Author's Note: Hi everyone! This particular story is an idea I've had for almost three years now. I wrote this first chapter, got discouraged by the fandom situation, and then abandoned it until a year ago when a friend convinced me to continue it. While the premise is loosely based on Mamma Mia, you don't have to be familiar with it in order to enjoy the story. Thanks to everyone who believed in this idea and encouraged me to develop it further. A special thank you to Kristen for beta reading this chapter.

Standard Disclaimer: I own neither OUAT nor Mamma Mia and am merely borrowing certain elements for my own creative endeavors, for which I will gain no profit.

"Come on, guys!" Henry shouted, running ahead. "Mom's going to kill me if I'm not home soon. Do you slowpokes want to see it or not?" He reached the slide and grabbed onto the wooden pole that supported one side of it, bending over and panting to catch his breath, just as his two friends entered the playground.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you keep saying that," Ava said, catching up to Henry and starting to climb up the ladder leading to the top of the slide. It had been their castle as children, and now, it was their secret meeting place.

"And yet, you're still here," Nicholas added, joining his sister at the top of the slide and smirking at the teenage boy still at the bottom.

"Oh shut up," Henry shot back, climbing up more slowly due to the brown leather-bound volume tucked under one arm. "I just don't want to get on her bad side. You know how my mom gets when she's angry."

Ava shuddered. "Yeah, she's a total Evil Queen. She might turn us into toads if you show up ten minutes late."

"Hey, don't badmouth my mom! She's pretty cool! She just hasn't gotten used to the idea that I'm 17 and not 7 yet. Besides, the whole thing with Dad was hard on her. Cut her some slack." Henry defended, sitting down next to his friends, his legs dangling over the edge of the platform and the book on his lap.

"Aww, is someone a mama's boy?" Nicholas teased.

"Cut it out, Nick; I mean it. If you guys are so scared of my mom, I don't have to show you what I have here. I can just look at it by myself when I'm at home." Henry smiled victoriously, knowing his friends' curiosity would get the best of them.

"Okay, okay, we're sorry. Your mom's totally cool. Plus, she makes the best lasagna we've ever had," Ava quickly apologized. "So can we see it now?"

"Yeah, Henry, what is this super mysterious book you kept going on and on about all day?" Nicholas chimed in, leaning in to take a closer look at the plain leather cover.

"That's what I thought," Henry said sanctimoniously, looking down at the book before opening it up. "I found it in the attic a few days ago. Apparently, it was my mom's diary she kept the summer before she met my dad."

"But your mom and dad were together, like, forever," Nicholas said. "How old is this thing?"

"My mom said she met my dad her senior year of college. So, this has to be from the summer before that." Henry replied. "Do you guys want me to read it to you or not?"

"Yes!" Both siblings exclaimed at the same time. Henry cleared his throat and looked down at the page he had opened to, covered in neat, black script.

May 28, 1994

Dear Diary,

I met the most wonderful guy today. His name is Killian Jones, and he's got his own boat. Apparently I caught his eye when I was tanning on the beach. He offered to take me out on his boat, and I know. Going out in the open ocean with a man I just met is a questionable decision. But I've always done what was right. I always played it safe. I'm tired of that. I just want to be free. Mother says we must always consider the consequences of our decisions, but I don't want to be her. I can't be her. I want to be happy. And today, going out with Killian on his boat made me happy.

The water was crystal clear, and the most vivid shade of blue I've ever seen. In fact, it was the same shade as Killian's eyes. Looking into them felt like looking back into the ocean: crystal depths that sparkled with life and possibility. We stayed out the entire day, sailing and talking…and maybe a bit more! Oh I know…I know. In my defense, it's been so long since anyone's taken interest in me, and it was flattering. Killian is quite the charmer; I have to say. He's got an easy humor that must make him very popular with the ladies. It's a wonder he was still single. But I'm making him take me on a proper date as soon as we can find a time we're both free. We're staying in the same hotel, so keeping in touch shouldn't be hard, at least while I'm here.

