AN: Thankyou to everyone for your suggestions for what Olivia, Alex, Rafael and Trevor can do during Rumspringa. I've taken note for them all and will work them into the story in due course. I won't ask for any more suggestions at this point in time but I may ask again later on ;-)

AN2: I know I'm probably repeating myself here to some readers, but please know I'm so sorry for taking just over a year to update this story. It was never my intention to let any of my stories go for so long, but those that read my other stories know I haven't been staring at my navel during this 'absence' ;-). 'Negotiating Her Life' was always my priority for writing and thankfully I have now finished that particular story. Each time I thought I was ready to start writing 'Forbidden' ('ISBY' included) my muse gave me other story ideas... until now. I'm happy to say that ISBY has been updated in the last month, and I'm also working on 'Mistress, Ma'am and Pet'. Anyway, it's more than likely that I'm boring you with my excuses, so time to check in with our Maedels and Jungs interacting with more technology ;-).

A long, pained groan broke the morning serenity.

"What's wrong?"

"We... are never... doing that again!"

"And what would that be?"

"Falling asleep on the floor!"

"You were the one that didn't want to move after we... you know."

"If I ever suggest to do such a ridiculous thing again, please remind me of this morning. My back is killing me!"

"Old age creeping up on you?"

"I am not old!"

"You're older than me."

Grimacing in stiffness from sleeping on thin cushions scattered on the floor, Lena glared at her naked lover partially covered with a light throw rug, who was grinning like a mad woman. She knew Elizabeth took great joy in reminding her that she was older by 6 months, and that she was shorter by several inches, but Lena knew it was all playful jest. Lena was aware she was, and would be, the only one to ever see this side of Elizabeth and she relished every moment she saw. Compared to Miriam's constant sour demeanour, Lena couldn't believe that Elizabeth Donnelly was somehow related, but the physical resemblance between the sisters pushed any doubt aside.

"Do you want me to give you a massage to relieve your discomfort?" Elizabeth offered, shifting her hand to rest on Lena's hip before inching it lower.

"I think your massage would be more distracting than anything."

"So we agree it would take your mind off the pain?"

"Liz!" Grasping Elizabeth's wrist, Lena decided to change the direction of the conversation, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"You."

Lena rolled her eyes, "Obviously."

"Darling, I won't be able to touch you like this again until you feign menstrual pain next week so I can stay overnight. And then after that, until we return here to the farm when we help the Maedels and Jungs get their fake ID's."

"Not feigning the ovulation pain though."

"I know you don't, but what Miriam believes is better for both our sakes." Elizabeth began moving her hand lower as soon as Lena loosened her grip. "Good thing I know what helps relieve all those pains you suffer after all these years together."

"You certainly do," Lena turned and captured Elizabeth's lips with her own.

Olivia's left cheek was squashed flat against the carpet and her mouth slightly opened as her right eye fluttered open.

No.

Bright.

Too bright.

Much too bright.

She tried to lift her head to see the time displaying on the alarm clock on her bedside table, but for some inexplicable reason her head felt much too heavy. Had she come down with a fever and gone to bed ill? She couldn't remember... much of anything. Her eye slid shut reasoning that Daett would wake her if she had overslept. Right now, more sleep was necessary. Sleep was where Olivia could do many forbidden things with Alexandra.

Sleep was good.

Sleep was...

Sleep.

Zzzz.

A loud and incessant ringing began, pulling Olivia from her slumbering state but her head was still heavy and foggy.

Alarm clock.

Time to get up.

Morning chores... breakfast... make beds... feed chickens... baking for the day...

The alarm clock was ringing oddly, but all Olivia wanted... needed was more sleep. She reached her hand out and began blindly slapping where she assumed the alarm clock would be. When the ringing stopped, she smiled and began drifting off again... until the ringing started once again.

With the television still playing and the cookies and wine still on the floor, a bleary-eyed Olivia shuffled her way towards the ringing coming from the kitchen. It was the telephone making the racket. She'd never used one before but had seen English people use them when visiting Main Town with Maemm and Daett. Surely it worked the same way as tin can telephones that she and Alexandra played with when they were children? The long spiral cord needed to be taut to hear the other person. Olivia lifted the hand piece and walked back until the cord was almost taut.

"HELLO?" Olivia bellowed into the mouth piece just like she did with the tin can when she was younger. She immediately regretted raising her voice so much.

