Living on Love

Six

A/N: I realized that I began the story after Hairspray Live and I made myself sad. So this chapter is a flashback chapter on the set of Hairspray Live because I wanted some of that cuteness. I also don't remember the directors name so in this he's simply 'the director' because I don't have the patience to look up the names. Also I don't think they used clappers for the production but I needed something Malcolm could actually do something with. And also again, Joan is in a relationship in this story.

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"So I just jump, and straddle his stomach," Ariana said.

"Right. You don't wanna be too far up on his chest, but you don't wanna land on his crotch, otherwise he'll be out a good five minutes at least and we need him twenty seconds later with you so try to avoid that area at all costs," the director said.

"Trust me I will. I have a boyfriend," she said as she sat on the bed.

"Malcolm! You can't play with the clappers!" Maddie called out.

Ariana rolled her eyes and looked out the window, only to see Maddie chasing Malcolm down the street. "Oh hell no," she said, climbing out of the window and running down the fire escape. As soon as she caught up with Maddie she was already out of breath so she tapped her co-star's shoulder. "I'll get him, go breathe," she said.

"Malcolm!" Dove shouted. "You can't go in there, we've got cameras all over the place!" She called out as she started running after the toddler just a few yards ahead of Ariana.

"Malcolm James McCormick!" Ariana shouted. "Ephraim! Catch him!"

As Ariana caught up to Dove they kept running, Ephraim running ahead of them and scooping Malcolm up in his arms as the girl's caught up to him, both breathing heavily.

"Put him down," Ariana said.

Ephraim put Malcolm on the ground but held onto him as Dove took the clapper from him. Ariana knelt next to the toddler and swatted his butt before holding his chin in her hand to make him look at her.

"You were told by Maddie and by Dove that you couldn't do something. When Maddie said you couldn't play with the clapper you should have stopped and listened to her, and you should have stopped when Dove told you that you couldn't go into the warehouse. I brought you with me today because you promised Mommy that you could behave and you're not behaving, you're being bad."

"Not only that but you were running over wires and cords, you could have fallen and gotten really hurt, sweetheart," Dove said. "We don't want you to get hurt, we want you to be a good boy and stay safe."

"I am safe," Malcolm said.

"Thankfully, but honey this set has a lot of sharp corners and stairs and lots of cameras and wires and cords and we don't want you to hurt yourself playing around. And these clappers are really important, they tell us and the camera men what scene we're doing."

"Yeah little man, if we don't know what we're doing we'll mess up the whole thing," Ephraim said. "You want your mommy to do a good job don't you?"

"Yeah..." Malcolm said.

"Then you listen and you behave and stop running around," Ariana said. "This is our last day of rehearsal, we're live tomorrow and if you can't follow the rules today then you won't get to come tomorrow and watch Mommy."

"I wanna watch you though."

"Then you start listening. Understand?"

Malcolm nodded.