Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! For those of you familiar with Mamma Mia, the next chapter follows the plot quite closely. I dedicate it to my beta, who is a fan of Chiquitita. For those unfamiliar with either the musical or the movie, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Either way, I'd love to know what you think!

LilLulu, I don't want to give away my cards this early, but know that the endgame won't be for a while, and many things will have to happen before that. I intend to stick with the original plot, so those eager for hints can rewatch the movie.

Regina stared at the scene before her.

"What's going on here?" She asked, struggling to maintain her composure. It couldn't be…what on earth were they doing here?

"I was just giving them a tour of the bed and breakfast," Henry explained. Regina gawked at the three intruders, who, she noted with some satisfaction, at least had the decency to look uncomfortable.

"Why would they need a tour of the bed and breakfast?" It didn't make any sense. Surely this was a nightmare. In a minute, she'd wake up in her own bed, in the loft above the bed and breakfast, to greet the gray and cloudy dreariness of the Maine dawn. She'd glance across the room to find Henry still asleep in the tiny bedroom partitioned off from the main space, and get out of bed. She'd trudge to the bathroom and drowsily brush her teeth before getting ready for her long day. Most importantly, none of this would be real. Right? It was just a nightmare.

"Because they're staying here?" Henry tilted his head in confusion. "Are you feeling okay, Mom? You don't look so good."

"I- no, I'm fine, Henry. What are you doing in Storybrooke?" She addressed the three visitors, dumbfounded.

They answered in turn.

"Visiting clients for a case."

"Chasing down a perp."

"Aye, that's personal, love."

Regina tore her eyes away from Killian's smug smirk, passing them over Emma's quietly defiant stance and Robin's thoughtful expression.

"You're- you're all…in Storybrooke, in my bed and breakfast- you can't be here!" Regina blurted out, feeling her heart race and hearing her heartbeat pound in her ears. Someone had let all the oxygen out of the room. She gasped to catch her breath. Inhale, exhale. Everything spun around her. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Regina said much more firmly than she felt, grounding herself in the spot where she stood. The room stopped swaying. "I don't know why you're here, but this is my bed and breakfast and you can't stay here."

"But Mom, I already processed their reservations. Canceling them is gonna be tough," Henry protested, but a note of regret crept into his words.

"You-you processed their reservations?" Regina gaped at her son. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Well, yeah." Henry shrugged noncommittally. "Who do you think got into the software?"

Her eyes bore daggers into him, igniting dangerously. "Henry Daniel Mills, how dare you hack into my computer?"

Henry crossed his arms challengingly. "I'd hardly call it hacking. Seriously, you need to start changing your passwords. You can't just use my birthday for everything."

"You had no right to check these people in without coming to me first," she scolded. Henry stared down at the ground sheepishly, his clenched teeth the only outward sign he gave of rebellion.

"What's the big deal? It's not like you've had a problem with anyone wanting to check in before. We could use the business," he countered, but without conviction.

"That was different. I meant people from town. These people are…are…" Regina cast about for an appropriate description of what these people were, exactly, and why that would prevent them from staying in the bed and breakfast. "They're not people I want here," she finished lamely.

"The feeling is mutual," Emma muttered irritably. Regina pretended not to hear her.

"You wound me." Killian clasped his right hand over his heart, throwing his head back melodramatically.

Robin cleared his throat. "Look, Regina, if you really don't want us here, we'll get out of your hair. But none of us are from around here, and we don't have anywhere else to go. Is it really the end of the world if we just stayed the night?"

Regina quirked her eyebrows skeptically, indicating that yes, it would in fact be the end of the world. Henry looked at her pleadingly.

"They already paid for the night, Mom. Can't we let them stay until tomorrow?"

"Apparently my wishes mean nothing in my own business," Regina grumbled. She swallowed hard, narrowing her eyes at the unwanted company.

"You let me run the bed and breakfast. That includes deciding who can stay," Henry reminded her stubbornly.

"Yes, and I see now that I should have taken some more time before making that decision." Regina sighed. "You clearly weren't ready."