"Dee Dee, what took you so long?" the female voice asked. "I've been wanting to get a hold of you all day."

"I... WAS... SLEEPING!"

"Party hard last night with Benji the hottie? You were getting cosy with him when I left with Corey. I let him get to third base just like I said I would. I think I'll let him go all the way next time."

Olivia screwed up her face in fuzzy hungover thought. She didn't think she knew any Dee Dee, Benji or Corey. There were no Villagers by those names, and what was with the baseball terms? That's right, it was baseball season. Cassandra Novak hit a home run every time they played and Olivia herself could make it to second or third base easily. She'd hit a couple of home runs especially when Alexandra cheered.

"MY... NAME... ISN'T... DEE DEE!... ...NOONE... HERE... IS... NAMED... DEE DEE!... ...LETTING... COREY... GET... TO... THIRD... BASE... WAS... VERY... GENEROUS... OF... YOU!... ...CASSANDRA... GETS... HOME... RUNS... EVERY... SINGLE... TIME... SHE... PLAYS... BASEBALL!"

The voice was silent for a time before speaking, "This isn't 555-2706?"

"NO!... THIS... IS... OLIVIA!"

"Oh my goodness! I've got the wrong number!" the voice said before the telephone went silent.

Olivia moved the receiver from her ear and looked at it in curiosity. English people and their fancy machines were very weird.

"HELLO?... ...I... CAN'T... HEAR... YOU... ANY... LONGER!... ...HELLO?"

"Why are you yelling?" a dishevelled Alexandra croaked from the doorway, cleaning her glasses with the hem of her shirt.

"The phone-thingy was ringing... and then the girl was telling me about her friends playing baseball... then it was all quiet. I think she broke the cord, or made it go slack. 'Member, when that would happen when we talked with the tin cans?" Olivia shuffled forward and placed the telephone receiver back on its cradle.

"I rem'ber. Maybe she'll ring back later? Did she say what her name was?"

"No... but her friends are named Dee Dee, Benji and Corey," Olivia scrawled the names down on the notepad, just in case.

Alexandra fumbled putting her glasses on, "Liv? I'm kinda hungry, but it's past breakfast time... and I think I might be coming down with a cold."

Olivia looked up at the clock on the wall noting it was actually almost four in the afternoon. Had they really slept for that long? She looked back at Alexandra, "I'm hungry too but I really don't feel like cooking. We could have the pot roast Maemm made. That just needs heating up... and I think I'm coming down with a cold too."

"Pot roast sounds good," Alexandra wobbled her way to the table, pulled out a chair and flopped down. "The man in the television box didn't drink the wine or eat the cookies we left out, so I think he must've eaten at someone else's house."

"Then he'll have to eat at someone else's again because I doubt there will be enough for extras if Rafael and Trevor are as hungry as they usually are'" Olivia opened the refrigerator and removed the enamelled cast iron casserole dish.

"Are you going to reheat the pot roast in the microwave?" Alexandra yawned as Olivia slowly skimmed off the fat from the juices.

"It would only take half an hour in the oven."

"We're on Rumspringa and we're supposed to experience English things to prepare us for when we go to live in the English world."

"And we will experience lots of English things while we're on Rumspringa to prepare us for when we go to live in the English world, Alex."

Alexandra's heart soared at hearing Olivia say the shortened version of her name. When Olivia had said it that particular night all those years ago, it seemed like it would be a lifetime before she would hear the brunette say it again. Now she relished every time Olivia said it, just as much as she relished saying Olivia's shortened name.

"Liv, are we going to have a microwave in our kitchen on our little farm... or wherever we decide to live when we leave the Village?"

Looking back over her shoulder, Olivia placed the spoon down on the bench, "I... ahh... I haven't thought that far ahead to be honest."

"I know Trevor and Rafael didn't do to well with the eggs, but I'm sure you can show them up and reheat the pot roast in the microwave," Alexandra encouraged with a smile.

"I don't know..." Olivia turned around to face Alexandra and folded her arms.

"Go on! You're the one with the kitchen expertise."

"I'm not an expert-"

"And Lena said there was instruction booklets in the drawers, so how hard can it really be?"

Going against her gut feeling, Olivia relented. She covered the pot just like she normally would when she reheated food, placed the pot inside the microwave and closed the door.

Alexandra asked as she approached, "Want to read the instructions or not?"

