Hatched, Matched, and Dispatched: Weddings, Funerals, and Long-Buried Secrets on "Gossip Girl"

So now we know just what happened all those years ago between Lily and Rufus.

While their tortured almost-love affair is one of the main reasons I keep tuning in to Gossip Girl despite some truly overwrought plots (and some shrilly irritating characters in Vanessa and Serena's new BF Aaron), last night's episode of Gossip Girl ("O Brother, Where Bart Thou?") also gave Chuck and Blair opportunities to shine. I absolutely loved the scene between the two of them in Blair's bedroom when Chuck crashed Eleanor's wedding to Cyrus and then Blair wrapped him up comfortingly in her arms. I almost wish the episode had just ended right then and there with that gorgeous image of Blair barely containing the explosive Chuck in her tiny arms.

So what did Chuck and Rufus learn about Lily's mysterious past? Let's discuss after the jump.

I've suspected for quite a long time now that Lily had a child with Rufus and concealed it from him. As soon as CeCe mentioned that the hospital where Lily was staying was in France, it clinched it for me. Why send your daughter away to a hospital in France unless you're trying really hard to keep something secret... something like an unwanted pregnancy. It removed her from the Upper East Side and the prying eyes of the neighbors and it got her away from Rufus, which was something that CeCe wanted all along.

I'm still not entirely sure why CeCe lied to Lily about paying off that sleezebag PI Andrew when she clearly didn't... and allowed the information about Lily's illegitimate offspring to fall right into the hands of highest (or only) bidder Chuck Bass. (Of course, one would think that the tabloids would have paid to get some dirt on Bart Bass' young widow as well.) Or what was really gained from telling Rufus the truth about his child. Unless, of course, CeCe wanted to be certain once and for all that there could never been any romantic entanglements between her daughter and Rufus.

So who and where do we think Rufus and Lily's child is? And could the arrival of this mysterious figure presage the announced spin-off of Gossip Girl that the CW is development? After all, it would be hard to beat the love child offspring of two of Gossip Girl's most iconic characters as a lynchpin for a new series.

Do you agree? Who do you hope would play Lily and Rufus' kid? And is it curtains for any future romance between Lily and Rufus? Or is this just another bump in the road for our favorite star-crossed lovers? Discuss.

Gossip Girl returns with brand new episodes on Monday, January 5th.