"That's not fair!" Henry shouted indignantly. "You said I could have this responsibility! You can't just change your mind because someone you don't like decided to check in!"

Regina's nostrils flared and her eyes sparked warningly. She would not be disrespected by her son.

"Do not raise your voice at me, young man," Regina said in a deadly whisper. Henry's eyes dropped back to the floor as he pouted. She exhaled, unclenching her fists and letting her arms drop to her sides. "I need some air."

Measured footsteps took her out of the room, her calm lasting halfway down the hallway before she ran, the front door slamming shut behind her and the scenery blurring around her. The frosty wind whipped her face until she reached her diner, her blessed sanctuary from this insanity. She threw the door open, annoyed that the jingling bell announced her entrance so loudly, and briskly crossed the checkered tiles to her pantry.

Regina jiggled the doorknob, opening the door and walking inside. With a herculean effort, her face remained stoic as she closed the door behind her, clicking the lock into place. Once she had ensured that no one could enter, she turned her back to the diner, slumping down against the door.

Muffled murmurs filtered through the door, people clearly wondering about the display they had just witnessed. Regina closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. Finally, she could think in peace.

What had just happened? Of all the people on the earth, it had to be those three who'd show back up in her life. Who'd want to check into her bed and breakfast for some unknown reason. They came uninvited, interrupting the blissful life she had made for herself. She had fought so hard to leave her past behind, but it appeared that she just couldn't shake it. Life had a twisted sense of humor, she thought bitterly, drawing her knees into her chest and hugging them.

Why were they here? They hadn't really given her conclusive answers. Regina wasn't sure she believed their flimsy excuses. Surely her small town wasn't harboring any criminals. Which begged the question: what had really brought them here? Were they here…for her? Or was there a modicum of truth to their series of incredible stories?

All she knew for certain was that she did not want them back in her life. They were part of a past on which she had closed the door. She'd had her summer of fun, and that was that. One last hurrah before she'd met Daniel and settled down. No need to drag up ancient history. Twenty years had passed since she had seen any of them, and she had been quite content with that fact. Now they were here again. Regina knew she'd have to deal with them sooner or later…she just preferred to postpone the unpleasant confrontations as long as possible.

Someone rapped on the door.

"Regina? Are you okay in there?" Ruby called from the other side.

"Mmhm!" Regina yelped, taking a deep shuddering breath. Her pantry was significantly colder than the rest of the diner, and she could feel the pads of her fingers cooling her legs. Strangely, it helped her regain her sense of calm. "Just…felt a little dizzy. That muffin was too little too late. Gonna sit in here a bit until I get my bearings."

"You sure?" Ruby sounded unconvinced. "It's so cold in there. At least come into the kitchen. I'm sure you could persuade the chef to give you something more substantial." Regina choked out a small sob at her good-natured teasing.

"No, that's okay!" Tears were brimming in her eyes. She couldn't let Ruby see that she was crying. "Just give me a few minutes."

"Regina, I don't know what's going on in there, but you're clearly not okay. Please just come out here and I can help." Evidently Ruby had heard the quiver in her voice. She buried herself further in her knees, praying that Ruby would just go away.

"I'm fine, Ruby," she said in what she hoped was a persuasive voice. "I'll be right out."

Miraculously, Ruby had seemed to heed her unspoken request. No response came from the diner, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. Assured that she was truly alone, she let the hot salty tears spill from her eyes.

It wasn't fair! Hadn't she been a good person? Mother's opinion aside, Regina had lived a good life. She had married a good man, raised a wonderful son, made an honest, if meager, living. Shouldn't she be free from the ghosts of her past?

What cruel irony governed her life that she be forced to relive her past sins? Her most tragic heartbreak, apart from…Regina shook her head violently. There was no need to think about that now. Not when there were much more pertinent matters at hand. Her mind could only handle so much torment at a time.

Henry had said they paid for the night. He outright refused to cancel their reservation. She filed away that bit of deliberate disobedience for further action. So, all she'd have to do is get through one night, and then come morning, she'd convince them they'd be better off staying in the next town over. Simple enough.

