User:Livelikemusic/Luke Snyder

Luciano Eduardo "Luke" Snyder is a fictional character from the American daytime drama As the World Turns. Actor Van Hansis is most recognized for his portrayal of Luke from his debut in December 2005 until the series finale in September 2010.

Luke was born to Lily Walsh and Damian Grimaldi, and was subsequently raised by Lily and Holden Snyder (see Holden Snyder and Lily Walsh). When Luke became a teenager, he came out to his parents Lily and Holden that he was gay. Eventually they accepted him. He is also part of Daytime's first ever gay supercouple, Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, also known as "Nuke" (Noah, Luke).

Casting
The role of Luke Snyder was acted by several child actors from his debut in 1995 until 2001, when the character was SORASed with actor, Christopher Tavani. In March 2005, actor Jake Weary stepped into the role of a once again SORASed character of Luke.

Weary announced his decision to leave the series; this announcement lead to rumors of the actor and his mother, Guiding Light actress Kim Zimmer leaving due to the character's upcoming coming out storyline. Zimmer denied such rumors, simply stating that Weary, who at the time was 15, wouldn't be able to dedicate the time needed for the storyline. He instead decided to focus on his school work.

On December 14, 2005 Van Hansis stepped into the role of Luke, replacing previous actor Jake Weary. Hansis would continue his portrayal until the series finale in 2010.

Character description
Luke is extremely honest, forthright and occasionally sarcastic. At best he's passionate, assertive and perceptive. At his worst he's overbearing, irrational and moody. He values his relationships highly and is very considerate, often putting the needs of others before himself. He's comfortable in both the privileged world of the Walsh and Grimaldi families and the more down-to-earth atmosphere of the Snyder family.

Luke came out as a gay teenager, dealt with bullying, and eventually gained the support of his parents and family. After a somewhat tumultuous long-term relationship with first love, Noah Mayer, that relationship ended. Luke began developing feelings for neurosurgeon, Dr. Reid Oliver, who was in town because Luke had blackmailed him to treat Noah. However, this was complicated by Noah wanting to restart his relationship with Luke. This storyline had the potential to become the first gay love triangle on daytime television, but this never eventuated due to the show's cancellation.

1995–2005
His birth was originally a source of mystery. His mother, Lily Walsh, was not sure who the father was: her then-husband Damian Grimaldi or her true love, Holden Snyder. She gave birth to him on the kitchen floor of the Snyder kitchen, assisted by Holden. Damian turned out to be the father and Lily renewed her relationship with him. Damian apparently died soon after, but later he turned up alive, and gave Lily his blessing to marry Holden. Damian returned several years later to try to kidnap Luke. Damian's plot almost worked, but Holden found out and attempted to rescue Luke, whom he had been raising as his own son. Luke and Holden were presumed dead in an explosion, but Lily found them held prisoner by Damian's brother Dante in Malta. Once they all returned home, Holden officially adopted Luke.

All was well between son and parents until Luke reached adolescence (and was recast). Holden began dating a woman named Julia Larrabee and Luke was heartbroken. Holden prepared to divorce Lily to be with Julia, but Luke decided to confront Julia. Finding no one home, he trashed her apartment. After Julia and Lily had a violent encounter, Julia turned up dead.

Luke confessed to killing Julia, believing that his mother is the real killer. In turn, Lily confessed to the murder herself and covered it up with the help of new friend Carly Tenney, believing they are protecting Luke. Julia's ex-husband Les Sweeney was revealed as the true culprit. With the Holden/Lily divorce imminent, Lily began to date Julia's brother, pilot Keith Morrissey. As had been the case with Julia, Luke was dead set against someone coming in and destroying his parents' marriage. To make himself feel better, Luke began to drink, to the point of becoming an alcoholic. While in a drunken stupor, Luke became a stowaway on board one of Keith's airplanes. The plane landed in Mexico, and Holden and Lily, who were falling back in love, quickly traveled to Mexico to retrieve their son. Unfortunately, Luke contracted a kidney infection while out of the country and needed a donor.

Keith found a kidney for Luke, but agreed to give it to him under one condition: Lily would have to marry him. Lily (who has fallen out of love with Keith after learning that he illegally transports human organs) accepted the terms of the agreement and goes about planning her marriage to Keith. Luke was devastated and when he learned why his mother was marrying Keith, goes to Keith's house to have him personally cut his new kidney out in exchange for Lily's safety. When Keith realized that he didn't want to be trapped in a loveless marriage, he left Oakdale, and Lily renewed her vows to Holden, leaving Luke in a good state of mind.

Worried for Luke's new kidney, Holden and Lily decide that Kevin Davis, Luke's best friend, is a bad influence on him, and told Luke to cut all ties with him. One night, while sneaking out to see Kevin, Luke hit a young woman with his car. The woman turned out to be Jade Taylor, the daughter of Lily's twin sister Rose D'Angelo.

