Title: September Dreams Prologue Rating: NC-17 Summary: Takes place in the fantasy Valentine's day realm, where Noah is part of the Navy and Luke an NYU student. Luke and Noah meet when Noah's on shore leave and events that take place that night change their lives forever. Characters: Luke, Noah, Damien Genre: Drama, AU, Angst, Romance Warnings: MPREG Disclaimer: This site is no way associated with "As the World Turns", CBS, P&G, or Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. This is not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Authors submit and write their own work.

A/N: This story for me is really a labor of love. I've had this plot in my head for several months now. It's inspired by the movie "August Rush."

"Come on Luke, just one more big push. You can do it," The doctor encouraged.

Grunting through his pain, he shook his head.

"Luciano, you can do it son," A voice to his right coaxed.

Luke glanced at Damien once before shutting his eyes, throwing his head back and letting out a primal scream. A few seconds later he felt it. His child slipping from him.

"Good job. Now just rest," Damien said gently, combing his son's sweat soaked hair away from his forehead.

"Where's my baby? I want to see him," Luke cried weakly, but desperately.

"Shhh...the doctors just going to look at him," Damien tried to soothe, "Just going to make sure he's alright."

Luke shook his head, "I want to see him. Please?"

"Luciano, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright," Damien soothed.

Shaking his head, Luke tried to sit up, only to find that his body wouldn't co-operate, "What aren't you telling me?"

"Luke," The doctor appeared at his bedside, "Luke, I'm so sorry. The baby...he didn't make it."

"What? That's impossible!" Luke screamed, "Let me see my baby!"

The doctor shook his head, "We did all we could. There wasn't anything else we could have done."

"Liar!" Luke shrieked.

"Luciano. Luciano, it's okay...shhh," Damien grabbed his arm, "Everything's going to be alright now," He promised.

