A/N; Alright, this story is actually based off of two different things. One is pretty easy to pick up on if you know the source, the other might be a little more difficult. If you know, try to keep it a secret until the next chapter when I give out the full summary. This chapter is kind of a prologue/chapter. I actually do plan on updating this one, since I now have a beta (thanks to Kim, aka joliepinkyswear over at LRO) who does wonders and will keep me on track. Final note, you will see Reid a lot more in future chapters, just need a few "set up" chapters before we get to that point. Just bare with me. Ah! Final FINAL note, time line will jump around a bit, but I will make it as clear as possible. Rant over!

CHAPTER 1

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
"Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;"
Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day."
~
"Eloisa to Abelard" by Alexander Pope

December fifteenth, two thousand and ten, was the day that Luke skipped out on work for no other reason than to run off to Bryant Park and sit at one of the icy metal chairs pulled up to a small table. Despite the wool coat he had strapped tightly around three layers of clothes his body was shivering vigorously in the freezing New York winter. He really didn't care all that much. Luke just sat at that table for hours as his lips chapped and the cold air made it painful to keep his eyes opened. It was ridiculous, he knew that, and the more he tried to figure out why he was there, the more confused he got. The silence gave him no answers and the only thing that gave him any kind of purpose for being there was the small trinket that had been left at the table for him to find.

In his hand he gripped a chess piece, a black knight that had been carelessly left behind before he had gotten there. The entire time Luke had been sitting in the park had been spent staring at it noticing every detail that his eyes would allow. It was solid and carved neatly out of wood. The etchings held unique designs at the bottom and the black paint was bold and brilliant. Luke saw how the horse stood proud and fierce and a part of him wondered how anyone could abandon such a flawless piece of art. Then he figured that he must just be looking at it too closely and weighing in his concerns for this lonely black knight as a way to give his escape from life meaning.

Today was just so uncharacteristically irresponsible of Luke, and he couldn't explain why he did it. He just walked right into Grimaldi Shipping's NYC offices and then right back out to walk sixteen blocks until he arrived at this park. It was just some strange pull in his chest that lead him there and now that he saved this chess piece he felt that pull turn into more of a warming sensation. A part of Luke thought that this is was what he had been looking for, like this was his only achievement worthwhile in the past eleven months. The emptiness in his body had shrunk a little and it was only this little black knight that had that power over him.

For hours Luke was lost in the trance that the knight performed. People came and went around him, pigeons dared to pick at crumbs near his feet, but he didn't move. The only thing that was finally able to pull him back to earth was the irritating ring of the cell phone laying in his pocket. Luke jumped from the new distraction and then went to answer the call.

"Noah, hey!" He said as cheery as he could after seeing who was on his caller ID.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing right now?"

Luke looked around as if he had been caught skipping work, but when he realized that that was very unlikely he quickly considered if he wanted to tell the truth or not. "Uhhh, on my lunch break actually." After he said that he realized that he had absolutely no idea what time it was. He looked down at his watch and it read one fifteen.

"Oh! Well, if you still have time before you have to get back to work then how about having some coffee with me?" Noah excitedly offered.

Luke tried to talk through his confusion, but it was obvious with the stutter "Coffee? How-I mean…Noah? Are you in New York?"

"Yep. I actually came for a meeting with a screenwriter, but flew down a few days early to see if you wanted to get together."

"Yeah! Of course! Where do you wanna meet?" Luke said genuinely happy to hear that Noah was in the city. It had been weeks since he saw a familiar face.

"Where are you now?"

"Bryant Park."

"Perfect. I will pick us up some coffee and be there in ten. Starbucks okay? I already passed like ten of them."

"Starbucks is fine."

"You want your usual White Chocolate cappuccino?"

"Actually, you know what? I think that I am gonna change it up this time. How about a Caramel Latte, whipped cream, extra shot."

There was silence at Noah's end of the phone for a moment. He knew that order. He remembered associating it with anger every time he was forced to serve it to Reid whenever he stopped by at Java during one of Noah's shifts. As angry as he used to be, now he just felt concerned as he heard Luke's order. "Ummm, yeah sure. Whatever you want." He finally said. "Just entered the shop now, so I will be there shortly."

"Alright, thanks Noah."