Except…

She hadn't seen them in twenty years. As much as she hated to admit it, a tiny part of her was curious to see what had become of them. It wasn't every day you were reunited with your former lover. Lovers. Ugh.

Regina growled in frustration, running her fingers through her hair, which had strayed from the elastic keeping it out of her face. It was all too complicated. Maybe if just one had shown up, she could have handled it. All three at once was too much.

But which one? Which former lover would she have rather seen after so long? Jumbled memories swam around her head: beaches and bars and hurried coffee dates, flirtatious laughter and illicit drinks shared under moonlight. While the memories were hazy, the impressions they had left were quite vivid. And decidedly negative. But it can't have been all bad. She wouldn't have stayed with someone who made her feel that terrible. Perhaps she was just misinterpreting her memories.

Ah, but you didn't end up staying with any of them, a shrewd little voice nagged in the back of her head. Regina swatted it away.

This was pointless. She'd chased the same train of thought around the chaotic wasteland of her mind so many times it had completely derailed. Her stomach rumbled in protest, reminding her that the excuse she gave to Ruby wasn't entirely a lie. She searched the metal shelves stacked on the walls for something ready to eat, but unfortunately couldn't see anything more filling than apples, and she really wasn't in the mood for fruit.

Suddenly, her musing was interrupted by a sharp knock.

"Regina!" It seemed Ruby had returned.

"What is she doing in there?" And apparently she'd brought company. Excellent.

"Hiding. She's barricaded herself in and won't tell me why." Ruby's voice carried through the door, and presumably the diner. Regina sank down, mortified. What would people say? This wasn't professional behavior. She'd lose business and could kiss Henry's tuition money goodbye.

"Are you okay?" Regina could make out Mary Margaret's voice.

"Uh huh!" She squeaked, her voice unnaturally high. The crying had ravaged her vocal cords, and Regina couldn't trust her voice not to betray her.

"She's lying," Ruby said unnecessarily. "She's been in there forty minutes already."

"We just want to talk," Mary Margaret said soothingly. Regina was under the impression the schoolteacher was addressing one of her mischievous fourth graders again. "Please, just open the door."

"Yeah, we don't want you to be upset all by yourself," added a third voice. Kathryn, she deduced.

"I'm okay, just a little…shaken." Regina gulped. "I'll be right out."

"That's what you said the first time I checked on you. Seriously, Regina, what's the matter?"

She shook her head rapidly to clear it. Reluctantly, she rose to her feet and unlocked the door. The doorknob turned, opening the door to reveal her three companions. Ruby stood in the middle and stepped back, clearly waiting for Regina to walk back into the diner.

"In here," Regina beckoned, dragging them into the pantry. They stumbled in quite unwillingly, tripping over each other, with Kathryn catching herself on the last shelf.

"Regina, it is freezing in here," Ruby complained, rubbing her arms through the sleeves of her paper-thin top.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Regina challenged. "I agreed to talk to you. I did not agree to talk to you in front of all my customers. Do you have any idea how bad that would be for business?"

Ruby sighed, sharing a look with the others. "You've been in here almost an hour. You're gonna get sick, and then you won't be able to look after your precious customers. Since, you know, they're the most important thing to you." The comment stung Regina, and the fire extinguished from her eyes. Perhaps she'd been too harsh.

"Oh, no, it's not like that, Ruby, I-" Ruby cut off her stream of apologies with her hand.

"Save it. Regina, I'm worried about you. What's going on?" She examined the older woman concernedly. "You've been forgetting to eat and sleep and-"

"And make time to see your friends," Kathryn volunteered.

"Yes, exactly," Ruby agreed. "And now you lock yourself into your pantry. What the hell's the matter?"

Regina sighed in aggravation. "I've just been busy. You know I expanded the menu and obviously offering more items entails more work on my part, and there are only so many hours in the day. Choices had to be made."