"Damien," Luke finally gave up and collapsed into a fit of sobs in his birth-fathers arms.



~~~~~~Nine Months Earlier~~~~~~~~



Luke hadn't planned on finding the love of his life that ordinary Tuesday. What he had planned on was going to the library, printing his term paper and spending a quiet day in his apartment reading. It was rare that he had a full day off to himself. He worked with his father, Damien at his shipping company along with going to New York University.

He had come out to his family and friends a few years before, but that turned into one big drama and eventually he decided to give up his idea of going to Oakdale University and landed on Madison Avenue with his birth father Damien Grimaldi fronting the bill for a NYU education in exchange that he worked at Grimaldi Shipping. It had been one of the easiest choices Luke had ever made. Of course he loved his family, but starting a new life was a choice that he had to make. In New York he could study to be a writer, make money and fit in. No one in the city really cared that he was gay, in fact no one really cared about his background. Just like everyone else, he was one of the thousands that traipsed around the city day in and day out.

Shocking enough, Damien seemed to take his coming out better then anyone. Encouraging him that it was okay. That it didn't matter. It felt good to have someone on his side, no judgments, no sympathetic looks. It was nice to know that someone still saw him as Luke. Not gay Luke. Just Luke. It was nice to just be.

He sighed in content as he held the book up to his face. There was a half eaten pizza in his fridge and a pack of Coke waiting for him. Not to mention the idea of just curling up on his couch with his book and blocking out the world for an evening. But before he could get too far into his day dream about junk food, soda and literature he felt himself being catapulted forwards, his book flying out of his hands.

"Sorry!" A low voice said apologetically

"I'm not such a klutz," Luke shook his head, quickly reaching for his things scattered across the library steps.

"No, it was me. I wasn't paying attention," The other man went to grab a fallen book at the same time as Luke, causing their hands to touch.

It felt like a bolt of electricity going down Luke's arm and he hand to quickly snatch his hand away. Tentatively he looked up to see the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

Hurrying along the conversation, Luke gathered up his things in his arms and hurried away from the handsome stranger, but he wasn't quick enough. The brunette had caught up with him giving him back his paper. The whole reason for his excursion out. It didn't take long for the two of them to hit it off, Luke had surprised himself by offering to show the dark haired man around.

The day had been almost perfect, except for the nagging feeling in the pit of Luke's stomach. Noah was charming, attractive and Luke could feel himself starting to lust after him. It had happened once before. He had fallen for his high school best friend, Kevin. There friendship had been so easy that Luke had quickly found himself falling deeper for his friend, but instead of returning his feelings, Kevin had shoved him away. Calling him a f@ggot. Now, here he was with a man in the Navy. Part of the government service that had banned gays from joining and then implementing don't ask, don't tell.

Yet, his fears weren't needed when Noah had admitted that he was gay too. It was shocking, it was scary, but most of all Luke knew that he had met this man for a reason.

"When do you have to go back?" Luke asked gently, enjoying the feeling of Noah's hand in his.

"Tomorrow morning."

Luke nodded, "Do you...do you want to come back to my place for the night?" He tried to keep the nerves out of his voice.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Noah smiled and squeezed the hand in his as they continued to walk towards Luke's apartment.

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As soon as they tumbled into the small apartment, they were a mess of arms and legs. Clothing carelessly fluttered to the ground.

Luke gently tugged Noah's hand in the direction of his bedroom, feeling his stomach start to flutter with excitement. It wasn't the first time he had ever had sex, but this time was different. He couldn't verbalize how so, but he knew it was. It felt different. When Noah laid him down on the mattress, his body covering Luke's like a blanket, the blonde couldn't help but gasp.

"You okay?" Noah whispered, his hand now softly caressing a pale cheek.

"F-fine," The blonde grasped his arms around Noah's shoulders, pulling him back down into a passionate kiss. Tongues waged war on each other, as bodies danced to a song of their own. Luke never wanted it to end, he wished their was some way to press repeat and just live in this moment over and over again.

Noah smiled down at his son to be lover, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Nodding, Luke didn't trust his voice. He found the strength to let go of the brunette for the briefest of moments, as he reached over to the bedside drawer and thrust a bottle of lube towards the taller man.

"Condom?" Noah's hands gently danced to their own rhythm across Luke's torso.

"I...I don't...I don't have any," Luke managed to squeak out. He didn't need them. He had been celibate for most of the year, after a brief but disastrous affair with another NYU student over 8 months before.

Noah stopped, not really knowing what to do.

"I'm clean," Luke blurted at the brunette's confused face.

"Me too," Noah nodded, "The Navy tests us and all my tests came back negative."

It probably wasn't the smartest decision, but all Luke knew was that he wanted this man on top of him. He wanted to feel him, to be loved by him - even if it were only physical.

It was beautiful and amazing and unlike anything that Luke had felt before. Noah was gentle and rough, soft but demanding. He made Luke's body feel like it was on fire and ice at the same time. Invoking feelings, sensations that he had only read about. It seemed to last forever and be over in a second. It felt like the entire world stopped for just them. Just that night...and when it was over, reality came crashing back around them.

"I...I know this is going to sound ridiculous," Luke whispered, ribbing his cheek against Noah's chest.

Noah's lips lightly brushed the top of the blonde head, "Tell me."

"I...I think I'm falling in love with you," Pale cheeks tinged red.

"I...do too," Noah tightened his hold around the body in his arms and allowed sleep to fall over them for the few hours they still had together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The air around them felt different as they walked hand in hand to the dock. It felt like they were taking their final walk on death row. Each boy afraid to let go, but knowing that they had to.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Luke said, his voice thick with emotion as he held onto Noah's hand a little more tighter, as if that would keep him from getting back on his ship.

Noah nodded, and reached his free hand into his coat pocket, "Here," He pressed something cold into Luke's hand, "They give these things out for bravery."

Taking a peak into his hand, Luke gasped, "I can't take this. Noah it's your medal."

"Yes you can," Noah tried to smile.

Gulping, the blonde silently slipped the medal into his pocket, "Will I ever see you again?" His voice was so timid, so afraid. As if the answer of that question would seal their fate.

"Would you like to?"

"Yeah," Luke's eyes held such hope.

"My tour ends in a year. Will you...can you wait for me?" Noah was almost pleading.

Luke nodded, "I'll be here."

"Promise?" The brunette asked.

"Promise," Luke confirmed.

A loud blast of a horn in the background signaled that their time had ended.

"I need to go," Noah felt like part of his soul was stuck.

Luke nodded, "I know."

"I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yeah," Luke agreed, "Noah?" He called as Noah started to reluctantly walk away.

"Yeah?"

"I...I love you," He smiled.

Noah smiled back, "Same here."

"Noah?!" Luke yelled as Noah got further away.

"Yeah?!"

"I'll be waiting!"

"I'll be back! We're meant to be together Luke Snyder!" And with that the brunette was gone.

Luke smiled sadly to himself, fingering the object in his pocket with the belief that Noah would be back in a year. Unfortunately, things don't always work out and happily ever afters don't always work out the way they do in fairy tales.