The next evening Strumpet, Ushanka, Babydoll, Daffodil, and Weeds along with Franklin piled into the limousine and headed to the TBBN studios. While Ushanka and Babydoll were obviously looking forward to the interview, Daffodil sat in quiet terror, staring at her hands which were folded in her lap. Franklin tried to put her at ease.

"There's nothing to worry about. I've met Victoria and she's a lovely lady. Just relax and be yourself."

Daffodil nodded but remained silent. Weeds grabbed a crystal goblet from the bar, poured a double shot of brandy, and handed it across to her.

"Here, drink this. It'll help you calm down." Amy thought that a joint would have done a better job of soothing Daffodil's nerves, but she was afraid of what Franklin's straight-laced hulk of a bodyguard might do.

The brandy did seem to help. In fact Daffodil consumed two more double brandies along with a double whiskey during the ride.

"Don't you think you should slow down?" Strumpet asked. She knew there was no way this tiny girl could handle so much alcohol.

"I'm fine," Daffodil chirped brightly. Tara glanced around at the other occupants of the car, but nobody else seemed concerned. She shrugged and sat back in her seat. If they saw no problem with it, neither did she.

By the time they arrived at the studio, Daffodil was quite mellow. Unfortunately her nerves weren't the only things relaxed; Strumpet, Weeds, and Ushanka literally had to carry her in to the make-up room. By now Daffodil had begun to cry, sobbing so hard that the make-up artist couldn't do her job. When Garry came to check on their progress, Babydoll pulled him to one side.

"Garry, I really don't think she's in shape to do the interview."

"She's drunk; we don't need her embarrassing us. Let her sleep it off," Ushanka added.

"I don't care how drunk she is, get her cleaned up and on set!" Garry barked. He turned to one of the junior production assistants. "Get her some coffee. We start filming in fifteen minutes, and if she's not out there I'm holding you personally responsible!"

The interview started off without a hitch. Victoria was just as gracious as Franklin promised, and she had put everyone at their ease within minutes. Daffodil looked a little green around the gills but seemed to be doing well, considering. They were in the middle of a lively discussion about vampire/human relationships when the combination of liquor, hot studio lights, and coffee finally took their toll.

"Oh god!" Daffodil suddenly screamed standing and covering her mouth. She ran to the nearest trash can and was violently sick. The microphone clearly transmitted the sound of her retching.

"Keep rolling! Don't stop the cameras!" Garry shouted, amused at this new development.

Babydoll, who had hurried to be of assistance, immediately unclipped Daffodil's microphone and led her to the nearest ladies room. Once there, she wiped the intoxicated woman's face with damp paper towels and helped her to lie down on the couch. She had just gotten her settled when Garry stormed in, Andrew and Franklin hot on his heels.

"Why the hell did you remove her mic?"

"I'm sorry..." Daffodil wept, but Babydoll cut her off.

"She was being sick, Garry! I doubt anyone wanted to hear that. This is all your fault anyway!" she spat.

"My fault! How dare you blame me when you're the one who ruined the taping?"

"Easy. We told you back in make-up that she wasn't in any shape to do an interview, but you wanted her on set drunk cause you thought it would boost ratings!"

Andrew and Franklin both fixed Garry with hard stares. "Is this true?" Franklin asked icily.

"A little drama never hurts," he said defiantly.

Franklin returned his attention to Babydoll. "I want to thank you for helping your fellow cast-mate. It was very sweet. Would you care to join me on a date in a few nights?"

Summer beamed. "I'd love to!"

"Thank you. Andrew will get back to you soon with the details."

Franklin glared at Garry one last time then stalked out the room in disgust. He hadn't been this humiliated in at least two centuries. He had specifically asked Garry to choose the girls he thought would do best in an interview, and it had resulted in this fiasco.

Andrew noticed Franklin's mood and hurried after him.

"What do you want to do now, Boss? Should we continue the interview?"

"No. I think Victoria has enough for the show. Let's just get the hell out of here and go home."

"What about the cocktail party?"

"Everyone else can attend. I'm done for the night."

"But Boss..." Andrew began, and then quickly shut up when he noticed the look on Franklin's face. "Okay, I'll let everybody know."

The day-lily ceremony was held the following evening. The ladies all lined up and waited for Franklin to make his decision known.

"As you all know, I'm on this show because I want not just a wife, but a partner. By partner, I mean a woman who's willing to share her life with me, not run off looking for fulfillment in other areas." He turned to Dawn. "Hot Wings, you are very beautiful and talented, your attributes should be shared with the world; it's obvious that you wouldn't be happy tied down to one person."

Dawn was upset, but took it all in stride.

Franklin continued. "My career also requires me to interact with the public on a fairly regular basis. For this reason, I need a partner with sound judgment, someone who's able to face difficult situations without losing her nerve. Daffodil, you are a delightful girl, but I'm afraid you wouldn't fit in with my business."

Rosie began to weep inconsolably. She had to be helped off the set by a couple of production assistants. The remaining nine girls were given day-lilies. Styles and Babydoll were informed of when their dates with Franklin would occur.

Later that night, Franklin filmed his confession...

"Tonight I had to make a really difficult decision and send two of the ladies home. Both of them are very beautiful, but I never really connected with Hot-Wings and I think that a relationship would always come second to her career. As for Daffodil, I know she was devastated when I asked her to leave."

Franklin paused and sighed, running his hand through his unruly dark hair.

"I felt really bad for her, but I'm choosing a partner who'll be with me for the rest of her life; hopefully for eternity, and I have to remain objective."

He brooded for a few moments, and then brightened.

"The good news is that there are nine beautiful ladies left, and I'm sure to find my match with one of them."

Switching off the camera, Franklin exited the room and prepared for bed.