From the time of his conception, Luciano "Luke" Grimaldi, has had a connection with the man who would eventually become his father--Holden Snyder. Conceived by Lily Walsh Grimaldi, even Lily was uncertain whether the child she was carrying was her husband's, Damian Grimaldi, or the result of a one-night stand with her ex-husband, Holden. Unnerved by Damian's secrets and jealous temper, Lily wasn't even sure if she wanted to stay in her marriage. Confused, and wanting to confide in Holden's mother, Emma, Lily went to the Snyder farm, only to find no one home. It was at that time that Lily suddenly went into labor! Luckily, Holden, who had been away, picked that moment to return home and successfully delivered Lily's baby. Although Damian, who had arrived at the farm at the exact moment the child was born, was certain the boy was Holden's, it was soon discovered that Damian was the father. Overjoyed, Damian begged Lily to return home. Wanting her son, who they christened Luciano Eduardo, to have a good home, Lily agreed to give the marriage another try. Tragically months later, Damian would supposedly lose his life in a plane crash, leaving Lily to raise her son alone.

However, to Lily's good fortune, Holden walked back into her life again and the pair rediscovered their love and made plans to marry. At that point, Lily was shocked when Damian should up at her doorstep! Relating how he'd survived the plane crash and was taken to a monastery for recovery, Damian told her that he was a monk now and gave her permission to marry her true love, Holden. Soon after, Lily and Holden married and Holden raised Luke as if he were his own son. Years later, when Luke was about eight, Damian returned asking that Luke go to Malta with him. Suspicious, Holden and Lily refused only to learn that Damian planned to kidnap Luke. Trying to stop it from happening, Holden went to the docks to stop the kidnapping, only to be caught in an explosion. Though both Holden and Luke were presumed dead, Lily refused to give up on them and had the explosion investigated. Lily was right—Holden and Luke had survived and were being held captive by Damian's greedy half-brother, Dante. While held captive, Holden did everything he could be ease Luke's fears and distract him from their situation. Finally, after receiving a message in a bottle stating that they were alive, Lily followed the lead to Malta, specifically the Amalfi coast where, with Simon Frazier's help, she eventually found Holden and Luke. Luckily, Lucinda and Damian came to the rescue. After telling Luke to never reveal that he was a Grimaldi, since his life would be in danger, Damian helped the Snyder family got out of Dante's clutches. Back in Oakdale, Holden officially adopted Luke.

Years later, Luke's relationship with Holden would be severely strained. Now a teenager, Luke was furious when Holden suddenly announced that he was leaving Lily. To make matters worse, Holden was sleeping with another woman named Julia Larrabee. Holden's insistence on ending his marriage infuriated Luke and, when he learned that Holden had arranged for a restraining order against Lily for Julia, Luke impulsively went to Julia's apartment. No one was home and, in a fit of anger, Luke trashed her apartment and later told Lily what he'd done. Wanting to cover Luke's tracks, Lily went to Julia's to clean up. Unfortunately, Julia caught her in the act and the two argued, collimating into Lily shoving Julia. Unfortunately, Julia struck her head against the mantelpiece. Lily left, leaving an unconscious, but alive, Julia. However, that night when Lily returned, Julia was dead! Meanwhile, Luke had gone back to Julia's as well and found Lily's gloves. Wanting to protect his mother, he burned the evidence. Soon, police suspected foul play. With the investigation focusing on Lily finally confessed to the argument after it was discovered that Luke burned the evidence showing she was there. With Lily in danger of going to jail for manslaughter, Luke made a startling admission to Lily--he'd gone to Julia's that night after Lily and killed Julia.

