"Serena, I swear to you, in the beginning you were just a mark." Lily Bass -- or, as he says it, "Bart Bass's widow," which earns him another growl from Chuck -- was going to be the last big score. But then of course the magical connection and whatever. S is done, and asks him to cut to the chase. Long story short, Poppy got nervous that Serena was onto them ("Smart girl," Chuck notes) and offered to buy him out, but emptied the coffers and disappeared instead. "I should've just left town... But I couldn't go without seeing you again." Serena tries not to be gotten by this, while Chuck tries not to barf, and pouts intensely at Gabriel instead.

Down in the courtyard, Nate is bored. Blair begs him not to leave her with Georgina, and he asks her to come get coffee with him, and Georgina begs her to stay and talk -- "Blair, everyone else has forgiven me, I'm just waiting on you" -- and Blair notes that A) "everyone" who, exactly, besides all of them who have done no such thing and the guy she killed, is she talking about, and B) "some things" are unforgivable. I like to think that she's speaking here of blowing Dan Humphrey, which is truly unforgiveable. "God will help me find a way to earn your forgiveness," G gushes, and before B can swat that one down, Chuck exits the building, answering B's prayers. He tells them the real puppeteer is Poppy, "believe it or not," and just as Nate is choosing "not," Serena and Gabriel awkwardly come near. There is love talk, and Serena tells him to leave, because now it's just gross.

Chuck starts stressing about Gabriel leaving, but Serena is assured that she can get him back through a judicious yank on his heartstrings, and she's right. Nate, wonderfully, plays the role of Dumb Guy Who Needs The Plot Explained, so Serena obliges, telling him that Poppy has to stay put if she's going to play the victim and be just another one of Gabriel's lovelorn victims before going off to scam somebody else. I'm so sure Nate understood more than half of that anyway.