Disclaimer: Not mine.

Note: Had an idea of making a fusion of Justified and Twilight post-books with Bella taking the role of Raylan Givens from the show. Long story short, she's a Deputy US Marshal. It's an AU years after the first book. I started about 30 stories with this in mind, but they never really went anywhere. Here's one that could be self-contained into a short story. If I ever get some inspiration then I'll continue it or one of the other ideas I had with the character. Enjoy.

September 14, 2015

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Alice asked from a bench to the left side of me. "You're getting all… muscley."

I glanced to the side to see her in an overly expensive designer yoga outfit. Her makeup was impeccable, her hair perfect, and her nails flawlessly manicured. She made the perfect picture of a gym bunny, whose sole purpose in existence was to pick up someone instead of working out.

On the other side of the spectrum, I was wearing Under Armour capris, a generic tank, and weightlifting gloves. My sole purpose was to work out.

"That's why I'm here, Alice. Regular human women have to do this in my line of work in order to compete with men out there in the real world. Once I can take down my instructor on a regular basis during defensive training, I'll work on staying where I'm at instead of trying to increase my muscle mass."

She sighed and leaned over to cup her chin on her hand. "If you keep going like this, in another six months your arms are going to start popping veins. It's not an attractive sight. Do you really want to look like those girls on the front of workout magazines who can't wear normal clothes because their bodies are shaped like men's?"

Setting the dumbbell down I switched sides and gave her a look in-between. "You really want me out there chasing fugitives as the poor frail little Bella you guys left behind soon after Phoenix?"

Alice ignored the jab that I threw in at least once during a number of our conversations over the last six years. "I'd rather you not be a Marshal to begin with. It's dangerous."

"Deputy US Marshal," I stressed. "The Marshal is an appointed position. There's only one at a time in any particular district, and not any more dangerous than your average business executive."

"And you wouldn't have to be either, if you'd just let me make a few investments for you."

"I don't do it for the money." As little as it paid, I highly doubted anyone got into the field for the cash. "I paid my dues in court duty, asset seizures, and operations. Now I get to chase fugitives. It's fun and I get dangerous people off the streets."

"Hi, Bella," Daisy said with a small wave as she passed up the free weights and made her way over to the resistance machines. I grinned her way and eyed the goods as she moved on.

She tended bar at the small club that I frequent. I recommended the gym I worked out in, and she'd been coming ever since. Daisy dressed somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. With minimal makeup, her blonde hair up, and a full outfit of designer, but practical, workout clothes, I knew she was there with multiple purposes in mind. Her designation was a prowler.

Daisy desperately wanted to get me into her bed. I could tell by how she went straight to the hip abductor machine and promptly got to work. That's the one where you splay your legs apart for everyone to see all the goods you can offer. It was conveniently placed right in my line of sight. Normally, you don't make eye contact with anyone when using it, unless you're offering yourself up in the proverbial silver platter. Daisy never stopped looking at me. Honestly, there are safer ways to get your point across.

"She's… slutty," Alice commented.

"I think that's why the machine was made."

"Guh. Why, Bella? I still can't understand."

When I was finished with my last set, I stood and looked at her. "Didn't you ever wonder why Charlie never liked Edward but he loved you?"

Alice frowned in confusion. "Everyone loves me."

I had to chuckle at that as I returned the dumbbell. "Even he knew that I was gay. He never understood why I was dating Edward in the first place, but he was too socially awkward to say anything. You should have seen his face when I brought my first girlfriend home from college to introduce them to each other. You know what he said?"

She just sat there and stared at me.

"He said, 'finally!' It wasn't until a lot later he asked about you and whether or not we were a thing, and if I was really dating you and using Edward as a cover story when you guys came back."

"Huh?" Alice was dumbfounded. "That's just… ugh. I mean you're my sister, not… ewgh."

"You're great to have around for my self-image, Alice."

She glared playfully at me. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. I don't understand it, but if you like women in that way then more power to you. I just want you to be safe and happy."

"Then turn me and I will. I'm not getting any younger you know."

It was an age old request of mine. Carlisle said the decision was up to Alice and forbade anyone else to interfere, to Edward's consternation. My little pixie sister had other ideas on the matter. She followed me over to the stair climber machine and I started my last exercise for the day.

"We're not going to be the ones to do it, Bella."

My rhythm faltered for a moment, but I picked it back up again. "Care to explain that?"

She pressed her lips together and then caught my eyes. "We have cousins that live in Alaska. They follow a similar, no humans diet where blood is concerned."

I nodded. "The Denali's."

"Right. Well, one of them will be down soon and she'll be the one that turns you."

I almost wanted to echo Charlie's words about my coming out. "Great! Thank you. Was there any particular reason that I had to wait for so long?"

She shrugged. "She had a boyfriend that she thought was her mate. He left her recently and she's getting her head together about the whole thing. I warned her about him, but she didn't listen."

Okay, I really didn't know what her boyfriend had to do with someone biting me and taking off soon after. Unless…

"What aren't you telling me?"