Immediately after, Lily confessed to intentionally murdering Julia. However, when evidence implicating Julia's ex-husband, Les, came to light, Lily recanted her confession. Eventually, Les was arrested for the murder. As for the Snyder family, when Lily herself confessed to Luke that she thought it best if she and Holden divorced and began seeing Julia's brother, Keith, Luke had no choice but to accept the situation. Unfortunately, he didn't handle it very well and ended up getting drunk on several occasions. One day, while drinking, Luke secretly stowed away on Keith's airplane and found himself in Mexico! He then wandered off, leading his parents to travel to Mexico to search for him. Luckily, Luke was found. Unfortunately, his time in Mexico left him with a damaged kidney and he needed a transplant to survive. Fortunately, a match was found and Luke made a full recovery. As for his parents, by the end of the year, they would renew their vows. Not long after, Lily learned she was pregnant.

Meanwhile, Luke began hanging out with his friend, Kevin. Kevin was a party animal who continually encouraged Luke to get drunk with him. Despite the fact that a damaged liver could kill him, Luke did it anyway. On more than one occasion, his family found out and finally Holden forbade him from seeing Kevin. However, Luke's connection to Kevin was too strong and he defied his parents by sneaking out to hang out with him. Meanwhile, a young woman named Jade Taylor entered the Snyders' lives claiming to be the daughter Luke's Aunt Rose gave up for adoption. At the same time, Luke's relationship with Holden was becoming tense not only because of Holden's disapproval of Kevin, but also because Holden kept insisting that Luke was hiding something important, which Luke denied. Jade, meanwhile, gained Luke's favor by covering for Luke when he was at a concert with Kevin. Luke then revealed his secret to Jade, the secret he'd been hiding from Holden for months--he was in love with Kevin. Convinced that his parents would hate him, Luke pleaded with her to keep his secret. She agreed.

Not long after, Jade revealed a secret of her own: she wasn't really his cousin. Apparently she'd been conning his family and was about to be discovered. Jade wasn't ready to end her meal ticket and asked Luke to help her stay--or she'd reveal his secret. Luke complied and they set it up so that his parents would find him in bed with Jade. Although Lily was set to throw the schemer out, Luke covered and insisted that he was in love with Jade. Later, Luke tried to reconnect with Kevin, who blew him off, leaving Luke in no mood to see Jade conning his dad out of money. Jade's response was to come on the Luke, who responded by pushing her away. The exchange was seen by Holden, but Luke pretended it was because they were not allowed to be making out in the house. As the weeks went by, Jade's presence put a certain amount of strain on Lily and Luke decided it wasn't worth it and he finally told his parents that he was gay.

Ironically, it was Lily, not Holden, who had the most trouble accepting this fact. Not long after he'd come out. Luke was shocked to see Damian talking to Lily. Luke accused Lily of calling out the big guns to "fix him" and told Damian that he wanted no part of him. Later, at Lily's request, Luke met with a Dr. Kreeger, who informed Luke that he would be going to a camp for young men. Realizing this was some kind of "reprogramming" camp, Luke rushed home to confront his mother. Luke angrily lashed out at Lily and rushed upstairs. Lily tried to convince Luke that she was ready to accept him but he didn't believe her and shoved her away from him. Unfortunately, Luke shoved too hard and Lily stumbled down the stairs and lapsed in a coma. At the hospital, Holden angrily confronted Luke about what caused him to shove his mother down the stairs. Luke informed Holden that it was an accident and told him about the camp. Holden refused to believe that Lily would send Luke to a place like that and was initially cold toward Luke. At that point, a sympathetic Damian stepped in and offered Luke his unwavering support. He also offered him a place to stay. As the weeks went by, Damian helped Luke avoid Holden since Luke was convinced that Holden hated him. However, when a still comatose Lily gave birth to a son, Luke decided he had to patch things up with Holden. Not long after he informed Damian of his decision to move back home, Luke was surprised to see a bottle of pills fall out of Damian's pocket.

