2014, Nicole and Eric are kidnapped by Kristen's potion doctor, as the two have gotten too close to the truth about the night Eric was drugged. The doctor tied them together in the basement of Daniel's apartment complex. He initially was going to wipe their memories with his drugs, but instead opens a gas line in the basement and leaves Nicole and Eric to die, either by asphyxiation or an eventual explosion. It is in this dire situation Eric confesses he loves Nicole. She was engaged to Eric briefly but they broke up and now she is currently engaged to Daniel. Sadly, on New Year's Eve of 2015, Brady, his stepbrother Eric, Jennifer Horton, and Daniel are involved in a tragic car accident due to Eric driving drunk. The accident leaves Daniel brain dead, and Brady in need of a heart transplant. With Maggie's permission, Daniel is taken off of life support and his heart is donated to Brady. Eric is later sent to prison for causing Daniel's death, leaving Nicole heartbroken. In 2016, Chloe Lane attempts a second surrogacy for Nicole after a failed first attempt. In a snowstorm with Chloe, Nicole unknowingly delivers her own child conceived through in vitro fertilisation. Chloe tells her to name the baby before losing consciousness. Nicole names the baby girl Holly and later learns the child belongs to her and the late Daniel Jonas. This makes Maggie Horton the baby's paternal grandmother. Nicole gets engaged to Deimos Kiriakis but she later breaks up with him. In 2017, Nicole begins seeing Eric again, who has recently been released from prison. A jealous and heartbroken Brady blackmails Nicole, and forces her to break up with Eric and leave town. In 2018, Eric finds out the truth about why Nicole left, and that October, it is revealed that Nicole has been living in Nashville, Tennessee at Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey)'s old apartment with Holly. When Eric arrives to confess his love for her, she reveals she is married to Xander, who is blackmailing her with a recording that reveals her as Deimos' killer. When Nicole escapes Xander's hold, she travels to a warehouse to meet with Eric; there, she becomes trapped, and ostensibly dies after an explosion. The following year, "Nicole" suddenly reappears alive, but is revealed to be Kristen in a mask and wig, using Nicole's identity to try and seduce Brady into taking