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Starter paragraph: Love, by Debbie Ballantyne

Lucy snaps her lucky lipstick shut. Tonight's the night, she's sure of it. Why else would he have booked Tosca's, which is hushed and expensive, with real tablecloths and glasses the size of goldfish bowls. In a few hours everything will have changed, thinks Lucy. It's like the first day of secondary school, but with more at stake than maths sets; it feels like she's about to be handed the timetable for the rest of her life.

As her taxi hoots she slips off the cheap little ring she wears on her left hand and lays it on the dressing table.

Chain 1: Jane Bizien

The table is tucked away in a secluded corner of the restaurant. Lucy lingers over her last spoonful of tiramisu and follows it with another glass of prosecco. She watches him as he efficiently dispatches a portion of dolcelatte. He's been unusually subdued tonight. At first Lucy assumed it was nerves, but now a troubling sense of panic begins to invade her sedated brain. What if... surely he can't be having second thoughts... can he? As she takes an anxious gulp of wine he suddenly leans across the table towards her. There is an unfamiliar expression on his face as it looms close to hers. 'Darling, there's something very, very important I have to ask you...'

Chain 2: Richard Grahame Kimberley

He faltered, lowering his eyes as if unable to look Lucy in the eye. His right hand moved uncertainly towards a jacket pocket unwittingly brushing his starched white napkin to the floor. 'Damn it. Get a grip,' he muttered to himself whilst groping around his feet. 'She can only say no,' he thought. Patting the pocket for reassurance he then quickly produced a twice folded sheet of cartridge paper, thrusting it towards Lucy.

Chain 3: Hazel Stevens

There's something I'd like you to read and sign before we take this relationship any further.' he said hurriedly. Lucy looked at the folded paper. Her heart beating rapidly, it's was probably the effect of too much wine. She knew that. What could he want her to read? She held out her hand and tried to read his expression. Furtive. Yes, she decided furtive was the only word to describe the way he cast his eyes down to the pristine table cloth. Dismissively raising a hand to brush back a lock of hair as it fell forward over his tanned brow. Lucy looked from him to the paper in her hand. Slowly, very slowly she opened it out and started to read.

Chain 4: Anne Micklethwaite

It seemed impossible. The page in Lucy's hand began to shake. She read on to the end. "I'm sorry, I can't sign this. Are you a control freak or something?" Lucy found that her voice had become loud, people's heads were turning. "No, I'm not a control freak. I just want to lay some ground rules so neither of us gets hurt." He wasn't looking at her as he tried to explain. "Well I don't think you're going the right way about it." Lucy tried to sound as if she was trying to negotiate. She wondered why she was bothering. Maybe it would be better, safer, to cut her losses. As if he'd read her mind he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Lucy don't go. Don't give up on me. Say you'll give me another chance." His tone was low, intense, and angry. "Let me go. You're hurting me." Lucy pulled free. This was too much. Snatching her things up she rushed away from the table and almost ran into the rest room. As soon as she'd calmed down Lucy decided she would go back to the table and apologise. End the evening on a more positive note then go home. She looked at the table they had shared it was empty, he'd gone. She hoped he wasn't waiting outside.

Chain 5: Gerry Jeffries

With a feeling of trepidation, Lucy opened the restaurant door and walked out into the cold night air.�� She cast a quick glance both right and left.���� Good, he wasn't waiting for her.�� What had he been thinking of?�� The things he had written on the paper were so out of the ordinary she didn't dare contemplate them!�� With a shake of her head, she decided what she would do.�� She would go straight home and forget all about him.�� She raised her hand for an oncoming taxi and as it slowed down to let her in, she gave a long sigh.�� She had got off lightly tonight!!

Chain 6: Rose Ellen

The taxi broke down just a few yards from her home so she had to walk a bit to get to her house. Suddenly as she turned the corner a hand grabbed her. 'hello' said a familiar voice, it was Steve. 'What do you want' she said hurriedly, 'I have to get home'. 'Come on babes' he replied 'I'm crazy about you and I know you are mad about me, come on admit it'. 'No Steve I'm not mad about you' but then, suddenly, she found herself kissing him she couldn't stop. In the morning she woke up in his bed.