Though Damian claimed it was just allergy medicine, Luke wasn't so sure and asked his cousin, Lucy .what it was. Lucy informed him that it was last resort medication for terminal illness. Luke confronted Damian, who admitted that he was deathly ill. Not wanting to abandon his father, Luke agreed to go to Malta with him. When Luke told Holden, Holden tried to convince him that Damian was lying but Luke didn't believe it. Soon after, Damian informed Luke that they had to leave for Malta ASAP. At the airport, the pair was met by Holden, Jack, and the police. The situation got out of hand with Danian's business associate, Sergio, taking Luke hostage. Luckily, Damian diffused the situation. At this point, Damian was forced to confess that the reason he came to Oakdale was to get Luke to turn over his inheritance to him so he could pay off some dangerous men. During the course of Damian's revelation, Luke figured out that it was Damian, not Lily, who wanted to send to a reprogramming camp. Angry that Damian had been playing him for weeks, Luke bitterly disowned his father and although he was within rights to pursue kidnapping charges, he declined in order to spare his family—the Snyders.

The following year, Luke, along with Maddie Coleman, began interning at WOAK where they were teamed with a new intern named Noah Mayer. One of the first ideas that Noah came up with was a cell phone broadcast drama with Maddie as the focus written by Luke. As the summer went on, Noah's friendships with Maddie and Luke progressed. Then Noah's father arrived which Noah clearly was not happy about. A military man, Col. Mayer informed Noah that he would no longer be paying for his schooling at Northwestern University and instead wanted him to enlist in the Army to toughen him up. At the same time, Luke was finding himself attracted to Noah. When he walked in on Noah and Maddie making love, Luke immediately became flustered. When Noah suggested that it was because he was jealous, Luke confessed that wasn't it: he was gay. However, that didn't matter to Noah. Luke was becoming increasingly distant toward Noah and finally confessed that it was because he feelings for him. Noah insisted that he was not gay but made it clear that he still considered Luke a friend. However, after a day of swimming, Luke suspected that there was something more. The suspicion grew stronger when Noah abruptly refused to spend the rest of the day with Luke and later asked Maddie to apply to Oakdale University instead of Wesleyan. At the same time, Luke was becoming increasingly suspicious that Noah was in denial about his orientation. The suspicion seemed born out when Noah shared a surprising kiss with Luke when he helped Noah with his tie.

An unsettled Noah told Luke that he only kissed him to play with his head and quickly asked Maddie to move in with him. Several days later, Noah finally confessed to Luke that the kiss was genuine however insisted that he could not be gay because his father just would not understand. Noah pleaded with Luke to keep quiet about the kiss and went ahead with his plans to move in with Maddie. Luke tried to convince Noah that he would never be able to fully love Maddie but Noah refused to listen. The tension between the pair continued to build as did the Colonel's interest in Noah's relationship with Maddie. Thanks to her brother, Maddie started to wonder if something was going on between Luke and Noah and called him on it. Noah denied it and then accused Luke of telling Maddie. Finally, after a talk with Maddie, Noah decided that he could not deny his true self any longer and prepared to confess to his dad.

As expected, the news did not go well. Noah's father accused him of lying and then angrily disowned him. However, he quickly did a 180 and told Noah that he would not lose him. Weeks later, it became apparent that the Colonel was lying when he aimed a rifle at Luke during a hunting expedition. Noah came to the scene just in time to see his father violently shove Luke while Holden was able to wrestle the Colonel to the ground but the Colonel ran off. Afterwards, Noah defended his father to the police insisting that something must be wrong with him. He then got a shock--Noah's mother was a madam named Charlene Wilson aka Cheri Love. Not only that, his father recently murdered her. Soon after, after failing to kill Luke at the hospital, Col. Mayer was apprehended to the police and defiantly insisted that his actions, including the murder of Noah's mother were in Noah's best interests. In the meantime, the injuries caused by Col. Mayer left Luke temporarily paralyzed. Ashamed, Noah was reluctant to visit him at the hospital at first but relented thanks to come encouragement from Dusty Donovan. Soon after, Noah finally asked Luke if he'd like to be his boyfriend and Luke accepted.