2005–2007
While Holden, Lily, and Lucinda Walsh (Lily's adoptive mother) weren't so sure of Jade's credibility, Luke quickly befriended her. After Jade noted Luke's desperation to see Kevin, she got him to reveal to her his most deeply held secret: he is gay and in love with Kevin. Jade promised to protect Luke from Holden, who secretly had his own suspicions about Luke's sexuality, and to help Luke see Kevin. When Jade is uncovered as a fraud, she decides to blackmail Luke into pretending they are in love so she can continue living in the house.

After Luke lied to Kevin that he and Jade were an item, Kevin revealed that he, too, had a girlfriend and no longer wanted to hang out with Luke. A devastated Luke informed Jade, who attempted to convince Luke that he wasn't gay by kissing him. Luke pushed her away, and Holden witnessed this. Luke wanted to use that moment to come out to Holden, but a medical emergency with Lily prevented this. Observing the stress that Jade's presence creates for his parents, combined with the increased bickering between him and Jade, Luke had an honest conversation with his friend Will Munson, coming out for the first time. Will advised Luke that the best thing for him to do was to be honest and tell his parents the truth.

When Luke finally comes out to Holden and Lily, he is a bit taken aback by their reactions. Holden is accepting and supportive while Lily has trouble dealing with her son being gay. Also accepting of him and his sexuality are his two grandmothers, Emma and Lucinda who give their full support to their grandson.

Nothing surprises Luke more, however, than when his birth father, a man who hasn't been in his life for many years, shows up in town a few weeks later.

Damian convinces Lily he will solve the "problem" with Luke and attempts to send him to a summer camp that advertises "gender re-alignment." Luke rebels against his mother, hurt by her reaction to his revelation that he is gay. Things are strained between them and Luke eventually agrees to go to the "summer camp" and goes upstairs to pack his things. Lily, discovering at the last minute that Damian has lied to her about the true purpose behind the "de-gaying" camp and regretting her alignment with him, rushes home in an attempt to reconnect with Luke. Still hurt and angry at his mother's continual rejection, believing she alone is behind the idea to send him away, Luke pushes a pregnant Lily away from him causing her to fall down a long flight of stairs and lapse into a coma.

At the hospital, Holden angrily confronts Luke about what could cause him to shove his mother down the stairs. Luke informs Holden that it was an accident and told him about the camp Lily wanted to send him to. Holden refuses to believe that Lily would send Luke to a place like that and is initially cold towards Luke. A sympathetic Damian steps in and offers Luke his unwavering support. He also offers him a place to stay.

As the weeks go by, Damian helps Luke avoid Holden since Luke is convinced Holden hates him. When a still-comatose Lily gives birth, Luke tries making up with Holden. It is then Holden and Luke have a talk about his moving in with Damian. Luke talks to his unconscious mother about his plans hoping she'll wake up. Luke later goes home with Holden and the baby and has an argument with him and leaves the house for good. Luke soon learns that Damian is dying and wants Luke to come with him to Malta. Holden later stops Luke and tells him that he thinks Damian is lying about his condition, once again Luke turns his back on Holden.

Luke finally finds out the truth about Damian. Luke and Damian have a falling out and Luke gives him what he had wanted all along. . . Luke's portion of the Grimaldi fortune. Luke realizes Damian was the cause of his mother being in a coma. Luke eventually has the chance to press charges against Damian, but decides against it, hoping to end his family's nightmare, saying as far as he is concerned Damian is nothing to him and he feels that Holden is his true father because he feels that a real father would not try to make them something they are not and would love and accept his child for who he is. He renounces the name Luciano Grimaldi, stating that he is Luke Snyder.

After Damian's departure, Luke and a bunch of his friends go to Raven Lake. While at Raven Lake, Luke finally "comes out" to Kevin. Kevin responds by insulting Luke and calling him names. Kevin falls into the lake shortly thereafter, and Luke jumps in after to save him, even giving him CPR. They end up at the hospital, where Kevin apologizes to Luke for the way he had acted and thanks him for saving his life.

Things calm down for Luke for a while. His friends are comfortable with his sexuality, but more important, Lily comes out of her coma. Lily tells Luke that she does not blame him for her fall and that she understands his anger at her and she was only hesitant in accepting his sexuality because she was afraid of the prejudice and discrimination that he could face living a life as an openly gay man. They reconcile. The whole family is shocked, though, when Lily's search for Rose's real daughter (the young woman as whom Jade originally posed) results in learning that Jade really is Rose's daughter, thus making her Lily's niece and Luke's cousin. The Snyders let Jade back into their home and Luke begins to befriend her again, but not without keeping his guard up.

2007–2010
Luke becomes an intern at WOAK, where he works with his friend Maddie Coleman. At WOAK, he meets Noah Mayer. At first Luke doesn't get along with Noah, though he later starts to develop romantic feelings for him. Luke later tells Jade that he believes that Noah is straight and he has fallen for 'the wrong guy' once again. Jade leaves Oakdale shortly thereafter, and Luke becomes closer to Maddie and Noah.