"Well... there's a knob on here that labelled 'Reheat', 'Defrost', 'Cook - Low', 'Cook - Medium', and 'Cook - High', so..." Olivia turned it to 'Reheat', "... and normally it would take half an hour to heat, so..." She twisted the timing dial around to 30 minutes, which was as far as it would go.

"Nothing's happening," Alexandra pouted as she peered through the glass door to inside the microwave with Olivia. "Trevor said it lit up inside and the plate began spinning when it started before... kaboom!"

"Oops! I didn't press the 'Start' button," Olivia said before pushing the large button beneath dual dials.

Both watched in awe as the light came on and the pot began steadily rotating.

"You did it, Liv!"

Moments later, Alexandra and Olivia screamed in terror as a metallic buzz filled the kitchen while sparks danced along the crumpled tin foil covering the cast iron pot inside the microwave. Olivia did the only thing she could think of: she grabbed the microwave's power cord and yanked it from the wall socket.

"What sort of crazy gadget is this?!" Olivia turned and looked at Alexandra, "I know Maemm said this thing made things cook a lot faster, I repeat what I've said before: I don't trust this cooking machine and I'm never using one ever!"

"What's with all the yelling and screaming?" Rafael hissed from the doorway, struggling to steady Trevor against his smaller body, both males looking worse for wear.

Both females whirled around as Alexandra replied nonchalantly, "Just getting some dinner ready."

"No food..." Trevor whimpered, suddenly looking more queasy than he did even though his stomach was devoid of contents and had been for almost a day. "... No food."

Alexandra removed her glasses while Olivia marked the next chapter of 'Great Expectations' with a bookmark before each placed their item on their bedside table, then snuggled their naked bodies closer after switching off the lamp. While they had eaten Lena's pot roast heartily at the dinner table - reheated in the oven, of course - Rafael had only managed a few mouthfuls, whereas Trevor opted to nibble on dry toast.

"Olivia, are you really going to get your hair cut tomorrow when we go to Main Town?" Alexandra whispered as she rested her left hand under the curve of Olivia's right breast like she always did.

"Absolutely. I've been wanting to have it short for as long as I can remember, and if I'd had my way, you would've cut it for me already just like Maemm and Elizabeth did the night before we came to Rumspringa House."

"They cut their hair?"

Olivia nodded, "They do every year since their Rumspringa."

Alexandra lifted her head from Olivia's shoulder, "How do you know they do? My Aunt Elizabeth has never told me she cuts her hair each Rumspringa!"

Knowing she had promised never to reveal what took place that particular night in the stables and the aftermath, Olivia simply replied, "Maemm told me she and Elizabeth do when I told her I wanted to cut mine during Rumspringa. When they go to live at Petrovsky Farm permanently when we all leave the Village, she told me they're going to have it short all the time."

"My mother would be outraged if she knew Aunt Elizabeth had her hair short."

"That's another reason why I want to cut my hair. Going back to the Village later on to visit with short hair and no bonnet, Miriam will freak!"

Alexandra giggled softly, "Maybe I'll cut my hair as well."

"Really?" Olivia wondered aloud but was silenced by Alexandra kissing her soundly.

"Any ideas what the 'Adult Store' will sell when it opens?" Alexandra asked as she and Olivia passed by on their way to the hairdressing salon, Rafael and Trevor a few steps behind them.

Olivia shook her head, "Nope, but I really want to know. I assume that we have to be an adult to go inside so we have get those fake ID's."

"That's what we thought when we saw, isn't that right Trevor?" Rafael commented.

With his arms folded protectively across his mid-section while still dealing with the lingering effects of his hangover, Trevor just nodded in agreement. He had managed a more substantial breakfast this morning, however, his stomach muscles were still quite tender from all the vomiting and dry retching he had endured.

The group halted outside the salon as Alexandra spoke, "Trevor, Rafael, meet us back here once you've got the groceries on the list."

Rafael muttered to Trevor, "Why do we have to get the groceries? Isn't that Maedels job?"

Olivia stepped into Rafael's personal space and growled at him, "Care to repeat that, Jung?"

"No!" Rafael rebutted nervously.

"Let's get one thing clear: if you're going to live in the English world once we leave the Village, you're both going to have to learn Maedel things like cooking and grocery shopping."

"But why?"

"Because you might not want to live where Alexandra and I do when we leave. You and Trevor might want to live in Capital City-"

Rafael didn't bother to mask is hurt or surprise, "We're not going to all live together?"

