They should not have had them marry if Eric had to be written out again. They certainly did not please a single viewer, tho they probably thought they were giving Nicole/Eric fans a "sort of" happy ending. But didn't work at all, just made everyone more angry. (he should have returned back then with a wife, someone he met back there, who perhaps needed a husband to emigrate to America, or hide the fact her pregnancy was by another man, Eric always was doing favors for everyone, except the person he claimed to love.