Luke admits to Noah that he is attracted to him. He naturally assumes that his feelings are only one-sided, due to Noah dating Maddie. However, while Luke helps the rushed Noah adjust his neck tie, in their moment of closeness, Noah kisses Luke. After being interrupted by a phone call from his father questioning his tardiness, Noah tells Luke that he was just joking to lighten the mood between them and runs to meet his father and Maddie. Again, seeking to affirm his relationship with Maddie, who has decided to attend Oakdale University, Noah asks her to move in with him. Soon thereafter, Noah admits that he in fact kissed Luke because he had wanted to. The tension between them continues to grow, with Noah getting jealous after he sees Luke talking to another gay man. Luke, already uneasy about not telling Maddie the truth, tells Noah he does not want to see him again after the internship is over.

When Maddie begins having doubts about her relationship with Noah, she asks Luke if there is anything going on between him and Noah. Not wanting to continue to lie to his friend, Luke states that he can't answer the question. Shaken, Maddie responds that he just did. Luke tries to comfort Maddie; she leaves saying she needs to talk to Noah.

Shortly thereafter, Noah calls Luke to WOAK, where he is finally able to acknowledge that his relationship with Maddie is over, and that he is gay. Luke repeatedly offers Noah support and advice for coming out to his father. When Noah expresses that his biggest fear is that his father, the only person he has for family, won't accept him and that he'd be left alone. Luke assures Noah that he would not alone.

Noah and Luke later run into each other at WOAK again, and have an upbeat conversation about Noah's newfound comfort with himself. After Noah thanks Luke for his help, an awkward silence forms, and Luke seeks to excuse himself from the conversation, but Noah touches his hand and the two share their second kiss — their first under open and honest circumstances. Their joy is short-lived, however, as they are interrupted by Colonel Mayer.

Colonel Mayer reacts harshly, insulting Noah and telling him that he is no longer his son. Later, he seemingly has a change of heart about both Noah's sexuality and his relationship with Luke, and invites the two to join him on a fishing trip. Mayer secretly plans to murder Luke while on the trip, but his plan is thwarted by Holden and Lily. Although Holden and Lily interrupt Mayer, they are unable to stop him from knocking Luke down a hill, leaving him paralyzed. Mayer later returns and attempts to administer a deadly dose of sedative to Luke in the hospital, but Lily once again interrupts, saving her son's life.

Luke initially refuses to begin physical therapy but changes his mind after Noah visits his bedside. Noah reveals he had kept his distance because he thought Luke would blame him for his condition; Luke thought that Noah could not be satisfied with a boyfriend in a wheelchair. The two express their true feelings to each other and decide upon themselves to begin a relationship. After being discharged, Luke moves to Snyder farm with his father and siblings after his parents' marriage begins to fall apart.

Luke and Noah confront Colonel Mayer before he is sent to prison, with Luke able to stand and profess his love for Noah during the confrontation. Noah isn't able to respond in kind and asks Luke not to take it back. Noah continues to support Luke's physical therapy; at a Christmas Eve dinner, Luke is able to stand and walk in front of his family.

That night, Noah gives Luke a card expressing how he feels about him, and signs it "Love, Noah". Luke reciprocates the sentiments back to Noah. The pair share another kiss under the mistletoe.

With Luke out of his wheelchair, Luke and Noah share their first public date and dance at the grand opening of Metro on New Year's Eve. A few days later, Noah asks Luke to get a place together. Luke, uneasy about moving in together, seeks an alternate solution. He gets permission from his grandmother to move in with him and his family permanently at Snyder Farm.

Luke then supports Noah's decision to visit his father. They meet Ameera Ali Aziz, a young Iraqi woman with connections to Colonel Mayer, in their efforts to go visit the Colonel in prison. They are, in turn, attacked en route by bigots. Noah becomes badly hurt after being hit with a tire iron. The men almost kidnap Ameera until Holden and Lily stumble across the scene and help. Luke later commits to helping Noah as he supports Ameera's efforts to stay in the United States.

Noah's Marriage
When Ameera is about to be deported by Homeland Security, Noah decides that the only way to keep her in the country is to marry her. Luke struggles with the idea, wondering if this is just a way for Noah to go back in the closet. Noah assures Luke it isn't. Luke asks Noah if he loves him, and for the first time Noah is able to say that he loves Luke "...more than [Luke] will ever know." Luke and Noah tell Luke's parents about Noah's plan, and Lily and Holden agree to help. Luke puts on a brave face and gives his blessing for the wedding to go forward, but quietly struggles watching the man he loves marry someone else, knowing their relationship will once again have to be kept secret. He agrees to be Noah's best man, and even writes his wedding vows. At the end of the day, looking over the wedding certificate, Luke mentions that he hopes he and Noah will have one with their names on it some day...and Noah promises they will.

Luke struggles as the outsider in Noah and Ameera's marriage. The marriage finally comes to an end because of a bizarre kidnapping plot that ends with the apparent death of Noah's father, and Ameera's being taken into custody by police. Noah blames Luke for those outcomes, and asks him for a break, so that he can clear his mind. After being forced to hide his relationship for so long, Luke bristles at the idea of more time apart from Noah, and the two break up.

