Author's note: Gaston Leroux wrote The Phantom of the Opera; I'm only playing with the characters - specifically ALW's take on them.

I wrote this for a fic challenge on livejournal. The prompt was "sempre," hence the title. Yay RC! -waves banner-

He doesn’t know what to do after they reach the far shore, so he does nothing except cling to the pole as if it is his only connection to the world. When Christine touches his shoulder he shies away from the contact, embarrassed. He had promised to protect her from that monster, and yet he had been powerless – not only to stop her abduction, but to help her once he reached the lair.

Raoul doesn’t realize that his hands are shaking and cold until Christine takes them in her own warm ones. He won’t meet her gaze, so instead he glances down at their joined hands and remembers how useless they had been. They are hands that have held swords and pistols, hands that have bloodied lips and noses in his younger days, but tonight those hands were completely worthless.

Her fingers trace the red outline that still circles his neck, a vivid reminder of the noose that had been there only minutes before, and he is ashamed. He had charged into the catacombs of the Opera to save her, because that was his duty as her protector and fiancé; in the end she had been the savior, and he the saved.

“Raoul?” Her voice is only a whisper, but it is unnaturally loud now that they are away from the approaching mob.

He doesn’t want her to see him like this, but he won’t let himself be a coward as well as a failure, so he hazards a glance. Her face has been washed of all color except her lips, and he stares at them so he doesn’t have to meet her eyes. She seems uncomfortable with this, and idly he wonders if she thinks he is condemning her actions tonight.

He only condemns himself.

“I love you.” Her desperation saturates the statement, and he is so surprised by the neediness in her voice, so uncharacteristic of her, that he looks into her eyes, which are filled with tears instead of accusations.

She is waiting for him to say that nothing has changed in their relationship, while he knows that everything has changed. He sees her differently now, and it must be the same for her as well, but her eyes still reflect the truth of her statement. She loves him in spite of his failures.

Something inside his chest breaks, and when he throws his arms around her and pulls her close, he can’t distinguish between her sobs and his own.