What happens next?

Is she or isn't she?

Messalina was leading Buffy into a back room of the inn so that she could get undressed when her boyfriend Stake pulled her aside.

"Listen, Mess," he said, "you know I usually have your back on all things but if things go pear-shaped with this Slayer business, the Watchers Council is going to come after us with everything they've got."

"Let them try," said Messalina. "They've come after us before -- and they've never caught us."

"But this is serious," said Stake. "It's one thing to expect them to write off Niccola Wood as an unfortunate coincidence. But if the same thing happens to this Buffy..."

"Relax, darling," said Messalina. "I know what I'm doing. Besides, this Slayer is actually different than the late Miss Wood. I can tell just by talking to her. And I'm learning a lot of interesting stuff from this one too. I never expected that to happen."

"Wait!" exclaimed Stake. "Are you telling me, Mess, that after years of anti-Slayer rhetoric, you're actually beginning to empathize with a Slayer?"

At this point, Messalina's eyes went vacant.

Then she said, "No, that's not it."