1994: Victor and Nikki's son, Nicholas, returned from his Swiss boarding school and, after becoming interested in Sharon, decided to stay in Genoa City. Nick and Sharon began a romance, which angered Sharon's former boyfriend, Matt.

1995: Matt trapped Sharon in his car and raped her. When Amy became involved with Matt, Sharon disclosed that he had raped her. Matt, however, convinced Amy that Sharon had lied. A vengeful Matt discovered that, while in high school, Sharon had given birth to a baby and put it up for adoption. Nick proposed to Sharon, and she accepted. Sharon then revealed to Nick that Matt had raped her. An angry Nick left to confront Matt and found him unconscious with a bullet wound. The police arrested Nick for attempted murder. When Matt regained consciousness, he told the cops that Nick tried to kill him. As Nick's trial started, he and Sharon secretly eloped.

1996: Amy testified that she had shot Matt after he raped her, and Matt skipped town. Nick was cleared. He and Sharon formally married and moved into in a converted barn on the Newman ranch. Sharon's old friend, Grace, moved to Genoa City and with Nick's help landed a job at Newman Enterprises. Sharon announced that she was pregnant, but Nick urged her to consider an abortion because he wasn't ready for fatherhood. Worried about her marriage, Sharon reluctantly conceded. Nick, however, had a change of heart and stopped her at the last minute.