NICK HUDSON and SOFIA CARLINO

The first couple days of their courtship consisted of endless arguing, but within a short time they began exchanging "meaningful looks." On New Year's Eve they shared their first kiss.

At the start of 1996 they disposed of Sofia's Aunt Frannie by pretending to be engaged. Sofia then began planning a surprise wedding for Joe and Paulina. She asked Nick to pick up the rings from the jewelers. While there, Nick decided to pick up an extra item as a gift for Sofia.

However, he skipped out before paying for it, intending to do so at a more convenient time. Naturally, the cops threw his worthless butt in jail.

Sticking by Nick, Sofia decided to run away with him. They made it to the outskirts of town before Chris, Nick's co-worker, found them and told them that Nick's uncle John was quite ill. Back in Bay City, Joe warned Nick to stay away from his sister. Nick agreed, but he and Sofia contrived to see each other secretly. At one point they cooled their romance, and Sofia went on a date with Tomas and Nick enjoyed a tumble in the barn with Maggie. Maggie was desperate to get Nick for herself and used her friendship with Sofia to drive a wedge between them. One of Maggie's plots involved publishing Sofia's private modeling photos in The Herald. Nick saved the day by buying up as many copies as he could, even going so far as selling his bike to be able to afford it.

Nick began feeling the pressure when Maggie threatened to spill the beans to Sofia. He proposed to Sofia and she accepted readily. They hadn't yet had sex, and were thankful that a marriage would legitimize it. When Nick and Sofia eloped, Maggie caught up to them and dropped the bomb. Sofia felt betrayed on both fronts and cut both Nick and Maggie out of her life.

After his very brief marriage to Maggie, Nick became determined to win back Sofia's love. She was adamant in her refusal to renew ties. She was also being pursued by Matt Cory. Nick tried various tactics to impress Sofia, but he was shot down each time. He was now at a loss for what to do next. He sought refuge in the bottle, but the booze turned him belligerent. His drunken hounding of Sofia took a frightening turn, and she was forced to call 911 for his protection as well as hers.

In summer 1997 Nick was accused of raping Office Toni Burrell. Sofia jumped to his defense immediately, despite the evidence against Nick and his own admission that he had no recollection of the events of the night of the rape. Nick was found guilty, and Sofia dutifully visited him in jail. Within a short time, he was found innocent and he and Sofia reunited.

Nick began writing anonymous lover letters to Sofia as a romantic gesture, but she was clueless as to who the sender was. Tomas had rekindled his interest in Sofia and became that writer. When he told Sofia he loved her, she turned him down as gently as she could.

By the end of 1997, Nick and Sofia became engaged, with Nick proposing on the same spot he popped the question in 1996. They were to never make it passed their wedding rehearsal early the next year, as Nick's father Michael was killed in an auto accident.

Nick had always had a rough edge, but with Michael's death, Nick became abrasive toward Sofia, demanding modes of conduct from her he was unwilling to offer himself. Sofia found herself falling for Matt and decided to break up with Nick, blaming not his attitude but claiming she had to find herself.