
Belle Black (Martha Madison)
Belle is the daughter of Marlena and John Black. In truth, Belle was the product of a one-night-affair between Marlena and John while she was married to Roman Brady. Belle's older sister Sami, kidnapped her and tried to have her legally adopted! However, it was Stefano DiMera who revealed the truth after reading everything in Sami's diary.
During her teen years at Salem High School, Belle started an ill-fated relationship with (at the time) bad boy Philip Kiriakis, but soon devoted her attention to Shawn Brady.
Belle started college at Salem University, where she lived in Hartley House, an on-campus dorm, with Shawn. Rex and Cassie also moved into the dorm, and Mimi lived at home while attending college. Belle still had to deal with Cassie's unstoppable attraction to Shawn, among other problems. Belle and Shawn did commit to their future together, though. They each wear purity rings, signifying this commitment.
Shawn and Belle suffered another set-back after Victor and Nicole's New Year's Eve wedding at which Colin Murphy was murdered. Shawn had shot at Colin and missed, but he thought he was responsible. Shawn broke up with Belle to deal with it on his own. She didn't understand why, but they were finally reunited after Larry Welch (falsely) confessed to the crime.
Of course, the Salem Stalker was still at work. Belle was devastated and could not believe that her mother was guilty of being the Salem Stalker. She even lied to Shawn to provide an alibi for one of the many murders her mom committed - and lived to regret it. Shawn's own grandmother was the next to go and, overcome by guilt, he left town to clear his head. But Belle wasn't alone for long. Philip, who is harboring a secret crush on her, moved in to provide a sholder for her to cry on.
Although she tried resisting Philip's charms Belle eventually gave in. When Shawn finally returned, his personality was completely changed. He had nothing but hatred for Belle and for Philip and hooked up with Jan Spears. Philip and Belle became engaged and Shawn's feelings about them didn't change until the night of their wedding. He realized he was still in love with Belle and crashed the wedding – literally by driving his motorcycle through the stained glass window of the church, very nearly killing them all. But he still didn't stop the wedding. So Belle and Philip were married, but she knew she was still in love with Shawn.