"Great," we say in unison. It feels so good to see her. Melli is like my second mom. The one I can share my fears with. But that's going to change, isn't it? Soon I'm not going to talk to her every day. A lump begins to form in my throat.

Sky's phone rings and she looks at me triumphantly. "That must be my agent with another offer! I'll be right back." She runs off to answer it in private.

"What's wrong, Kaitlin?" Melli gives me a knowing look.

"I don't know." My voice is shaky. "I guess seeing you, being back here, filming this promo. The end of FA is really hitting me."

Melli hugs me. "It's okay to be upset. You've grown up here." She looks around. "FA is what you know and love, but that will change." She smiles.

"I know," I say, even though I'm not sure I believe that.

Tom Pullman, our creator/executive producer, walks over carrying a clipboard. His bald head is beaded with sweat and his black glasses are slightly fogged. Tom's wearing jeans and a T-shirt that says The Affair is Almost Over. "Why the long faces?"

"We're talking about the show ending," Melli tells him.

"Ah," Tom mumbles. "We can't deny it anymore, can we? Especially when we have these promos to shoot." He waves the dialogue at us and accidentally smacks Sky in the face as she walks back over. "Are you guys ready? These are twenty-second promos the network wants to air right away. They'll announce special episodes, show retrospectives, and count down to the final episode. Everyone is taping different ones so the network will be blanketed with FA reminders." Tom looks pleased. "Let's do a quick run-through and then we'll shoot. This shouldn't take more than half an hour."

Eight episodes. Eight episodes. I can't believe that's all that's left. I try not to think about it as I walk over to my mark. Tom sits at his director's chair, which is behind two flat-screen monitors showing different angles of our setup. The grips are already in place with the microphone, and two cameramen are focused on us. We rehearse the scene twice before we shoot.

"Promo number one, take one," Tom announces as we start taping.

"Will I finally get my act together?" Sky says with a sneaky grin.

"Will I convince my family I know what's best for them?" Melli smiles.

It's my turn. I stare into the camera. "The only way to find out is to tune in. Don't miss . . ." I can't remember my line! How did that happen? I did fine in rehearsal. "Don't miss . . ."

"Don't miss the final eight episodes of Family Affair," Tom reminds me. "Keep going. We're still rolling."

But I can't. I can't say it. I can't say "the final eight episodes." These promos, the thought of losing my on-set family; it all feels too real for the first day back to work. Sky already has a list of projects lined up and I haven't even looked at one. How is she so blasé about this? How is everyone so calm about FA going off the air? Doesn't anyone but me feel like this is all happening too fast? Don't they care that our lives are changing?