After they hung up Luke threw his phone back into his pocket and looked around where he sat. He wasn't about to let himself get suckered into a trance again. He wanted to keep his mind focused and coherent because he didn't want to give Noah a reason to think that he was not okay. He came to New York lost and in need of something that wasn't Oakdale. Luke wanted Noah to believe that he found what he wanted in life, something more than just a chess piece.

So he looked up and took in his surroundings, trying to make himself as content and well adjusted as possible. It wasn't too difficult. Despite the brown slush that mucked up the sidewalk, there was a beautiful layer of untouched snow spread across the areas of grass and leafless trees. The sun shone down and reflected off of the snow in a way that was almost blinding, but still very beautiful. In the corner of his eye he saw someone at one of the other tables about ten feet away from him. It was a man, not much older than him, reading from what looked like some kind of journal. It looked like he was the only other one besides Luke who braved the cold long enough to actually sit down instead of walking through the park in a hurry to find someplace warm.

Luke wondered how long the stranger had been sitting there. The man's shoulder bad had been placed beside him, opened like he had been taking things in an out of it, and he seem to be absorbed in whatever it was that he was reading, kind of like Luke was with his chess piece. This however was a more normal thing to get lost into. His hair was dark and curly, falling down in front of his eyes, and he noticed a short patch of hair growing on his chin. He wasn't Luke's type at all. Too sullen in the "starving artist" sort of way . He supposed that it didn't really matter. He wasn't looking for any kind of eye candy anyway. Not at this point in his life; not with how he had been feeling. It was then when the guy looked up and stared directly at him, like he knew Luke was there all along. Like he was looking at him before Luke had ever noticed. His mouth was like stone, unmoving and cold, but there was some sort of expression in his eye that felt like he was actually smirking without the tug of his lips. It was intense, heart retching, and scary familiar.

Luke quickly looked down as the other man's stare unnerved him and he felt his eyes still glued to his back. Luckily Noah arrived with their coffees and posed as a well received distraction. Luke stood up, and after Noah placed the cups down, pulled him into a friendly hug. "Noah, you have no idea how good it is too see you."

"Same here." Noah said simply before he was released from Luke's hold on him and went to sit down. "I figured that I would see you later this month when I come down to Oakdale for Christmas, but when I found out I was flying out here I knew I had to make some time to see you."

"And I am glad you did. " Luke nodded as he grabbed the coffee, savoring the heat that his gloves failed to provide. "It's so weird to think that we are on opposite sides of the country instead of Oakdale where we could easily run into each other all the time." Saying that he stopped to take a sip of his drink when his eyes widened from his taste buds being attacked by a crazy amount of sugar. Holy fuck, this thing was sweet. "Hey how much do I owe you for the coffee?"

"What, are you kidding?" Noah chuckled. "It's my treat."

"Come on Noah, you are the one who is visiting. I should be the one paying for us." Luke offered.

"Yes, but I also hear that today is your first day back at Grimaldi Shipping. Think of it as celebratory coffee. That means, I pay."

Luke put up his hands in defeat "Alright, you win. But at least let me offer you a place to stay while you're here. It's the least I can do."

Noah bit his lip, taken aback a little bit by the offer. Part of him was a little uncomfortable with the idea, he was still struggling with moving on from Luke, but he saw the look of need in his eyes and there was really only one question he had to ask. "Luke, are you okay?"

Luke's smile faded. Was he really that easy to read, or does Noah just know him that well? As much as he would smile and try to stay up beat there must have been something un face that gave him away that seem to be easily picked up by him. "I'm fine" He replied unconvincingly.

"You don't have to be, you know. I mean you need to be able to take as much time as you need to be able to move on with your life. You don't need to pretend with me." He said as he placed a hand of comfort over Luke's.

"Move on? I don't have anything to move on from. Noah, if this is about us, I am honestly better about that."

Noah looked down at their clasped hands and then took his back. He had no idea why Luke would think that he was talking about their old relationship. "No. No, that's not it. I am sorry if I made it seem like this was all about me. I know that I have done that in the past, but I have been trying to change that. I just wish that I could have done it before he died. Maybe then I could have gotten past all the bitterness and thanked him properly."

"Died? Wait a minute. What exactly are we talking about here?" Luke asked, as his face contorted with confusion.

"Reid. Who else would I be talking about?"

"That depends. Who the hell is Reid?"

December fifteenth, two thousand and ten, may have been the day that he skipped out on work, but it was also the day where Luke Snyder forgot about Reid Oliver.