Luke interviews Cyndi Lauper for the Oakdale University student newspaper. She performs at Oakdale University's Gay Pride celebration, and dedicates True Colors to Luke, after seeing the way he looks at Noah. The dedication works, and Noah finds Luke and apologizes, telling him he wants them to be back together. The pair thank Cyndi, and tell her True Colors will now be their song. Luke, however, is soon crushed to find out Noah has enlisted in the Army.

Luke follows Noah to Chicago to convince him to forget about the Army, but fails. Luke returns to Oakdale devastated, but Noah returns, saying he couldn't go through with enlisting.

The Foundation
Luke's father Damian sends word that he wants Luke to have a large portion of his Grimaldi inheritance back. Luke initially wants to turn down the money, wanting nothing to do with Damian. However, Noah and Lucinda convince Luke to do something meaningful with the money, and Luke decides to start a charitable foundation, inspired by Noah's desire to help others.

Luke, Noah and Lucinda begin working on establishing the foundation, hiring Brian Wheatley to run it. Luke struggles to build a working relationship with Brian after he suggests Luke and Noah be more discreet in their relationship, due to the conservative nature of the philanthropic community.

The Election
Luke decides to run for President of the Student Government at Oakdale U, and meets his old friend Kevin who is running against him. This starts to bring up old memories and feelings for Luke and puts strain on his relationship with Noah. Kevin's campaign manager runs a dirty campaign against Luke and this causes Luke to have Casey stuff the ballot box in order to win the election and show Kevin up. After the election, Kevin is suspicious about the results due to the high voter turn out, and Luke is called in for questioning. Luke wants Noah to lie for him but Noah can't and as a result both Luke and Casey are expelled for rigging the election.

The Break-up and Brian's kiss
Noah broke up with Luke because of what the election has done to him and because there is a lack of trust between the two. Luke then begins to drink heavily. Luke makes drunken advances at Noah one night when Noah finds him drunk in a bar, causing an upset Noah to walk out on Luke. Luke falls into a drunken depression and one night Brian, who had just married Lucinda, finds Luke walking the streets drunk. He takes Luke back to the farm and Luke vents all of his frustration out and calls himself a bad person. Brian says he's not and kisses him on the forehead, then the cheek, and then the mouth. This causes Luke to freak out and causes their already tense relationship to become even worse.

Luke begins to question Brian's motives for marrying his grandmother and begins questioning Brian's sexual orientation around other members of the family. Noah comes over for Thanksgiving and things seem to be better between him and Luke. Luke then confesses to Noah that Brian kissed him and Noah has his doubts about it because of Luke's drunken state when it happened. Luke continues to drink until one morning he drinks a beer and a sharp pain in his side causes him to double over.

Luke then talks to his father about moving back into the house with them to which Holden is incredibly happy. All seems to be going well until Luke learns that Brian and Lucinda are going to be living at the house because Lucinda is having her house remodeled for her Brian. Brian tries to privately talk to Luke but Luke tells him to never touch him again and storms out of the house.

A few days later, Luke and Brian sit down and have an open, honest conversation. Brian admits that he kissed Luke and admits that he's attracted to him. Luke takes this as confirmation that Brian is gay. Brian, however, refuses to label himself that way and insists that he genuinely loves Lucinda. He also says that he cares deeply for Luke and that it pains him to see him not living up to his potential. Luke tries to persuade him to come clean but decides to keep Brian's secret for Lucinda's sake. Having reached an understanding, Luke and Brian call it truce and shake hands.

Noah and Luke reconcile before Christmas time, but their reconciliation is quickly thrown in doubt by the return of Maddie, which leaves Luke feeling jealous of her and Noah's closeness. Noah reaffirms to Luke that he could never feel for Maddie what he feels for Luke. Noah plans a special night for them on New Year's Eve, with the intent that they will finally make love. However, when Maddie shows up distraught, Noah comforts her, and briefly leaves. Luke's jealous flares up again, and he gets drunk. Eventually, he kisses Brian who was seeking to make sure he was safe, and Noah sees. Noah misunderstands, and punches Brian before taking Luke home. Once there, Luke feels guilty that Noah is blaming himself for what happened, and admits to Noah that it was he who kissed Brian, not the other way around. Noah is devastated and angry and leaves the house.

Luke later apologizes to Brian for kissing him. Brian blames himself, saying that it was his fault for kissing Luke first. They agree that they can still be friends. During an argument, Luke's recently returned cousin, Jade, blurts out to Lucinda that her husband is gay. Luke tries to cover for Brian, but Brian comes forward and admits to his wife that he hit on her grandson. Lucinda kicks Brian out, but is also angry at Luke for keeping secrets from her. With Noah and Lucinda angry with him, Luke feels alone, and it is clear to him (as it is to Noah) that things are over between them. Their friends, however, see things differently, and Casey and Alison work to reunite the two, to little success. However, a convergence of steps taken by Jade, Lucinda, and Casey result in the two arguing face to face, and the passion of the argument quickly gives way to romantic passion. The two return to Luke's house and finally make love for the first time. Lucinda and Luke then make peace.