Mother thinks I'm too old to spend my summers in Florida. She says it's frivolous. So I'll probably have to go soon and take an internship that one of her friends said she would get me at her company. I don't understand why she doesn't want me to be happy. Summer is the only time I feel free. She's making me live her life, but I don't want her life. I want my own.

Until next time,

Regina

"Are we seriously reading about your mom's love life?" Ava asked, yawning. Henry glared at her.

"If you have better things to do with your time, you're free to leave. No one's making you stay, Ava. Same goes for you, Nick." He stared at both of them challengingly. Neither said a word.

"Can I continue?" Henry asked. Both silently nodded. He flipped a few pages forward. "There's another entry about this Killian guy."

June 29, 1994

Dear Diary,

Today was my last day in Florida. My mother's friend managed to get me an internship in New York, starting tomorrow. My plane leaves in the morning. Honestly, I'm surprised Mother let me stay this long, but I'm not complaining. I had the most amazing time with Killian. We spent almost every waking moment together. He opened up a whole new world to me. I've come to this beach almost every summer for years, but I never appreciated the ocean like he does. It truly is awesome: so vast and deep and free. I wish I could just set sail with Killian and leave this life, but knowing Mother, she would track me down and bring me right back. But I made the most of my time here. Killian's brother owns one of the hottest clubs here, and Killian snuck me in quite a few times. It was quite the experience: so many lights and people all in one place, not to mention the loud music! This is nothing like the places Mother wants me to be. It felt so alive. I did learn that I don't do rum though. It's Killian's drink of choice, but it doesn't agree with me, especially not the next morning…

But although this is the best time I've ever had, I still have to leave tomorrow. Somehow, we forgot to exchange contact information in the messy goodbye. Truthfully, there wasn't much talking at all. Still, it was nice to have him hold me one last time as we lay together on the beach, looking up at the stars. I only left after last call. I'll miss Florida, and even more, I'll miss Killian. He made me feel so free. But all good things must come to an end, especially in my life.

I should get some sleep,

Regina

"And then it never mentions him again," Henry said, listing through the pages and skimming the entries.

"That's it? That was your mom's great adventure? One whirlwind romance?" Ava sounded disappointed. "Lame" she declared, getting up to go.

"Okay. Guess I'll just finish reading it by myself." Henry shrugged, closing the book.

"Oh please, you know you can't just stop here!" Nicholas exclaimed. "I want to know what happens when she goes to New York."

"I thought you were worried about my mom turning you into toads," Henry teased.

"Are you seriously sticking around?" Ava looked at her brother, arms crossed defiantly.

"Hey, I want to hear this! And so does Henry! If you're so bored, you can leave." Nicholas said crossly, turning back to Henry. "Ignore her. She can leave if she wants to. I want to hear the rest."

"Whatever, loser. I'll stick around so that Dad doesn't think I lost you." Ava sat back down with a huff next to Henry.

He gave her a look before opening the diary again. "Here's her first entry from New York, Nick", he said, then started to read.

July 13, 1994

Dear Diary,

It's been a while since the last time I could write. New York has been very busy. Ever since I got here, I've been running around; mostly just getting coffee for people and filing paperwork. Quite the glamorous life, I must say. Mother has me interning in a law firm where her friend is a partner. I don't hate it, but I'm not happy either. Though I suppose I should just be quiet and grateful for this opportunity. Most people in my year would kill for an internship at one of New York's most prestigious law firms. Still, it's not the life for me. I don't know how I can go on pretending I'm happy with this life that she's chosen for me anymore. It's tiring having to lie to Mother when she calls. And if she did know, she'd just take me home and make me finish my degree at home, surrounded by books and nothing else. She blames "that liberal arts college I went to", but I don't regret going one bit. It's opened my mind to so many possibilities.