Months later, a woman named Ameera al Aziz entered the boys' lives. An Iraqi citizen, Ameera approached Noah, looking for his father. According to Ameera, the colonel befriended her family during his tour in Iraq (probably during Operation Desert Storm) and kept in contact with the family over the years, often sending money. Fearing she'd be killed if she returned to Iraq, Ameera wanted the colonel's help in letting her stay in the United States. Hearing Ameera speak of his father's generosity confused Noah since it completely contradicted the man that he knew. Wanting to know more, Noah quickly befriended Ameera. When she failed to obtain a student visa, Noah decided that the only way to keep her from being deported was to marry her. Although Luke wasn't entirely happy with Noah's decision, he supported it since he knew that Ameera would be killed if she returned to Iraq. Unfortunately, Noah's marriage put a great strain on his and Luke's relationship. Warned by ICE that Noah could be severely prosecuted if it was discovered that this was a mere marriage of convenience, Noah became paranoid about spending time with Luke. Noah's preoccupation with his wife seemed to take precedence over his relationship with Luke. Four months later, Luke and Noah were shocked to learn that Col. Mayer had escaped from prison. They were even more shocked when he kidnapped Ameera. Noah went to New York to locate the pair while Luke followed.

Eventually, Luke and Lucinda, along with the authorities, managed to stop the colonel's boat before he could get away. Colonel Mayer jumped overboard to evade capture and was later declared dead. Though Noah feared that Ameera would be deported, she was released and later moved to California to stay with a family that she knew. Meanwhile, in the wake of his father's death, which he felt he could have prevented, Noah briefly pulled away from Luke. Afterwards, Noah told Luke that he planned on enlisting in the Army as a way to get his life together. Luke tried to convince Noah he was making a rash decision that could end up ruining his life, but Noah was convinced that the stable environment in the military would be good for him. Soon after, Luke and Noah got back together at the Cyndi Lauper Pride concert at Yo's where Luke was actually befriended by Cyndi. Unfortunately, there was one glitch—Noah had just enlisted and was due to ship out. Again, Luke tried to talk Noah out of it but to no avail. Desperate to keep Noah from making the biggest mistake of his life, Luke went to the recruiter's office and introduced himself as Noah's boyfriend—thus outing Noah. Though the recruiter was willing to ignore what he just heard, it soon became clear that Noah wasn't joining for the right reasons and he released Noah from his obligation. Immediately after, a forgiving Noah returned to Luke.

Soon afterward, Luke received an unexpected letter from Damian. In the letter, Damian apologized for hurting Luke and hoped to make it up to by transferring part of Luke's inheritance back to him. Although Luke's initial reaction was to turn it down, Lucinda talked Luke into accepting the money and doing some good with it. Luke was still wary about accepting his father's money but Noah urged him to take it since it could be a chance for Luke and his father to have a better relationship. Ultimately, Luke decided to use the money to start a charitable foundation for sick children. Not long after, Luke received shocking news from his other father, Holden---he had had an affair with Lily's best friend, Carly. Holden's affair caused a brief rift in their relationship since Luke was disgusted that man he looked up to his entire life would betray his wife, Meanwhile, since Luke had no clue how to manage a foundation, Lucinda recommended a man named Brian Wheatley whom she had dealt with in the past. Though Brian was knowledgeable, he and Luke got off on the wrong foot when he suggested that Luke keep his homosexuality a secret from investors. Brian's, seemingly, homophobic attitude irked Luke and he decided, then and there, that he did not trust Brian. Lucinda, however, did and soon she and Brian embarked on a whirlwind courtship that quickly turned into marriage. However, Luke was convinced that Brian was hiding something. Eventually, the tenseness between Luke and Brian erupted into an argument that collimated into Brian kissing Luke! Afterwards, Brian denied that the kiss every happened. In the meantime, Lucinda was becoming frustrated by the fact that her new husband did not want to make love to her. Though Luke firmly believed that Brian was a closeted homosexual, Brian continually denied it. Afraid of his grandmother getting hurt, emotionally, Luke finally blurted out the truth right in front of her during an argument with Brian. At that moment, Brian finally admitted to everyone, and perhaps even himself, that he was gay. Shortly after, he and Lucinda got their marriage annulled and Brian left Oakdale for employment elsewhere.