While trying to confront Lucinda at her office about her lingering anger against Brian, Luke receives a call from Noah. Noah is worried that Brian is considering suicide and is standing at his hotel door, trying to get through to him. Luke rushes over and him and Noah get Brian to confront himself and admit that he's gay. Brian and Lucinda make peace, and Brian leaves town.

Working Together to Fight Injustice
Despite reuniting with Noah, Luke still lacks direction in his life. After Luke's friend Reg dies of a drug overdose at Casey's birthday party, Luke and Noah look into the circumstances around his death. Luke is determined to bring someone to justice in connection with what he believes to be Reg's murder. Noah is supportive, but Luke's investigative techniques border on out of control. Eventually, Luke and Noah discover who was behind the drugs that killed Reg, and they're able to put the case behind them.

When Luke and Noah are discriminated against in their apartment search because of their sexual orientation, they decide, along with Lily in her new role as foundation director, to use the resources of the Luke Snyder Foundation to fight for equal housing rights for the LGBT community, and for gay rights in general. Lily, Holden, Brian and Noah are thrilled to see Luke back on track. However, outside a foundation rally, Luke is the victim of a hit and run. He is brought to the hospital, and it is revealed that his biological father Damian is the one who brought him in.

Damian's return and the Twins arrival
Damian claims to have returned in order to make amends with Luke, but Luke wants nothing to do with Damian, and makes that clear to Noah and his parents. Strange things start happening to Luke's family, and to the foundation, and Luke suspects it's a plot by Damian to undermine the foundation. At the same time, twins Zac and Zoe Finn arrive in Oakdale and sign on to volunteer on behalf of the foundation. Luke takes them on and keeps them on, despite their odd behavior, and Noah's urgings to keep the twins at arms length.

After several minor arguments about the twins, Luke doesn't see or hear from Noah for a week, until he finally calls him and says that he has gone on a school trip to Lisbon. In actual fact the twins have kidnapped him, and have him tied up in a secret location, where they reveal to him that they aren't really twins but lovers, and want Luke's money. Meanwhile, Damian suspects that a branch of the Grimaldi family are involved with the strange things happening at the foundation and decides to go to Malta to check some things out, and when he hears from Lily that Noah is in Lisbon, he decides to stop there on the way back to convince him to come home.

When Damian returns, he reveals that Noah wasn't in Lisbon, and Luke starts to panic as he also received a text from Noah that didn't sound like him. After receiving the text with Noah's location on it Luke's runs after his boyfriend, only to find Zac and Zoe holding Noah captive. They tie Luke up too and he is shocked to find out the truth about them. Zac and Zoe demand money from Lily and Holden to have Luke and Noah back, but Damian hatches a plan with Lily, when he suspects Luke and Noah's captor to be a Grimaldi relative. However, their rescue attempt goes wrong, and Holden asks Lily not to get involved anymore, and to let the police do their work.

Noah and Luke are rescued by Damian. and Luke and Damian begin working on a father/son relationship. When Damian and Lily get married, it seems that they will be a family again. However, Damian has other intentions and flees the country. Luke is left in charge of Grimaldi Shipping. A body washed up on the shores of Malta, and it was thought to be Damian until Dr. Reid Oliver pointed out that the body had advanced stages of Huntington's disease, which would mean that the person could not walk or talk. It was concluded that it could not be Damian's body. Luke no longer trusts Damian.

Luke had given Damian a tape showing Noah's college professor acting inappropriately towards him, and Damian had gone to the Dean of the college. Noah rushes through the last parts of his senior film project, fearing that if he does not finish it,it will be shut down by the college. He has an accident with fireworks on the set of his film, and he loses his sight. Because of the rushed circumstances, he blames Luke for this. Despite Luke's attempts to help him with his daily activities, Noah continually pushes Luke away in an effort to become independent and to learn how to cope if he were to never get his sight back. Luke and Noah decide to break off their relationship.

Luke and Noah post Dr. Oliver
After Noah punched Reid in June 2010, he and Luke have very little contact. Although Noah actually helped Luke and Reid get together. In August, Luke is upset to learn that Noah is moving to Los Angeles in September. He had received a grant to make a film and will be going off to pursue his dreams of becoming a filmmaker. Noah asks Luke to go with him, but they both know he would say no. In September, Noah admits to Luke that he is still in love with him and doesn't want to go to LA alone. Luke tells Noah that he loves him and will always love him, but that he is in love with Reid. Luke says that they will always be connected and wants to stay friends with Noah, but Noah says that he can't do that and walks off.