"Because offering yet another variety of muffins is obviously of paramount importance," Ruby said sardonically. "Way more important than, say, getting an adequate amount of sleep, or having three square meals, or spending time with the people who care about you."

Regina wrapped her arms around herself protectively, noticing that her shirt hung more loosely on her hips. When did that happen? She scrunched the fabric in her hand spitefully, releasing it after she realized that the shirt wasn't to blame for her negligence. She opened her mouth then clamped it shut, having nothing to say in her own defense.

"We're your friends, Regina. If something's going on, we want to know about it," Mary Margaret said.

"But preferably not in here, because as Ruby said, it is freezing," Kathryn said, teeth chattering, earning herself an exasperated look from the teacher.

"My apartment isn't too far away and I'm parked out back. We could talk there." Mary Margaret offered.

Regina fixed her eyes on the clock above the doorway, deliberating. The lasagnas were all built; she just had to pop them in the oven. Same for the meatloaf. But the other dishes were a bit more involved…

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Regina, will you stop thinking about the diner? You've probably already done all the dinner prep. You can take an hour off. I'll cover for you."

"But-"

"Lasagna goes in at 350, right?" Ruby interrupted, indicating that she would not be deterred.

"Yes, uncovered for the last ten minutes," Regina said defeatedly. "Thanks." Her eyes shone with gratitude.

Ruby sniffed the air, acting miffed, but Regina caught the small smile. "Go."

"I owe you one," Regina gushed.

"Remember that on my birthday."

Regina chuckled. Ruby's birthdays tended to get a little out of control, and that was after she mellowed out.

"Nothing illegal," Regina reminded her.

"You say that every year," Ruby returned, tugging on Regina's apron strings to untie them. "Give this to me. You won't be needing it in Mary Margaret's apartment," she stressed, as none of the women had moved.

"Right." Regina wiped her palms, which had grown inexplicably sweaty in the chilly pantry, on her jeans. "This way, ladies." She ushered them toward a door half hidden behind shelves. They were met with a blast of November wind.

"Okay, my car isn't too far.." Mary Margaret led the way. "Here it is!"

A short while after, Regina was nursing a mug of piping hot tea on Mary Margaret's couch, relishing the warmth as feeling returned to her fingers.

"More honey? Lemon? Want a snickerdoodle?" Mary Margaret fussed over her guests. "The kids were having a bake sale and we had some left over. I've been eating them all week."

"Oh, is that why you haven't been ordering your usual apple crisp?" Regina smirked, taking a sip of tea. Usually she preferred black, but the herbal tea soothed her nerves.

"Haha. Actually, it's because I thought it was poisoned," Mary Margaret deadpanned.

Regina feigned outrage. "How dare you! I'll have you know that my desserts only contain the finest Maine Honeycrisps. All apple, no poison."

Mary Margaret giggled. "We're doing a fairytale medley for the school play this fall. Did you know that some of the students think I look like Snow White?"

Regina studied her carefully. "I don't see the resemblance." She shrugged, reaching toward the ceramic plate for a cookie. "At any rate, I'm sure no one wants you dead."

"Yeah, you should see the murderous glares my clients give me if I lose their case," Kathryn said casually, seating herself next to Regina. "It's a good thing poison apples aren't real."

They laughed, her joke breaking the tension. It wasn't even that funny, Regina thought, but after this afternoon, even that ludicrous levity was much needed. The tears that welled up in her eyes this time had a much cheerier origin. She sighed, her voice trailing off on a whine.

Mary Margaret took the other side of the couch, putting Regina in the middle. "Now. Tell me what's wrong," she prompted, looking at her sternly.

"Nothing's wrong," Regina tried to evade, unsuccessfully. She toyed with the tag on the teabag, rubbing it together between her fingers until the paper pilled.

"Regina." She wasn't buying it. "We've known you far too long to believe that. Locking yourself in a storage closet isn't normal behavior for you."

"It was the pantry," Regina pointed out petulantly.

"You're arguing over details." Kathryn leaned forward to look at both of them. "Seriously, what's up?"