Soon after, Luke and Noah became acquainted with a brother and sister duo named Zach and Zoe. The pair quickly ingratiated themselves with Luke and Noah. Not long after, Luke was almost struck by a car but was saved by a surprising person---Damian. Damian assured an angry Luke that he was there to make amends. According to Damian, he accepted Luke's sexuality and accepted Noah's role in Luke's life. Though Luke had doubts, Noah was convinced of Damian's sincerity. While Holden didn't trust Damian at all, Lily came to trust Damian more and more and did her best to help Luke and Noah, even though Holden and Luke didn't approve her professional involvement with Damian. Eventually, Zach and Zoe (who turned out to really be lovers), kidnapped first Noah and then Luke. Zoe, apparently an illegitimate heir to the Grimaldi fortune, felt entitled to Luke's money. In the end, Lily proved to be correct about Damian when he saved Luke and Noah from Zach and Zoe. Luke gradually bonded with Damian and eventually began working at Grimaldi Shipping. At the same time, Luke's relationship with Noah continued to flourish and they finally moved in together. Later, Luke was devastated when Holden was presumed dead after a trip to Kentucky. Unable to deal with her grief, Lily turned to Damian for comfort—something that Luke disapproved of but understood. Though Holden, thankfully, turned out to be alive after all, the Snyder marriage ended since Lily was married to Damian.

Meanwhile, Luke had to deal with Mason, Noah's faculty advisor who clearly had eyes for Noah. Unfortunately, Noah refused to believe it and accepted Mason's help with his film project, which caused a strain in his and Luke's relationship. Luke proved to be correct when Mason kissed Noah. Though Noah tried to dismiss the incident, Luke told Damian who filed a claim with the university for inappropriate behavior. Though Mason told Luke that he'd go after Noah once the film project ended, Noah called Mason harmless, and assured Luke of their commitment. An upset Noah incorrectly wired some pyrotechnics on the set, and blew himself off a ladder. After the explosion, the hospital couldn't operate on Noah without family consent. Lily and Damian adopted Noah, and gave their consent for surgery. Noah lost his sight, and refused everyone's help. Luke convinced Noah to accept the adoption, despite what Damian had done. Unable to resolve their differences, Luke and Noah took time apart while Noah recuperated in an out-of-town clinic. When Luke successfully completed Noah's film on his own, Noah rebuked Luke for his controlling nature. Meanwhile, at Damian's suggestion, Luke coerced Dr. Reid Oliver to travel to Oakdale to perform a risky, sight-restoring procedure on Noah. In the meantime, Luke was shocked to learn that Damian had known that the body found months earlier was not Holden's. After a brawl with Holden, Damian was presumed dead. Ultimately, it was discovered that Damian faked his death in the hopes of pinning it on Holden. After a failed attempt at kidnapping Lily, Damian was arrested and Luke wrote Damian out of his life for good.

Meanwhile, Noah still wanted distance from Luke, and Luke decided to end their relationship. In the meantime, Luke and Reid continued their shaky friendship. Originally believing that Reid was homophobic, Luke was shocked to learn that he was gay. When Luke demanded to know why Reid never told him, Reid responded that it simply wasn't something he felt the need to broadcast. When Reid was suspended at Memorial Hospital, Luke and he bonded when Luke coached Reid on how to give a good impression during his court hearing. As Noah was recovering from his successful eye surgery, Luke and Reid's relationship was becoming serious. Though frustrated at Reid's tendency to put his medical career before their relationship, Luke ended up falling in love with Reid. Before leaving for Bay City, to retrieve a heart for Chris Hughes, Reid professed his love for Luke. Tragically, on the drive, Reid's car stalled at a railway crossing just as a train barreled toward the intersection. Before his death, Reid indicated that he wanted Luke to have his power of attorney and Chris to have his heart. Though Luke found it almost impossible to accept, he followed through with Reid's dying wishes. Though Noah offered to stay in Oakdale, Luke urged him to make his movie in Los Angeles and Noah invited Luke to visit him in L.A.