Allison informs Noah of Reid's death and tells him that Luke needs him. Noah is hesitant to go to Luke because they had not been getting along and it is awkward. He doesn't know how he can help Luke. But in the end, Noah finds Luke at his special place, Snyder Pond. There Noah comforts Luke and helps him to grieve. As the time nears for Noah to fly to LA, Luke realizes that Noah is planning to stay in Oakdale to help him. Luke tells Noah that he cannot give up his dreams for him. Luke takes Noah to WOAK, the place where they met and had their first kiss. There, Luke gives Noah an expensive camera and tells him that both Lily and Holden have also purchased filmmaking supplies for him because they all believe in him. Noah is at first hesitant to accept such extravagant gifts, but then relents when Luke agrees he will visit Noah in LA. Noah then tells Luke he knows he can't ask Luke to come to LA with him now. That Luke needs to stay in Oakdale to grieve and heal. When Luke acknowledges that Noah understands him, Noah admits it's because he loves him. Noah then tells Luke, "And maybe one day soon, when and if you're ready, you'll get on a plane, and I'll be waiting." Luke nods. Noah leans in and they share a kiss. Then Luke watches Noah leave the studio.

Dr. Reid Oliver
Dr. Reid Oliver is a brilliant but highly arrogant and brusque neurosurgeon from Dallas, TX. When he refuses to even meet with Noah for a consultation, Luke, on the advice of Damian Grimaldi, calls Dr. Oliver and tells him that he has information that would get him into trouble with the AMA. Dr. Oliver agrees to fly to Oakdale and meet with Noah. After meeting with him, Dr. Oliver says he will help Noah but wants to do the surgery immediately. But before he can begin the surgery, Dr. Oliver discovers that Noah will need multiple surgeries in order for him to gain his sight. Refusing to stay in town for months, Dr. Oliver tells Luke that he will bill him for the days work and makes plans to leave.

While driving to the airport, he ends up getting into a car accident with Kim Hughes. Bob Hughes arranges it that Dr. Oliver will work for him at the hospital until the trial in a month. Dr. Oliver continues to refuse to take Noah on as a patient despite Luke's numerous pleas. He quickly tires of Luke but after speaking to Noah agrees to treat him if Noah keeps Luke away from him, and subsequently, Noah. Noah agrees much to Luke's dismay. Luke eventually comes around and decides that the most important thing is that Noah get his sight back.

When Holden Snyder is accused of the murder of Damien Grimaldi, Luke takes the autopsy reports to Dr. Bob Hughes for his advice. He accidentally runs in to Dr. Oliver who takes a look at the photos and determines that the body was in an advance stage of Huntington's Disease, meaning the body could not have been Damien. Luke asks Dr. Oliver to come to the police station to clear Holden's name, but he refuses. After speaking to both Luke and Noah, Dr. Oliver finally shows up to the police station to vouch for his findings.

Dr. Oliver is finally cleared by the court to leave Oakdale and he plans on returning to his practice in Dallas, with Noah as a patient. He also arranges it so that Noah's treatment and housing are paid for and that Noah has employment thorough the hospital.

Luke finally confronts Dr. Oliver and believes that he so hostile towards him because Dr. Oliver is homophobic. Dr. Oliver reveals that he is in fact gay.

Since arriving at Oakdale, Dr. Oliver has been living with Katie Snyder, who is his only friend. When Henry Coleman comes in to a large inheritance from his deceased father James Stenbeck, Katie and his newly returned girlfriend, Vienna Hyatt, convince him to donate it to fund a state-of-the-art neurology wing in the name of Katie's late husband, Brad Snyder. Bob Hughes wants Dr. Oliver to head the new wing, but he agrees to do so only if he gets final say on every decision and an increase in salary. Bob agrees and Dr. Oliver plans on staying in Oakdale.

One day Luke observes a man (Mr. Judd) confronting Dr. Oliver and accusing him of murdering his daughter, Annie. The man then attacks and beats Dr. Oliver, who does nothing to stop him. Luke intervenes, against the wishes of Dr. Oliver. Later on the doctor visits Luke and asks him to forget about the incident. Luke agrees on the condition that Dr. Oliver explain what happened. It turns out that the man's daughter had a brain tumor that needed to be operated on immediately. Even though Dr. Oliver operated on and extended the child's life by a year, the father still blames the doctor for the girl's death. Luke feels that the doctor blames himself for the death. During their conversation, Luke reveals that he and Noah have broken up.

Later Dr. Oliver runs in to Bob Hughes who tells him that many of the features will have to be cut from the new neurology wing due to lack of funding. Furious, Dr. Oliver asks Luke for the money to complete the wing. Luke agrees to donate the money through his foundation but on the condition that Noah doesn't find out the he funded the wing and that he sit on the board.

Luke later goes to pick up Dr. Oliver at the hospital for a meeting with the architect of the new wing. They arrive at the Lakeview and end up getting stuck in the elevator. It's then that Luke realizes that Dr. Oliver is claustrophobic. He manages to calm him down by the time the maintenance crew gets them out.

Dr. Oliver is called to surgery after Dusty Donovan is shot. After, he is served with papers and finds out that he is being sued for malpractice by Mr. Judd.