There is one bright spot, though. With all my moping, I almost forgot to mention that I met Robin Locksley! That's right; the Robin Locksley, son of the famous Wall Street stockbrokers. I ran into him one day at the coffee shop on my fifth run of the day. I didn't even expect him to look at me, but we ended up having a nice conversation before I looked down at my watch and had to run. Turns out, he's nothing like his family. I thought he'd be stuffy and pretentious, but he's refreshingly down to earth. He says his parents are liars and thieves for conning people out of their money. I'd never looked at it that way. I thought that was just the way the world worked; the rich take from the poor, the good never win. Anyway, he's in law school, studying corporate law so he can protect the people his parents conned and get justice for them by prosecuting those who steal from them. "Steal from the rich to give to the poor", he says. Isn't that funny? I think it's quite an admirable goal; definitely more fulfilling than me wasting my time in pre-law when I know I don't want to be a lawyer. I couldn't just leave it at that, so when he offered to buy me coffee later, I accepted, and it looks like we're going out to dinner later this week! I'm going to dinner with Robin Locksley! Oh, Mother would be so proud of me! I'm finally doing something right…

Well, it's getting late. I'll try to write soon,

Regina

Ava opened her mouth to speak, and Henry glared at her. "What, Ava?" He asked, exasperated.

"Doesn't your mom know how to be, well, you know…happy? Sounds like her life is pretty good here," she said, shrugging apologetically.

"Apparently it didn't make her happy. And if it didn't make her happy, it wasn't good for her," Henry stated with an air of finality.

Ava shrugged again. "Guess so," she mumbled.

"This Robin guy sounds kind of like Robin Hood…" Henry mused, flipping through the pages again.

"Like the animated fox?" Nicholas was confused.

"No, like from the stories. I used to read them as a kid," Henry said, still skimming the diary.

"Nerd," Ava coughed.

Henry ignored her.

Ava didn't like being ignored. "Aren't you a bit old for this fairytale crap?"

"I'm just saying it's interesting, that's all," he said, before stopping on a page. "Here's another entry about him."

August 10, 1994

Dear Diary,

It's been over a month since I've been in New York, and it seems like things are turning around. I'm finally doing more filing than coffee runs, which is a start. Maybe they might even give me a good recommendation after I graduate. The internship ends in a couple days, so I'll have a few weeks to collect myself and get ready for senior year. I can't believe it's my last year of school already…At the same time, I can't wait for it to end. I don't know what I'll do after, but I know I definitely don't want to be a lawyer. That's not how I want to spend my life. Maybe I'll take a year off to figure things out; work at a coffee shop or something to support myself. I just feel so confused…

But here's one thing I'm not confused about: Robin and I are dating! That's right. We've been together for almost a month now, and it's wonderful. I've never felt so happy in my life. Being with him is like drinking a double espresso: everything just seems clearer with him around. He's so full of energy always going somewhere, doing something, changing the world! I asked him if he was afraid of how his parents would react to his career choice, and he told me he couldn't care less. He doesn't even care about being cut off. I wish I could be so brave, but Mother terrifies me. As long as she's around, I fear I will never be allowed to be myself.

Oh, something strange happened earlier today. I almost got a tattoo. Yep; cautious, timid me got dragged all the way down to the tattoo parlor by Robin. We were going to get matching tattoos: roaring lions. Robin says he wanted his to remind him to be courageous and never stop fighting for what's right. For a little while, he managed to sway me too. Heaven knows I could use the courage to stand up to Mother. But standing there in the door of the tattoo parlor, seeing people getting inked…I couldn't commit to something so permanent, especially not if it would be a lie. I know I'm not brave, diary, and no tattoo will change that. So I chickened out and ran away. I know it was cowardly, but if I'm such a coward, I don't deserve to pretend to be brave. I told Robin I couldn't go through with it and left.

