John Abbott was shocked to find his "daughter" reduced to such a miserable state, and worked with Dr. Lassiter to have Ashley transferred to Fairview, the private nut house closer to Genoa City. At the Abbotts' request, Dr. Lassiter came to Genoa City to continue treating Ashley. The family agreed to keep Ashley's confinement a secret.

It was Paul Williams who tipped Nikki Newman off as to where to find Ashley, and Nikki was aghast to discover that Ashley could have such overwhelming problems that would land her in a mental institution. But Nikki couldn't get to first base with Dr. Lassiter watching over her. He simply wouldn't let Nikki see her. And then Nikki got really depressed when, by checking the facts of the onset of her own illness and of Ashley's breakdown, she came to the conclusion that Victor Newman didn't come back to her because he loved her, but because he knew she was dying! He didn't choose her over Ashley; he simply acted out of guilt.

Nikki stopped taking her medication and got drunk at Gina's, where she ran into an old friend from her Bayou stripping days. Soon, Nikki began ripping her clothes off right in the middle of the dance floor. Gina tipped off Victor, and he hurried over to wrap his coat around his wife and took her home.

As Dr. Casey Reed was advising Nikki to seek a second opinion on her medical condition, Ashley decided the time had come for Victor to know the truth about why she aborted his child. She got permission to leave the hospital and went to the ranch where she told Victor she had found out about Nikki's illness and couldn't add to his agony by telling him she was pregnant. Then she told him she thought abortion was the only logical solution, and she was telling him now to free both of them from further pain. Each asked the other for forgiveness, and they kissed, just as Nikki, lurking, had come to tell Victor she'd learned she was in remission!

Stunned, Nikki left the scene. The sight of Victor and Ashley kissing enraged he so much she decided to let Victor continue thinking she was going to die. She even applied horrid makeup to make her look sicker, and Victor was confused. When Victor suggested a second opinion, Nikki refused saying she was going to die anyway. Nikki made an emotional good-bye videotape for Victor to find which reduced him to tears. Then, with Jack Abbott as co-conspirator and lover, she arranged for a mortician to come to the ranch to make funeral arrangements, freaking Victor even more.

Nikki shared picnics with Jack, enjoyed great sex, and great plotting! But she screwed up, arousing Victor's suspicions when she asked for some Mergeron stock so she would have something of her own to leave to daughter Victoria. It was far too calculating for Nikki to think of all this by herself, and soon the deceit would be over.

When Nikki gulped down a tuna fish sandwich in her room one day, she ended up getting food poisoning. Other than an inconvenient trip to the hospital, she was okay. Nikki confessed to Victor, saying she did it because she loved him. Victor told Nikki he was suing for divorce, and then ran straight to Ashley to tell her there was hope for a future for them.

But Ashley had gone on a short trip with Steven Lassiter. For Christmas, Victor gave Ashley a large pearl pendant and a unicorn symbol of reams. Steven, on the other hand, gave her an engagement ring. Ashley decided to accept Steven's proposal.

Later, Leanna Randolph, a former mental patient of Steven Lassiter's, showed up in Genoa City and tried to insert herself into Steven and Ashley's lives.

When 1988 rolled around, Ashley and Steven were quietly wed in the Abbott home.

Victor could only feel betrayed, while Nikki saw renewed hope for a reconciliation now that Ashley was no longer in the picture. Meanwhile, Jack Abbott, who was attracted to Leanna, told her that the doctor had married his sister Ashley.

Leanna followed the newlyweds to Hawaii! In Leanna's warped mind, Steven belonged to her, and she was determined to do whatever it took not to let Ashley have him even if it meant killing her with a poisoned lei. When the Lassiters returned to Genoa City, Leanna resumed her relationship with Jack, which made Stevens suspicious. He knew Leanna was desperately in need of further Psychiatric care.

Meanwhile, Jack was plotting to buy Mergeron from Nikki and change it into a cosmetics company to compete with Jabot. Jack convinced Marc Mergeron to hit on Nikki so she'd agree to sell him her stock. Then, with Nikki's stock certificates, Jack secured the necessary bank loans and quit Jabot, only to learn that the stock was never even Nikki's to begin with! In reality, the stock was in trust for Victoria Newman. Victor had suspected Jack was up to something and arranged the false documents to foil Jack's plan.