Through their collaboration on the neurology wing, Dr. Oliver and Luke spend more time together and become friendlier. But Dr. Oliver refuses to call Luke anything other than Mr. Snyder, despite Luke's protests.

While talking to Katie Snyder about Noah's progress, Dr. Oliver admits that he doesn't understand why Noah has been pushing Luke away when Luke has been so supportive. Katie tells Dr. Oliver that he has a thing for Luke; an issue that he dodges, calling Luke and Noah the gay Bob and Kim Hughes.

Bob Hughes tells Dr. Oliver that there is a formal inquest into the death of Annie Judd which means that he will not be able to practice medicine until he is cleared. Dr. Oliver become extremely belligerent but Luke shows up to haul him out into another room. He then asks Luke to do whatever it is in his power to get him cleared. Luke refuses to do anything underhanded but through his grandmother, Lucinda Walsh, Luke gets an emergency hearing for Dr. Oliver. He also insists on accompanying him to Dallas.

While in Dallas, Dr. Oliver is ready to give his scientific testimony as to the treatment of Annie Judd. Luke protests, wanting Dr. Oliver to show a more humane side of himself if he wants to the medical board to side with him. Dr. Oliver ends up opening to Luke telling him that he remembers Annie's smile and how brave she was.

When Dr. Oliver finds out that he can still continue to practice medicine, he kisses Luke, then proceeds to get ready to go back to Oakdale. Luke insists on talking about the kiss and believes that Dr. Oliver kissed him out of excitement. Dr. Oliver says that he has wanted to kiss Luke for a long time, then calls him by his first name.

Once the two return to Oakdale, Dr. Oliver tells Luke that he is not to blame for what happened to Noah and that Noah has been a bad boyfriend for pushing Luke away when Luke has done everything he can to help. He tries to kiss Luke again, but gets interrupted by the door then by his pager. Luke finds out that Noah's surgery is scheduled for the next day and accuses Dr. Oliver of playing games since he won't discuss the surgery but will discuss Luke and Noah's relationship. Dr. Oliver responds doctor-patient confidentially applies the surgery but not to Luke and Noah's relationship. Dr. Oliver is then paged to the hospital. As he is leaving, he tells Luke that he's not the type to play games.

On the day of Noah's surgery Dr. Oliver walks in to find Luke and Noah close together making a video. Reid becomes jealous and gets snappy with Luke. Noah goes into surgery, but Reid runs into complications. He comes out to tell Luke, who is devastated. Luke is confused and scared and when Reid starts talking medically and distantly, Luke gets angry and starts yelling at him. Reid insists that if there is any change in Noah's condition, he will let Luke know.

Reid is later told by Bob Hughes to go home and rest. When Luke finds out he goes to Katie's place and confronts Reid, even accusing him of being so jealous of Noah that he hurt him on purpose. Reid thinks the accusation is outrageous and asks Luke if he really thinks he's the kind of person who would do something like that. Luke says that he doesn't know what kind of person Reid is, but Reid doesn't believe him. Their heated moment suddenly becomes much sadder as Luke asks Reid how this could have happened and this if Noah doesn't get better he can't have a relationship with Reid. The two end up kissing however and things quickly become very heated between them.

Luke pulls away, saying that he can't do this, not while Noah is in the hospital. They argue for a while before Luke finally leaves. He returns to the hospital and is in Noah's room when Dr. Oliver shows up. While Dr. Oliver is checking Noah's vitals, Luke apologizes for accusing him of hurting Noah on purpose and for running out on him. He tells Reid how Noah was his first love and he never thought he'd be with anyone else, to which Reid replies, "That explains a lot" and tells Luke not to worry about it.

When Noah starts to come around Reid comes out to tell Luke the news. Luke is very nervous and Reid tries to calm him down, putting his hand on Luke's face. Lily walks around the corner and sees them. When Reid leaves she asks if there is something going on between them. Luke explains that Reid has feelings for him. Lily asks if Luke has feelings for Reid, too. He says yes, but that he doesn't know what those feelings are just yet.

Later, Noah wakes up and he can see again. Reid walks in to find them hugging and is jealous. Later, Noah convinces Luke to take him to the roof so he can get some fresh air and see the sun. After a tough conversation where Luke tells Noah that things can never be the same and that he doesn't know if he still wants to be with him, Reid catches them and starts to yell at Luke for being stupid enough to take Noah outside. When Reid is examining Noah they talk about Luke and Reid explains that he was only playing nice because Luke could help him get keep his license and now that things are over he doesn't have to pretend. Luke, who was in the doorway, gets upset. Reid leaves without explaining. Later, after Reid yells at them again for not letting Noah get some rest, Luke goes after Reid and wants an explanation for his behavior. He also tells Reid that he and Noah are not back together.