He tried calling me after a few hours. He saw I was upset when I ran out, but I just told him I needed time to myself to think about things. I don't know where that puts us. I suppose I just can't let myself be happy…

It's a good thing I'm leaving New York soon. I can't take this much longer.

Regina

"Wow, your mom has some serious mommy issues," Ava said bluntly.

Henry gave her a reproachful look. "Don't talk that way about my mom," he warned in a low voice. "Her mother sounds terrifying. How would you like it if someone ran your life?"

"But-" Ava stopped, seeing the anger radiate from Henry's face. "Okay, got it. Your grandma sounds evil though."

Henry gave a noncommittal shrug. "Mom never talked about her growing up. Guess now I know why", he said.

"Are there any more entries?" Nicholas asked curiously.

"Wow, you are such a dork," Ava said disparagingly. "Seriously, Nick; this happened 20 years ago. Get over it."

Nicholas appeared hurt. "I want to see how it ends!" He protested.

Ava rolled her eyes. "We already know how it ends, you dork. Mrs. Mills met Mr. Phelps, they got married, and had Henry. And then a few years ago-"

"Ava! Can we please not talk about that?" Henry cut her off, the pain evident in his voice.

She could sense that she'd crossed a line. "Okay, sorry. Sheesh, why are you all so sensitive?"

"Time and a place, Ava," Henry said. "Time and a place."

"And now you sound like your mom. Whatever. Can you hurry up and finish this? I want to go home." Ava stood up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like I said, no one's making you stay," Henry turned back to the book, flipping forward a couple pages.

"This idiot and his investment in your mom's diary from 20 years ago are." Ava tilted her head over at Nick, making it quite clear how ridiculous she found the whole scenario.

"Maybe we can finish reading it tomorrow," Nicholas suggested timidly, cowed by his sister. "It is getting a bit late…" He got up slowly.

"Fine. You guys leave if you want to. But I'm finishing this, with or without you. And it looks like it's just about to get good…"

At those words, both siblings promptly sat back down, looking expectantly at Henry. "What's so good about it?" Nicholas asked.

"It looks like my mom found someone else that summer…" Henry cleared his throat and began to read.

August 16, 1994

Dear Diary,

I only managed to last three days at home before I just couldn't stand it anymore. Mother has gotten even more overbearing, as unbelievable as that sounds. She has taken it upon herself to plan out my every waking moment, and she never lets me out of her sight. I don't understand why. I did as she told me. I went to New York, even though I didn't want to. I associated with the right people. Hell, I dated a Locksley! What more does she want from me? It's not like I can give her my heart and soul. Clearly my actions are not enough for her, but it's all I can do. So I left. I waited until she had an urgent meeting, and then I packed my things in a suitcase and hit the road, looking for someone to take me far away from here. Thankfully, my friend Tina found me before I could do something stupid, like get into a stranger's car. She's a lifesaver. She's always stopped me whenever I wanted to make bad decisions. Sometimes I think she's like my own personal fairy godmother. I even told her that once. It made her smile.

She asked me where I wanted to go, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind, and I just told her far away from here. So she drove, the wind whipping our hair behind us, as we enjoyed the sunshine. She asked me what's wrong. I just looked at her. No one really knows my mother, but Tina comes the closest.

We drove to Cape Cod, talking the whole way there. I told her about my brief tryst with Robin, and she got super excited. Tina's always trying to set me up with some guy or another. I think she fancies herself a matchmaker. But none of the guys she picked for me were quite right. There was always something missing…It might be childish to believe in true love, but that's what I'm holding out for; that special person whom I love more than anything. Maybe then I would be happy.

The beach is still beautiful. I had just gotten there when I saw her. She was goofing around with some guys, her blonde curls swaying behind her, and her laughter was the most melodious sound I've ever heard. She was so beautiful. I found myself mesmerized by her. I just had to talk to her. I went up to her and introduced myself. She said her name was Emma.