Chain 7: Nick Fletcher

She felt happy but was filled with mixed emotions.�� As Steve sang aloud in the shower,�� she gazed out of the window and lay mesmerised at the clouds.�� Suddenly she looked down at the floor.�� She froze in shock.

Chain 8: Helen King

The cartridge paper he’d read from in the restaurant lay crumpled on the floor. Lucy picked it up and gasped as she looked at the addition to Steve’s notes - a rough sketch of a woman with long black hair like Lucy’s and a severe blood red gash across the neck. Next to the picture, in his meticulously neat handwriting Steve had printed two more words, ‘get revenge’.

Chain 9: Teri Aldous

Steve came back into the room just as Lucy finished dressing.�� Smiling, he told her the coffee was brewed and breakfast was ready.�� Lucy picked up the crumpled paper and the smile drop from his face.�� "I didn't mean for you to see that", he stammered.�� "I was so upset last night, I'm so sorry, please forgive me".�� Lucy looked at Steve, seeing for the first time the fear in his eyes.�� Was this fear of losing her or fear of what she might do next?

Chain 10: Janice Rennard

Lucy decided to leave as quickly as possible and said she was meeting her mother for lunch.She could tell he didn't believe a word but hurriedly gathered her stuff and pecked Steve's cheek muttering that she would call him later. As Lucy went to open the door Steves arm came over her shoulder and he said...

Chain 11: Joanna Robinson

"Wait darling! You forgot your handbag. Come here and give me a kiss goodbye." Lucy turned slowly and saw that Steve was smiling. She remembered the first time she saw him, at the fair. He was working on the rides and she had gone for a night out with friends and all she could think about was that smile. As his arms wrapped around her and enveloped her in his love she couldn't help wondering if she'd jumped to hasty conclusions about everything. "Thanks babe" Lucy smiled taking her handbag. "I'm so forgetful sometimes". Steve stood on the step and waved as Lucy left, he even blew her a few kisses. That unnerved her, it was so unusual for him to even show the slightest bit of affection in public. She was still thinking about how strange the past days had been when she got to her flat. She rummaged through her bag for her keys but couldn't find them. Damn she thought to herself as she emptied her bag's vast contents onto the steps, why do I carry so much stuff with me? After searching and turning up nothing Lucy decided to get the spare key and worry about everything later after she'd had a lie down to recover from the previous occurrences. As she snuggled into her warm, cosy king size bed and her eyes started to droop images of Steve started to float around in her mind, disturbing horror movie images. She shook them off and was soon deeply asleep. But where were her flat keys and who was making their way up to her flat as she slept?

Chain 12: Teri Aldous

She awoke to a loud, insistent knocking on the door.�� Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she hurried to the door.�� Looking through the security check all she could see was the most enormous bouquet of flowers, which seemed to be standing by the door, she was unable to see who was behind them.�� "Hello, who's there?" she asked.�� "Interflora" came the muffled reply.��Lucy decided that she'd have to open the door, and slowly undid the bolts and drew the door back a little way.��The flowers, and the person holding them, made towards the door, but Lucy would not open it far enough to let anyone in - she was sure that somehow Steve was behind the flowers and she didn't want to let him in. "Are you going to open that door any wider or do I have to pull the heads of these flowers to get them through?" "Oh Tom, it's you", Lucy opened the door wider, and Tom, complete with bouquet, walked into the flat.�� Lucy shut the door behind him, and drew the bolts. "Hey Luce, what's with all the security then?", her brother asked.�� "I might as well ask you, what's with all the flowers?"�� "I need some help, so I brought you some flowers to soften you up a bit, but you'd better tell me why you're so keen on keeping the world at bay".��Lucy walked over to the kettle and, taking down two mugs, made coffee for them both and motioned Tom to sit down.��Passing him over the biscuit tin she began to explain the events of the last 24 hours and just how worried she was.�� Tom sat back and listened, occasionally nodding and when she told him she couldn't find her keys and thought that Steve had taken them he said "Stop there, Lucy, let me call a locksmith and get the locks changed, at least then you won't have to worry that he'll break in".�� No sooner had the words left his mouth than they heard someone trying a key in the lock.