Reid and Luke talk privately and Reid tells Luke that they should go back to staying out of each other's way. Luke doesn't believe him and accuses him of being jealous tells Reid again that he and Noah aren't back together. Reid asks if Noah knows that and Luke says that they are 'working things out'. Reid tries to leave but Luke stops him. Reid asks Luke what he wants from him and tells him that he can't act like nothing happened between them. He puts a hand on Luke's face and they share a close moment. Just then, Noah walks up to the window and sees them. However, his vision is still very blurry and he's not completely sure of what he is seeing. While meeting with a potential invester in the Oakdale Memorial at The Lake View, Noah punches Reid in the nose, which leads to Reid thinking he broke it. Earlier that day, Noah had told Reid they were finished as doctor and patient. Luke and Reid went to the hospital to check on his nose, all was fine. Luke and Reid started talking some more and kissed just as Bob Hughes walked in. Luke leaves the room and Bob asks Reid to tell him he didn't just see that. Bob tells Reid that he can either keep his career or have a relationship with Luke, considering it is unethical for the top neurosurgeon to be dating the hospital's biggest donor. Reid decides to keep his job, telling Luke that after a few months and Bob's retirement, they can start their relationship up again. Luke refuses to wait around and storms off. Reid realizes that he doesn't want to spend his life without Luke, so he resigns from the hospital. Luke and Reid begin their relationship but Reid is still angry with Bob for making him choose between his job and Luke. Bob decides against letting Invicta buy Memorial, and Reid gets his job back. Bob also informs Reid that he wants to nominate him as Chief of Staff. Bob's son, Chris Hughes, is furious upon hearing this news. He decides that he wants to be Chief of Staff as well and he and Reid begin to clash as they fight for the position. Chris is soon infected with a viral heart infection, which only Reid knows about after he walked in on Chris drawing his own blood. Reid begins to give Chris antibiotic injections but feels uncomfortable with Chris's deception and attempts to stop but Chris blackmails him. Reid tells Luke about Chris's condition and they both attempt to convince Chris to tell his family about his illness but he refuses. Reid calls a cardiologist, and former Oakdale resident, Dr. John Dixon to consult on Chris's illness. Chris continues to hide his illness from his family and refuses to cooperate with Dr. Dixon and Reid. After straining his heart while playing golf, Reid rushes Chris to the hospital and is finally forced to tell his family what is going on. Katie, who is dating Chris, is devastated. Reid tells her that if she can't handle it, go home - after Luke finally convinced her to come to the hospital. Luke follows Reid to Java where he gets upset with him for being so closed-hearted and confesses that he told Noah that he is in love with Reid. When Luke tells Reid he can say it back, Reid insists that Luke would think he was just saying it to make him happy. Dr. Dixon discovers that the damage to Chris' heart is irreversible and he will need a new heart. Chris' brother Tom starts to pull some strings to get Chris moved up on the transplant list. He finally manages to secure a heart in Bay City. However, another doctor at Bay City Hospital decides to keep the heart for one of his own patients. Determined not to let another "arrogant, self-proclaimed savior of man kind" take the heart that is rightfully Chris', Reid decides to go to Bay City himself to get the heart. Luke tries to talk him out of it, saying "I seem to remember another arrogant, self-proclaimed savior of man kind," to which Reid says, "I wonder what happened to him?" Luke follows Reid to the parking lot where Reid confesses that he isn't just mad that another doctor is pulling rank, but that he really does care for the Hughes family and wants Chris to be okay. Luke wants to come with him but Reid tells him to stay. Just before he leaves, Reid stops and tells Luke that he loves him. On his way to Bay City, he comes across a railroad crossing, and trying to save time, starts across before the gates close as a train approaches. His car stalls on the tracks and though he tries to start it, it will not go. At the last few minutes he tries to abandon the vehicle, but his seat belt will not release, resulting in him being hit by the train. He does not die on impact but survives long enough to be at the hospital and say goodbye to Luke, give Luke "power of attorney" and tell a lawyer (Chris' brother) that his heart, if it is a match goes to Chris. Luke, of course, does not want to admit that Reid is dying, but after discussing it with Bob and after Reid's brain functions cease, with only the machines keeping him alive, he agrees. He talks to the lawyer and Bob saying "if it's what Reid wanted.." then he signs the paper giving his consent for Reid's heart to be transplanted to Chris. Right before they take Reid in for the transplant, Luke comes in and says his goodbyes. When the transplant is finished, he vows to Allison that he will not leave the hospital until he knows Chris will be okay. Holden and Lily by this time have heard about the accident, and Luke has finally returned home, after Chris woke up. They talk about funeral arrangements and discuss what to do with Reid's body. They have the funeral home director come over to talk, and he is a homophobe, so Lily immediately orders him to leave, after the director says they need to find his closest living relative before they can do anything, its the law. Holden and Lily the commence a search for Reids uncle, whom they find, and he gives them his consent over "power of attorney." He also gives them a chess piece, which was the one that he gave to Reid when he lost his first chess game, to give to Luke. Lily and Holden return home and they decide to have Reid cremated, putting half of his ashes into the cornerstone of the new neuro-wing, and half of them to the Snyder's farm, where Luke puts them into Snyder Pond after saying "the rest of him is going to be here at the pond, with me."

After a 54 year run, As The World Turns was cancelled as of Sept 17th 2010.