Olivia sighed, "I didn't say that! However, you and Trevor might be tired of living with Alex and I by the end of Rumspringa and might want to live in different places."

"I just assumed we'd all live together after Rumspringa seeing we're all best friends, Olivia."

"We might do that too, Rafael. But if any of us get jobs that don't allow us to eat meals together, you and Trevor have to know how to survive seeing your mothers have taken care of you all your lives-"

"Except if your mother's name is Miriam Cabot," Alexandra muttered darkly.

Olivia continued, "And we're not returning to the Village to live, and we're definitely not getting betrothed like the Elders believe we are!"

"I just can't believe you're already thinking about after Rumspringa when we've only been on Rumpringa a few days," Rafael commented quietly.

"After Rumspringa is just as exciting to me as being on Rumspringa!" Olivia explained.

"And if you and Olivia don't stop talking about after Rumspringa and don't get on with what we want to do today, another day of Rumspringa will be over!" Trevor spoke up for the first time today since his muttered 'thankyou' at breakfast.

With a silent truce called, Olivia and Alexandra handed over some money and the list of groceries to Trevor and Rafael before the males departed in the direction of the grocery store.

Alexandra pointed to a sign across the road, "What do you suppose a Tattoo and Piercing Studio is?"

"We'll found out another time." Olivia grabbed Alexandra's wrist and opened the door to the salon, "Haircut, now!"

"Can I help you, young ladies?" the middle aged woman who had been blowdrying a customers hair asked as she approached.

Olivia spoke up as Alexandra hung back, "I'd like to get my hair cut, thankyou."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I need an appointment?!" Olivia was gobsmacked.

"Yes, an appointment is necessary."

With tears suddenly brimming in her eyes, Olivia turned to Alexandra, "I've been waiting all this time to finally be on Rumspringa to get my hair cut, and now I can't because I don't have an appointment."

"You're a Villager?" the woman queried, feeling sorry for the upset young woman. Being the owner, she knew that there had been Villagers come in over the years but none in the last few. Receiving dual nods from both the blonde and brunette, she offered a solution, "I could let my new apprentice cut your hair."

"Yes, please!" Olivia swiped away a stray tear.

"Ok then... Consuela! You have a customer!"

A woman only a few years older than Olivia and Alexandra appeared from the door leading towards the back area. Dressed in various fluorescent day-glo clothing, Consuela's hair was frizzy and teased quite high. She also had large hoop earrings in and colourful makeup on.

"Hi my name is Connie Rubirosa and I'll be doing your hair today. What would you like? A Farrah Fawcett do? A perm? Crimp and tease? Coloured highlights?"

Olivia pulled out the small hair elastic tied around her long hair with one hand and pointed to a picture on the wall with the other, "I want a cut like that."

Connie looked at the picture being indicated, "That's just a shoulder length bob. You realise with the length you have, you could have an awesome spiral perm... or even a side ponytail."

"I don't want anything but my hair cut like that woman on the wall."

"But-"

"Consuela! Give the customer what she wants," the middle aged woman instructed, returning to her current customer.

Connie indicated for Olivia to sit down before draping a colourful bib over Olivia's clothes and cinching it around her neck. The young apprentice carefully brushed the long dark brown hair, then tied it up with the elastic a little lower than Olivia's shoulders.

Connie chewed on her bottom lip, "Are you sure?"

Olivia nodded vigorously, "Absolutely. I want it all gone."

"Alright then."

Olivia felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her as the scissors in Connie's hand slowly but surely cut through the thick ponytail of long, dark hair. It was as if one of the major shackles of being a Villager was being cast off. When Connie placed the ponytail of hair in Olivia's lap, Olivia immediately held it aloft with a beaming smile, spun around in the chair to make eye contact with Alexandra and began laughing with glee. It was another ten minutes of snipping and combing before Olivia's new shoulder length bob was complete.

"What do you think?" Olivia approached Alexandra after leaving the chair.

"Liv, you look..." Alexandra wanted to say beautiful, but knew that those sorts of things had to be said in private. "You look like a new woman. I love it!"

"I'm glad you love it because I do too! It's feels so... liberating!"

"My turn!"

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise, "You're really going to?"

"Yes," Alexandra grinned, walked over to the chair and sat down. "Connie, I'll have the same, please."

End Note: For reference, Olivia's hair is now like how she had it in season 1 and Alex's is now like how she had it in season 2 ep Consent ;-)