Vowing revenge, Jack hired Leanna her to write an exposé of Victor's life, knowing she'd have to get close to the great man. Leanna, who didn't like men to begin with, tried her best to catch Victor's eye. Meantime. she managed to befriend Nikki, who suspected nothing and ran her mouth about everything. How Ashley was Victor's true love and how tragic their love affair had been! Leanna knew she had some bestseller material and she intended to use it! Using the pen name, Nora Randall, Leanna made her publisher protect her by not revealing the source of the chapter entitled ''Victor's Forbidden Love.''

Victor, unaware of what Jack was up to, but aware that eventually a book would be written about his !life, wanted to ensure the truth be told, so he asked Leanna to write his authorized biography. Seeing an opportunity to advance her writing career, Leanna agreed.

When Leanna's first book, 'Ruthless: The Story of Victor Newman', hit the streets, John Abbott was ready to sue until Ashley confessed that much of it was true. Victor, too, was enraged and vowed revenge on ''Nora Randall'' for hurting Ashley. Reporters hounded Ashley, and when Ashley told Victor she had confided their past to Nikki, Victor assumed Nikki had leaked the information. He was so enraged that he found a way to have their divorce finalized immediately.

When news of the dissolution of their marriage was leaked, the press speculated that Victor and Ashley would reconcile. To avert attention away from Ashley, Victor proposed to Leanna. They were married in Las Vegas, but Leanna told Victor she was a virgin and had no intention of having sex with him.

Nikki learned that Victor could not legally marry until six months had passed from the time of his divorce, but she kept this information to herself. Steven, meanwhile, didn't like Ashley's obsession with Victor, but Ashley assured him that he was the only man for her. Steven had planned to tell Ashley the truth that Leanna wrote the book but he was shot by the distraught son of a patient and died before he had the chance.

See Also: 1985 How it all started.

Nikki Reed Newman thought she was taking prescription vitamins but when she went to get a refill she discovered what she was really taking were anti-inflammatory pills. Nikki pawed through the medical files in her sister's office and found out she was seriously ill and could be near death! Dr. Casey Reed later told Nikki it was true and then told Victor Newman that Nikki knew.

Before her death, Nikki wanted to make sure daughter Victoria would have a mother so she consulted with Victor's former wife, Julia.

Julia suggested Ashley Abbott would be the logical choice. At the time, Ashley was in a New York nut house after having been found roaming the streets in a daze. She would constantly hear the sound of a baby crying in her head.

Dr. Steven Lassiter tried to obtain background information on Ashley and eventually made contact with John Abbott who arranged to have Ashley moved closer to home. Dr. Lassiter agreed to move too so he could continue treatment.

Detective Paul Williams found out where Ashley was and told Nikki. When Nikki tried to see Ashley she was blocked by Dr. Lassiter. Nikki later learned that Victor and Ashley had been lovers! The reason Ashley flipped out was due to the fact she had aborted Victor's baby.

Meantime, Nikki's medical problem went into remission but when she saw Ashley and Victor kissing she decided to make Victor think she was still dying. The plan worked for awhile but Victor eventually found out and filed for divorce.

Victor wanted to tell Ashley there was hope for them but she had gone off with Dr. Lassiter and later agreed to marry him.

As 1988 rolled around, the two were married at the Abbott house. Just when it looked like they would live happily ever after, Leanna Love blew into town. Leanna was a former patient of Dr. Lassiter's. Jack Abbott developed an interest in Leanna and told her his sister Ashley had married the good doctor.

Leanna followed the newlyweds to Hawaii. She wanted Lassiter. To that end, Leanna sent Ashley a poisoned lei but her plan to kill Ashley failed. Leanna returned to Genoa City and wrote Ruthless; the story of Victor Newman. Victor was outraged and vowed revenge on Nora Randall not knowing at the time that Leanna and Nora were one in the same.

To shift attention away from Ashley, Victor proposed to Leanna. The two were married in Las Vegas but the marriage was not consummated. Meantime, Dr. Lassiter was upset because Ashley was hot for Victor. Before Lassiter could tell Ashley that Leanna had written Ruthless he was shot dead by the son of a trouble patient.