Lucia sings : I will always love you- kathrine jenkins (Italian)  

The midnight hour was herald by a large flash from a bolt of lightning...then the land shook as a great boom sounded from the clap of thunder that was over the sleeping city of Erebor. Some people woke up briefly as they realized what was going on outside but then they rolled over to go back to sleep once more. In one of the homes that was located near the edge of Rivendell Park, stood a log cabin home that had a man and woman sleeping within upon a large bed next to each other. His hair was longish black with a thick silver streak down the center that matched the thick beard upon his face. Next to him laid a beautiful young woman with raven hair that splayed across her silky pillow she rested upon. As the storm began making itself more pronounced the man began to twitch with each rumble...his sleep becoming fretful there in the darkness.

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Bifur was tossing and turning on the bed, caught in a nightmare from his past as shivers coursed up along his body...soft whimpering whispers would escape his lips periodically as the storm raged on outside his windows. Next to him was his beautiful Italian lover, Lucia, who had stayed the night with him...her dark wavy tresses spilling across her pillow as she slept peacefully. The mumbling words of her dark haired lover became louder...more audible..waking her from her slumber.

"No...dont go...Frerin..watch...step..." his words were disjointed as he dreamed dark frightful dreams next to her. Lucias eyes cracked open as she turned her head to look at Bifur whos head began to toss upon his pillow in agitation...blearily she reached out to soothe him..softly calling out his name.

"Bifur...mio amore (my love). Your dreaming...amo..."the moment her hand touched his shoulder his eyes flew open in terror and a boom of thunder echoed loudly through the home...shaking the floor. Without any warning Lucia saw Bifur jerk upwards...rolling on top of her and flipping them both off the bed onto the floor. The action made her yelp in bewilderment and then grunting as her body hit the wooden floorboards..his body landing over hers as if her was protecting her from something. For a moment she was knocked breathless but she quickly regained her wits as she noticed her head was being cradled by one of his massive hands from the fall, while the other was on the floor next to her head...his body was inches off of hers as he held himself slightly away so not to crush her delicate body beneath his.

Lucia peered up at him in the darkness and could just barely make out his features...his eyes were blown wide in fright and looking wild..his jaw was clenched in a snarl as he breathed heavily through his teeth. It was a sight that could instill fear in any who saw him, but Lucia was not afraid in the slightest. She understood what was going on as each bolt flashed in the side and the rumble of thunder sounded outside of the home...her love was dealing with his inner demons as they plagued him on this night. She knew Bifur was reliving that fateful day when he was stationed in a desert warzone and his convoy had been attacked, which left him suffering from PTSD.

It didnt matter to her that he was classified as disabled now with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)..he was still the same man she had met eleven years ago when she was 17 and just starting her opera career. At that time they were just friends..he came to her shows all the time when he was stationed in Italy for a few years until he was re-stationed into a war zone where he faced bombing on a daily basis. Bifur was only there for 6 months before one fateful day, where his convoy was making its way through the desert and they came across an IED ( improvised explosive device) which exploded right under them...killing several men and wounding the others...even Bifur was wounded. Since that day Bifur had episodes where he seemed like he was not there mentally-somewhere else it seemed- each time it thundered during a storm, the sound of a car backfiring, or any loud sudden noise going off would set his PTSD off. Through those years they were together..it began  with a deep friendship that later blossomed into love between them over time.

Now here she was 28 and him in his early 40s..laying upon a cold hard floor as his mind tried to relive that traumatic day once again. She took a deep breath and softly called his name..feeling his body quake above her at each boom of the thunder resounding in the room..careful to not touch him ..yet.

"Amore (love)..its okay..your safe now. Dolcezza ( sweetheart) I got you." she could see his eyes were beginning to focus upon her at the sound of her voice and slowly, now, she reached up to gently stroke his bearded cheek. His jaw began to relax for a moment but once more thunder reverberated into the room causing him to tense and shake harder as his breathing sped up. Lucia eased her arms around his body to pull him close to hers as she whispered near his ear in the darkened room. "Shhh..il mio cuore (my heart)..I am with you...feel me in your arms..I am right here." she could feel his cheek pressing closer to hers as he shook in her slender arms.

"A...Angelo (angel)?" his raspy voice was unsteady in her ears. "Lucia angelo..." another boom and his eyes closed tightly..his grip tightened around her as his breathing shook hotly against her face.

"Easy amore...just listen to my voice...focus on me right here and everything will be fine." one of her hands reached up to tenderly caress the back of his dark head as she began to softly sing into his ears...slowly rising in volume to drown out the storm.

Se io restassi qui,
Non sarei come tu me vuoi.
Me ne andr,
Ma gi lo so,
Sempre tu sarai in me.

Ormai,
L'amore sei tu,
L'amore sei tu,
E sempre tu.

Sempre avr nostalgia,
Delle notti e giorni con te,
La vita mia porto via,
Sai che meglio cos.

Ormai,
L'amore sei tu,
E sempre sei tu.

Lucia felt his trembling easing up in her arms as she continued to hold tightly to him..her small hands softly stroking his dark hair and down his back while she sang him a sweet love song in Italian to him.

Espero che tu troverai,
Quello che sai sognato per te,
La felicit tua,
Sar la mia,
E lontano da me , ancora amerai.

Ma ormai,
L'amore sei tu,
E sempre sei tu,
Ormai,
L'amore sei tu,
L'amore sei tu,
E sempre tu,
Sei tu, tu
L'amore sei tu.

Finally his body had stopped shuddering in her arms and he relaxed into her body...breathing in her soothing calm that was filled with her love for him. His breathing became steady as he nuzzled into her hair...taking in her scent into his lungs..in and out.

"Il mio angelo, mi perdoni (my angel , forgive me) please." he raised his head to look into her vibrant silvery grey eyes as he rested his forehead against hers...his eyes filling with tears of remorse that she was seeing him like this. "I do not deserve you mio angelo (my angel)....I am to broken for someone as gentle as you." as his eyes closed in shame, he felt her hand delicately laying upon his cheek...enticing him to open them to look into hers.

"No il mio cuore (my heart) it is I who doesnt deserve you. you are the bravest...most courageous and truly most loving guerriero (warrior) I have ever known. You, amore, are not broken. Sei perfetto per me ( you are perfect to me) e ti amo piu che ami prima ( and I love you more now then ever before)" she slowly leaned up to claim his lips in a tender kiss that swiftly turned heated and passionate as he groaned lustfully into her sweet mouth. Slowly he began to rock his body into hers as they expressed their love for each other. The sounds of their love filling and thus blocking out the storms rage from their minds. Both knowing that she was his rock in the tumultuous storms within his mind...her voice was the crystal winds that would blow through him and eradicating his demons ,that tormented him, before it.

To all those who serve and protect our country..thank you for your selfless courage and dedication.

Happy Veterans Day