"A lot of things. Your firm and curvy butt looks fine. I'm sure you could crack walnuts between your cheeks. Can we get out of here to somewhere more private? The slutty girl is edging closer."

"Her name is Daisy, and maybe I want her to look at my butt."

~O~

Alice delivered her traditional frown at my work clothes as I exited the gym and we headed toward the courthouse. On any non-court day I wore jeans, a white dress shirt, Caterpillar boots, a suit coat, and a cowboy hat.

I will note for the official record that I bought my hat in 2008 when I was first issued my Deputy Marshal badge, and Justified first aired in 2010. They stole the idea from me, not the other way around. Any way that you look at the subject, she still smiled with amusement every time she saw me wearing it.

"So what couldn't we talk about in there?" I prompted. If I let her raise the subject up again I knew she'd put it off for another time.

"The three original Denali's: Tanya, Kate, and Irina are a different kind of vampire, one I think you'll like better than what I am. I've asked Irina to come down and show you in person."

"Not one of the others?"

"Um, no. Tanya would only turn someone if she knew specifically the person was her mate, and Kate is still going through her honeymoon phase with Garrett, so she's out."

I re-positioned my hat to shield against the morning sun while I pondered that. "So Irina would be willing to turn me?"

Alice slipped her hand above my elbow and slowed our pace, but left it there after, as if I was escorting her while she shifted the subject slightly.

"There is a legend about the sisters that you've probably heard about. It's along the same vein as vampires: a lot of myth and misinformation, I mean."

I nodded. "Okay."

"You've heard about something called a succubus?"

My gait faltered as I tried to take into account the whole myth thing she just pointed out. "Yes. I'm guessing they aren't demons that suck the souls of humans during sex?"

"No, not quite. They resemble vampires: pale skin, unnatural beauty, and odd colored eyes – in their case electric blue. They are just as immortal as us though, and they feed on blood or the energy used during sex."

"Ah, that's where the myths come in."

"Right. They've chosen to feed solely during sex, so that's what I mean when they are vegetarians like us."

I shrugged. "Having another option would be nice. So, I'm not seeing why you're acting all coy about the subject."

Alice glanced up at me and then looked back down. "Let's just say that Irina is your type."

A pained sigh found its way through my throat before I had a chance to stop it. "Don't tell me that this is another mate thing."

"Okay, I won't tell you that. It doesn't stop it from being true."

Bringing us to a stop I turned on her. "I like being single. I like dating and having sex with whoever I want. I'm not going through the whole Edward fiasco again. He was dead set on me being the one, and it turned out there was a fifteen year old down in South America with his name tramp-stamped above her butt."

Thankfully, they waited until she was of age before they got married. These days she's dressed prim and properly at his side, probably knitting something. The girl had absolutely no personality and had to be led around by Edward wherever they went. He was in heaven. Finally, the perfect submissive wife for a domineering husband had been provided.

"Okay, don't call it that then," Alice said and tugged me along. "You'll just meet, fall in love, have lots of sex, and stay together for a really long time… in love."

"You said that already."

"Deeply."

"I think I got the picture."

"It'll be just like being mates to everyone else, but not to you."

"Maybe you should just bite me," I offered.

"No, I was going to do that, but I had a vision that you would make a move on me and things just went very strange for a while between us."

I scoffed. "I did not!"

"You soo did. I can understand why. I am fabulous."

With a roll of my eyes I said, "Then let Rose do it."

"Nope. You wind up joining Rose and Emmett in a three-way thing that winds up ending in a nasty fight and splitting their marriage."

"Okay, now you're just making stuff up."

"Nope. Emmett wants to… you know… and you won't do it with a guy. So he gets jealous of Rose. Rose in turn is jealous of you because Emmett wants you so much, and they fight for almost two years on the subject. Meanwhile Rose is hogging you all to herself, and Emmett finally leaves."

"Rose hates me," I pointed out. "So I know all of that is a really large load of BS."

Alice shook her head. "She doesn't understand her feelings toward you, so she defaults to anger. It's a sexual attraction that finally gets fulfilled when Emmett encourages a onetime fling between the two of you in their bed so he can watch. She loves him and will do almost anything for him. Once it was over she had an epiphany and went bisexual, but more on the lesbian side."

I stopped again and looked at her face. "You're serious."

"As a heart attack. I've had some really disturbing visions of your sexual conquests, Bella. I'm pretty much scarred for life here, and the more I see, the less I understand why you prefer girls over boys."

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm an exhibitionist?"

"You're perverted. Not that it's a bad thing. I mean it's not like you're going to the extremes or anything. That's one of the reasons Irina is ideal for you. You have the similar personalities in that regard."

"And we're back to me being Irina's transitional relationship. That always ends badly. I'm not getting involved with someone that's going to dump me right when I start falling for them. Why do you think I keep things simple by just dating? There's no expectations. We just enjoy one another and move on."

She shook her head as we approached the main entrance to the courthouse. "You just want the slutty girl from the gym."

I grinned. "Oh, I'll have her, probably tonight if that abductor machine performance of hers was any indication of what she can do; strong thighs."

End.