Chain 13: Anne Micklethwaite

Tom crossed the room and flattened himself against the wall. He was very handily placed to grab the intruder, meanwhile Lucy had gone to hide in the pantry. Finally, whoever was scrabbling at the lock managed to insert the key. The door swung open and Tom tensed ready to spring on the intruder. "I know you're waiting for me. I just want to speak to Lucy." The voice sounded edgy and full of anger. "Well she doesn't want to speak to you. Clear off or you'll find yourself talking to the police." Tom was shaking with anger, how dare this creep think Lucy wanted anything to do with him. "All right you win for now, but there are other places to wait. I'll be in touch." Before Tom could move he heard the sound of footfalls rapidly retreating.

Chain 14: Pat Fowler

Sighing with relief, Lucy crept out from behind the pantry door, looking nervous. Why has he picked on me?�� All I want is someone to love and care for. Anyway Tom, why have you come to my flat? Has your application for the position of game ranger to the Ntuli Tuli Private Game Reserve been accepted by the��South African owners?���� Lucy really hoped that this was the case, seeing an escape route for herself.

Chain 15: Nick Fletcher

"Just a minute" said Tom, as he peered through the window.�� He pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket and chucked it on the table.�� "I'll make sure your doors and windows are locked." said Tom as he walked pensively down the hall.�� Lucy eyes fixed on the envelope on the table.

Chain 16: Hazel Stevens

Picking up the envelope, Lucy withdrew the contents. Reading the letter, Lucy gasped with surprise. Was this really why Tom was here? "He kept the keys." Tom exclaimed angrily, he reached for the phone to call a locksmith. "Right he'll be here within a hour. What do you make of that?" Tom beamed. "Good isn't it?" He threw his arms round her. Lucy nodded, enjoying the warmth and security of his embrace. She already knew her answer to his question, that is if he asked her. She was positive that's why he was here. What else would bring her dearest friend here, armed with the bouquet of flowers.

Chain 17: Sebastian Ferreira

Two months had passed since Tom had turned up in her flat that evening.��Following the scare with Steve, and after calming down with a glass of neat Irish whisky, Tom had explained to Lucy why he needed her to look after his small holding in Cumbria.��His contract in South Africa was for two years, which would give her plenty of time to rebuild her life (away from Steve) while finally achieving her life's ambition; to rear genetically modified Barbados Blackbelly sheep.��Smiling, they stepped out of the Costa Café together, arm in arm, both thinking about the pact they had just made.��The man sitting opposite her in the café could not keep his eyes off Lucy all morning.��She felt warm inside from his attention.��

They slipped between the parked cars and headed for Lucy's battered old Landrover, half abandoned on the path in the shade of a beautiful Presbyterian Chapel.��Suddenly Lucy freed herself and darted back to the pavement, skipping over the puddles that conspire to soak her shoes.��Tom follows her with his eyes; "Luce, what did you leave behind?" Before Lucy replies she hears a frightening sound, like a car skidding on the watery surface behind her.��She spins around and stares in horror as…

Chain 18: Hazel Stevens

The car headed straight towards her. Everything happened so quickly, at the last minute the driver braked, swerved and hit Tom, sending him up over the bonnet. Lucy watched motionless as his body flew over the back of the car, landing heavily in the road. The car sped off. Lucy heard someone screaming and realised it was herself. She ran to Tom's crumpled body, hugging him close to her. She knew he had been killed outright. Someone took her arms and wrestled her away from Tom. She sat in the road shaking. A stranger examined Tom, tried resuscitation. It seemed only minutes before sirens heralded the approach of the emergency services and paramedics took over from the stranger. For several minutes they pummeled away at Tom's chest before finally stopping. Shaking their heads, one covered Tom in a green cloth. The other turned to Lucy, checking her pulse, speaking in soft quiet tones to her. Lucy was numb. She wanted to smooth Tom's hair, wipe the rain from his face. Kiss��the anguished look away. "The car" she murmured. "It was Steve's car. I think he meant to kill me..." her voice trailed off as the paramedic lead her into the ambulance. "I'm sure it was just an accident", he said indicating the parked cars which they had slipped between. Lucy shook her head vigorously. This was no accident.

