyer and was suddenly very glad to have her for a best friend. I had no idea what I would do without her.

"No. It would be very difficult for anyone to prove the assets belonged to Niall in the first place, there is no death certificate for him so in a sense there is no inheritance, according to human law he is not even her relative, and his transfer of assets to Miss Stackhouse has been handled... well, shall we say, outside the usual channels," he grinned again. "Even the trust was officially endowed by a distant relation of Adele Stackhouse, someone who had no descendants of her own."

"That's very good to hear. Now what needs to be done with these trust fund papers?"

"Miss Stackhouse signs them and money starts being paid into the numbered Swiss accounts I have set up for her, Jason and Hunter. They will each get five month's back pay immediately – we had to change the dates to match our cover story – and each future month's payment will go through on the first day of that month."

"Swiss accounts," Amelia scrunched up her face. "Are you sure she'll be able to bring the money into the country without tax liability?"

"The trust has been set up so that beneficiaries' income is tax exempt, so there is no issue with paying the money into a US bank account instead if that is preferable. The Swiss account makes it much easier if Miss Stackhouse might want to move overseas and take her money with her, but if you plan to live in America for the forseeable future, a U.S. bank account is probably easier for you. Would you prefer I paid the money into your existing bank account?" He looked to me for an answer.

"I think so," I mumbled. I honestly didn't know what answer I should give. Numbered Swiss bank accounts were well outside my own areas of expertise, although Amelia seemed to know all about them.

"One last question," she added. "How is the trust endowed? You don't mind me asking, do you Sook?"

I shook my head.

Mr C. grinned again as he answered. "Niall took a few million of his cash assets and placed them in secure, income-generating commercial investments. His managers will review performance every year and make sure the investment mix hits our earnings targets. The interest on the investments is far more than the outgoings the trust is expected to have. Our projections show the surplus income topping up the principal above the rate of inflation for at least the next 15 years. So there will be no drawings from the principal for some time and in real terms, it will keep growing for a while. There should be no problems providing Sookie, Jason and Hunter an income for the rest of their lives, and it is likely there will be some left for their descendants to inherit."

$10,000 a month for the rest of my life? My head swam. It seemed unreal, like winning the lottery without buying a ticket. I had no idea what to do about all of it.

Amelia saw my confused expression and jumped in to help. "Before you sign these papers, would you like me to take a quick look over them for you?"

I nodded and she started reading.

I turned to Mr C. and made small talk while Amelia read. We discussed the weather, our mutual acquaintances and the state New Orleans was still in, so long after Katrina. The latter was his favorite topic of conversation, and he told me what was happening in detail.

Mr C. and virtually every other Supe in town was unhappy with de Castro's handling of New Orleans. After the hurricane, all the local Supes banded together to rebuild the tourist industry quickly because most made their money from it, directly or indirectly. Sophie-Anne had been working with the locals weres, witches, demons and fairies on some joint projects and progress was good. When Felipe took over, he immediately withdrew support from all of them saying he had his own projects planned and didn't need any help. None of his projects had begun yet and many of the ones he withdrew from had stopped, leaving the rebuilding effort in a mess. It made him unpopular with all the local Supes, including many of the vampires. There were rumors the Weres were so mad at de Castro, they would help any vamps who tried to overthrow him. I filed all this away for future use, thinking Eric should really know about it, if he didn't already.

Finally, Amelia was done reading. "All looks fine to me. Sign here, here and here and we're done. Did I miss any spots where she should sign?"

The lawyer shook his head. I signed where Amelia said and she looked happy.

"You're now the proud owner of a holding company with millions of dollars worth of assets. Some very tasty assets if their descriptions here are accurate. Your net worth is a helluva lot more than mine now, girlfriend. Pretty cool, huh?" she asked.

I just nodded. I was too overwhelmed to think any more of it. Last night I was poor; this morning I indirectly owned millions in assets and had $10,000 a month in trust fund income. There would be $50,000 in my bank account tomorrow. I knew it wouldn't feel real until I saw the money and 'assets' with my own eyes.

I signed the paperwork related to the trust fund payments as well, but asked Mr C. to hold off on paying any money to Jason or Hunter until I had a chance to let them know about it myself. He took my bank account details to start paying me and told me he would begin paying Jason and Hunter when I provided their bank details for the wire transfers.

I thanked him as he left. Then I sat down in front of all the paperwork on my kitchen table, wondering how much my great-grandfather's gifts were going to change my life.