Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Wheldon and The Phantom Of The Opera belongs to Joel Schmacher, Gaston Leroux and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Please don't sue me, I'm completely and utterly broke and it's for entertainment purposes only.

Timeline: Post-season seven, Buffy and during the movie The Phantom Of The Opera.

Pairing(s): Erik/Christine, Buffy/Erik (friendship), Dawn/Erik (friendship), Willow, Willow/Christine (friendship)

Summary: While tracking a demon terrorizing the people of Paris inside of an old opera house, Buffy ended up getting wounded saving Willow. Then she, Willow and Dawn are sucked into a portal that takes them back in time to 1870 where they encountered the legendary Phantom Of The Opera.

I can't believe it's him. I mean, this is the Phantom Of The Opera. The guy who's rumoured to have a violent temper and can kill a man within the wink of an eye.

That was all Willow could think about as the Phantom lead her and Dawn down the darkened staircase still carrying the bleeding form of her best friend in his arms. At first, the redheaded witch thought she was dreaming upon seeing him but then she had realized what had happened when the demon created the portal and went in taking her, Dawn and Buffy with it. Willow was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear Dawn calling her softly.

"Willow, we're almost at the lake. He's going to take us to his lair." She said jerking her thumb at the Phantom.

Willow nodded but she still wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Dawnie." She said. "I have a bad feeling about this. I don't trust him."

"I do." Dawn replied quickly. "If the Phantom wanted to kill us, he would've done it already but he hasn't. Plus, he did look concerned for Buffy when he looked at her wound. We have no choice but trust him."

Willow sighed. "You're right." She said in a weary voice. "But that doesn't mean that I have to like it." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"God, you're starting to sound like Xander." She muttered to herself. Just she turned around, Dawn tripped on a rock and fell forward toward the ground but then she felt a hand grabbing her arm tightly breaking her fall. Dawn looked up to see that the Phantom had grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling further.

"Thank you." She said. God, I have to learn to watch where I'm going when I'm talking to people!

"You must be careful, Mademoiselle." The Phantom said softly. His lips curved into a smirk when Dawn's face turned a dark shade of red and she struggled to come up with a retort. Then he looked up at the redhead who had a long-suffering look on her face. Both young women were beautiful as well as the wounded young woman in his arms. As he lowered her onto the small boat at the edge of the lake, he took another look at her. She was beautiful with blonde hair and green eyes. She was dressed in clothing that he had never seen before. But then again, so were the two young women. There were something about them that he couldn't explain. Shifting his thoughts aside for now, the Phantom looked up back at the young women.

"Mademoiselles. Shall we?" He said. "I can not help her if we delay."

Dawn and Willow nodded and got on the small boat with the Phantom's help. After a silent twenty minute ride, they reached their destination. Dawn's jaw nearly dropped.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed. "Willow, look at this!"

Willow couldn't believe it either. This is the Phantom's lair? It looks more like a music studio 1870s style. She took to her new surroundings. There were candles everywhere and an organ. There were other rooms all with doors. How could he have rooms down here?

"Wow!" Willow whispered.

"Double wow." Dawn agreed. "Giles would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now."

Willow nodded. "I bet." She said. The redheaded witch then shifted her focus on the Phantom who got the small boat near the ledge of the entrance of his lair. He gently lifted Buffy off first and carried her away to a room before coming back for Dawn and Willow. He helped them both off before he rushed to tend to Buffy. While he had managed to take the dagger out of her stomach before getting on the boat, he wasn't able to properly try to stop the bleeding. After a while, he was able to get it under control using a long piece of her clothing. As he unwrapped the wound, he was surprised to see that it was already starting to heal. But that didn't stop him from being concerned for her condition. Using a white sheet, he changed her bandages and then dressed her in a white dress. Then he went to Dawn and Willow who were waiting anxiously.

"She is going to all right." The Phantom kept his face a blank mask as expressions of relief etched on the young women's faces mostly on Dawn's. He regarded the teen with interest. While the redhead, Willow, kept her distance, Dawn was more accepting and trustworthy. She also wasn't afraid to entrust her sister's life in his hands. She trusted him which was felt good and at the same time foreign to him. He never had any human contact in his entire life since he made the catacombs of the opera house his home. Dawn was also innocent and at the same time looked like she had suffered more than she should have in her entire lifetime.

"Dawn." The Phantom said again in a soft voice.

Dawn nodded. "Yes, that's my name." She said.

"It is a beautiful name." The Phantom said. "So is the name Willow." He turned to Willow as he said it.

Willow tried in vain not to blush but it was impossible when she felt her cheeks grow hot. "Th-thank you." She stuttered. "I mean, that's the first time anyone has ever said that about my name except for a few people in my life. My mother always thought that she gave me a pretty name. Then again, I never really …"

The Phantom tried to hold on to his blank expression but it was almost impossible. He gave an embarrassed Willow an amused smirk while Dawn laughed outright at her babbling. Usually, he had no use for people who babble but there was something about Willow's babbling that he found amusing and comforting. Like Dawn, there was some innocence in Willow but also she looked like that she suffered. He could tell in her green eyes that she had suffered and possibly done things. Terrible things. In all of his years living on this earth, he had never met anyone like Willow and Dawn nor did he have any faith in the world. Because he was never shown compassion but from what he had gathered from Dawn and Willow, they weren't not like the rest of the world. They looked like people who were accepting, compassionate and understanding especially Dawn. She looked like someone who accepted people at face value despite of what they had.

Perhaps, there is hope for me after all and for the world.

Sorry, this is so short. I have work in the morning and I just couldn't get idea out of my head. This will definitely be in the revised version of this story, which will be started after I'm finished with this version. So please review but remember no flames. I will ignore them and I have no patience for them. Keep your eyes peeled for updates as they happen.