Chain 19: Sebastian Ferreira

“I saw it all”.�� Lucy was crying, arms folded, staring at the ground. She was perched on the lower step of the ambulance, where the paramedics had left her briefly to deal with Tom’s body.��She couldn’t hear any distinguishable sounds above the crackle of the radio and the chattering passers-by; she couldn’t see the detail of the tarmac and the loose stones, scattered about her feet.��The people from the café, who had streamed out onto the pavement, incongruously clutching their take-away coffee cups, gathered together in small disbelieving huddles, were unseen by her.��

She couldn’t feel the rain pouring down on her slightly bowed head, the water running in streams across her face, hiding the tears, hidden for now.��The strangers offering comforting words, the newly arrived Policeman trying to obtain an identification of the victim; it was all white noise.��She just sat there, soaked by the rain and submerged by the shock and finality of Tom’s sudden death.��

It was impossible to think, to know what to do next.��She just hugged herself and hoped that when she opened her eyes it would all, somehow, be OK.��Time ticked by in slow motion.�� “I said; I saw it all”.��Lucy heard the words from a long way away.��She didn’t know what they were at first but she knew she should try to listen to them.��She forced herself to unwrap her arms from her body, keeping them close as they came up to her face, her clenched fists pushing her hair away from her wet and crying eyes.��Her movements were slow but as she began to lift her head up, she heard the words again, the meaning becoming clearer and more important.��

She finally looked up to find a chorus of sympathetic faces.��She forced herself to quickly scan each one in turn; the uniformed officers, the reflective suits and the man from the café.��She recognised him instantly, with a clarity that shocked her.��It was as if she had known him all her life.�� She immediately started asking him to repeat what he said but the words were not her own. “What did you say?��Did you see what happened?”

The words instead seemed lost in her head, unable to find the way out into the conversation.��He turned to his left and spoke again, this time she heard every single word. “I was sitting in the café; I had noticed this lady while I was having a coffee, you know.��I watched them go outside but just as they were crossing the street I saw that she had left a glove on her chair.�� I ran to the door and called to her.��That’s when the car appeared from nowhere, nearly hit her then crashed into her partner”.��The words had not been her own but the policeman’s.��She tried again.��Her mouth was not connected to her brain.��The power of speech seemed to have deserted her.��

Still staring at the man, trying to catch his eyes, trying to break the connection between the Policeman and the man from the café, she shouted as loud as she could. “He wasn’t my partner”.��Everyone turned to look at her. The policeman stopped writing, his pen poised in mid air.��The man from the café fell to his knees and held her arms softly, gripping them with the softest of touches. “It’s OK, I’ll look after you”.

Chain 20: Anne Micklethwaite

"Do you mean that? You seemed so close and I didn't want to push in." The man from the cafe knelt beside Lucy, he was holding her hand now. Lucy felt the warmth of his grip and took comfort from it. "He wasn't my partner, we'd come to a business arrangement that would have taken me far away from the man who killed him, and tried to kill me." Lucy began to cry, at least she no longer felt trapped in the awful numbness that had enveloped her a few moments ago. She was aware that the young man was handing her a handkerchief, it wasn't pristine but it was useful. "What's your name?" Lucy asked. "Michael Jordan," he replied, before asking, "and yours?" Lucy told him and they sat in companionable silence until it was time for the ambulance to move off. Michael came with her to the hospital, where Lucy was diagnosed as suffering severe shock and minor injuries.����

The following week Steve was found and arrested. All through the trial and the publicity Michael proved to be a great support and comfort to Lucy. She began to realise that love was growing between them and she knew she would be able to spend the rest of her life, happily, with Michael.

The end