We talked all afternoon and into the evening. Emma was a new cadet in the police academy in Boston. It was her first year, and she was very excited. She wanted justice, she said; to catch the bad guys. I flashed back to what Robin said, and to my mother. I told her very little about myself in fear of her labeling me as one of the bad guys. I'm tired of being judged based on my family. I just want to be Regina and have a fresh start. Emma let me be myself. She listened closely to everything I did tell her, and I can't explain it, but I just felt so safe around her. Somehow we ended up watching the sunset together, leaning against each other, wrapped up in our beach towels, and I can't remember who initiated it, but our lips met. Our fingers intertwined as we kissed. Kissing Emma felt like drinking a mug of hot chocolate in winter: safe, warm, comfortable, familiar.

I think my life is about to get very interesting,

Regina

"Whoa. Hold up. Your mom's into girls?" Ava asked, surprised.

"I guess so," Henry shrugged. "It's the first time I'm hearing anything about it, but then again, Mom doesn't like to talk about anything that happened before Dad came along."

"So is she, like, bi or something?" Ava persisted.

Henry sighed. "Does it matter, Ava? Seriously, let it go."

Ava opened her mouth to speak again, but Nicholas placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head no. Henry continued.

"There's only one more entry in the diary," he said, flipping to the last page.

September 5, 1994

Dear Diary,

This was my last weekend of freedom. Classes start tomorrow, and I need to get back to school. Of course, I don't want to go back, but who ever asked me what I wanted? My life has never been about me. At least I had this summer to tide me over.

Emma and I stayed close for the remainder of my stay in Cape Cod. She was crashing with some friends, and I stayed with Tina at one of her friends' beach house. Emma opened up to me. She told me she was an orphan, found on the side of the road. All she had as identification was her baby blanket, which had her name embroidered on it. How awful. She was tossed around in the system from family to family until she aged out, but she decided to keep her first family's name: Swan. I think it quite suits her. She is certainly as beautiful and graceful as one, though she doesn't believe me. I wish she would. I wish I could make her see what I see in her. One night, we stayed out under the stars, and I listed everything I loved about her. Let's just say the rest of that night wasn't something I could write about…

I'm not sure what Emma is to me. She's far more than a friend, but what? Girlfriend, lover, soulmate? What do I call this girl who finally sees me for me? I just want to protect her, to show her that she is loved, that she does belong. I want her to belong to me, and I to her, but I'm not sure that's possible; at least not with my mother around. If she caught wind of me with a girl, she would make sure she destroyed every last shred of happiness I possessed. I tried telling Emma, but she couldn't listen. She thought I was rejecting her, which couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not ready to say it, but I feel very strongly about her. Then again, if my fear of my mother is stronger, I don't deserve Emma. Maybe I wasn't fated to find love after all.

I spent the day with Emma. We didn't talk much, just held each other and cuddled. Words would have been superfluous when all I needed was for someone just to care, and Emma gave me that.

It's a pity this summer had to end. My last summer of freedom. I don't know if I'll ever see Emma again after today. When we finally parted, I said my tearstained goodbye, and she just walked away angrily. She's still upset about my mother. I hate this! I hate hurting her like this! But I can't get away from my mother, even when I do.

I can't think anymore. I need to go if I'll make it to school by tomorrow.

Regina

"And that's all she wrote," Henry said dramatically, shutting the diary with a thud. By this point, the sun had almost set, and the words were barely visible.

"That's it?" Nicholas asked in disappointment, just as Ava exclaimed, "Finally!"

Henry nodded, then stuck his tongue out at Ava. "Now I really have to go. It's almost dinnertime, and the last time I missed dinner, I was grounded for a week."

"We should go too," Nicholas said, as Ava muttered, "We should have gone half an hour ago". Nicholas looked at her, then continued. "We'll see you tomorrow, Henry."

"Okay, see you guys," Henry replied absently, his mind still spinning with what he'd read.

With that, the three parted ways for the night.

A/N 2: Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review; I'd love to know what you think!