After Sky and I finish in wardrobe, we emerge onto the set wearing our custom Violet Wade bridesmaids' dresses (Violet is a big fan of Family Affair). They're strapless tea-length dresses in a pretty shade of periwinkle with a coordinating brown sash. I'd totally wear this to my prom. Well, if I actually got to go to a prom.

Sky and I take our marks next to Maggie, who plays Aunt Krystal, on the hot, brightly lit soundstage. We're on the portion made to resemble the lush gardens and atrium on Blake and Paige Stevens' estate. This setting is a permanent fixture on the FA soundstage (along with the family's state-of-the-art kitchen, Sam's and Sara's cluttered bedrooms, and the Stevens' tricked-out living room) since so much goes down at the atrium -- torrid love affairs, breakups, and secret rendezvous. Outside the shot's perimeter, the large camera crew is stationed at various angles to catch the action. Paul, Shelly, and Raphael, along with Maggie's makeup artist, wait patiently behind them to see if any of us need a touchup. I see Brian Bennett and his crew standing nearby too, taking "behind the scenes" footage of the shot. After a quick line run-through, Tom calls action.

"Aunt Krystal, are you okay? You look kind of pale," I declare aloud as my too-innocent, always-sweet alter ego.

"Sam, give her a break. She's probably just nervous about the wedding," Sky recites on cue, twirling the piece of green gum she's pulled out of her mouth. "Right, Aunt Krystal?"

Maggie turns away from us and faces the camera behind her. She's wearing a lace-covered ivory Violet Wade wedding dress that is so tight she looks like a mummy. Maggie's bleached blond hair is swept back into a low bun, and a long cathedral-length veil covers her head. Maggie looks at Sky and me tearfully and covers her face with her white-gloved hands. She starts to sob uncontrollably. Sky and I look at each other, then walk to our marks on either side of Maggie and put our arms around her shoulders. We hold for thirty seconds, pretending to be unsure of what to do. Then I say ...

"I saw you in the bathroom, Aunt Krystal. You were throwing up."

"Girls, I can't lie to you," she announces after a long dramatic pause. She dabs her eyes with a pink handkerchief I've handed her. "I'm pregnant."

Sky and I squeal with delight and hug her tightly.

Maggie pulls away and sits down on the nearby white wicker bench with tacky turquoise cushions. She places her veiled head in her lap and whispers, "You can't tell Andrew."

"Why not?" I ask, concerned. I join her on the bench and place my hand gingerly on my aunt's shoulder. Maggie tears up again and sobs loudly. She looks up at us with shiny wet eyes and proclaims, "Because I don't know if the baby is his."

God, is this stuff fun to act out or what?