Regina sighed. Taking a deep breath, she drained her tea and set the mug down on the coffee table. "Fine." She frowned, trying to think of a place to start.

"You said you've known me a long time, right?"

"Since you moved to Storybrooke, yep."

Regina chewed the inside of her cheek, a stormy look in her eyes. "Do you remember when I moved here?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yeah, I was in my last year of college."

"And I was getting ready to go to law school."

"Right. Nineteen years ago." Regina wrung her hands together, not really sure how to ease into the subject.

"Wow it's been that long?" Kathryn asked incredulously.

"Mm," Regina hummed absently. "How much have I told you guys about my life before that?"

Mary Margaret furrowed her brow. "Not much…you said you'd met Daniel at school and had a whirlwind wedding after you graduated. A few months later, you moved up here."

"Come to think of it, you don't talk about your life before Storybrooke at all, and it's weird considering most people in town grew up here." Kathryn's eyes widened." Oh my God, are you on the run from the law? Because if you are, you probably…shouldn't tell me."

Regina snorted. "No, Kathryn. But I was running from something. Or, rather, someone."

They waited for her to elaborate. "I was running from the person my mother expected me to become. Lovely woman, my mother. Her name is Cora, which means 'heart'. Ironic choice for someone who doesn't have one. She was an overbearing mother before it was cool."

Neither woman laughed at the quip. "From birth, she groomed me to be her perfect little angel, a testament to her exemplary parenting. Straight A's at private school, accepted to a stellar prelaw program, fluent in French. I was everything she thought a lady should be. And none of what I wanted to be. When I graduated, I decided enough was enough and moved to Maine without telling her. To this day, I have no idea if she's even alive."

Mary Margaret's mouth formed a small O. "Regina, I had no idea…"

"No one did. I didn't exactly share my woeful history with anyone. Daniel knew, of course, but he was the one to follow me up here."

"He was a good man," Kathryn said, smiling sadly. "He truly loved you."

"He did," Regina said hoarsely, her throat suddenly constricting. Daniel… Her heart ached. She forced herself to continue.

"As much as we loved each other, I didn't know him all that long."

"Ooh." Kathryn scooted forward, intrigued. "Is there an ulterior motive behind this rushed wedding?"

Regina glared at her. "Don't be crass," she told her flatly. "We got married early because we loved each other and didn't see the point in waiting any longer."

"Okay, because you know there's nothing wrong with-" Kathryn yelped, having received a smack on the arm. "Point taken. True love. Carry on."

"Anyway," Regina said loudly, "as I was saying, I met Daniel my senior year of college. We hit it off right away and it was terribly romantic."

"Aww," Mary Margaret cooed, dunking her cookie in the tea, which Regina found disgusting, but she supposed the other woman enjoyed.

Regina exhaled, looking across the room at the counter while she figured out how to proceed. "The summer before senior year was my last free summer. Mother had allowed me to vacation in Florida. And I met someone."

Kathryn arched an eyebrow. "Met someone or met someone?"

"The latter." Regina swallowed. "His name was Killian Jones and he was an utterly dashing charmer. Black hair, devastatingly blue eyes and a voice that made every woman under forty swoon."

Mary Margaret fanned herself with her hand, clearly a bit flustered.

"And while I was there, I was his."

"Go, Regina!" Kathryn cheered, holding her hand up for a high five, which Regina gave her reluctantly.

"It was very…intimate. But when it came time for me to leave, it was clear that this relationship wouldn't proceed to anything deeper." Regina swept some stray cookie crumbs off her lap. "Truthfully, he was kind of a cad, but I was young and stupidly in love with love."

"Okay." Mary Margaret nodded, following her story. "So, what does this have to do with the reason that you're upset?"

"I'm getting there," Regina answered. "Be patient. Where was I? Oh, right. After I left Florida, Mother found me an internship in New York, at a law firm. Now I had all but decided I didn't want to be a lawyer- sorry, Kathryn-" She looked at the blonde apologetically. "But, of course, Mother couldn't know this. So being the obedient daughter that I was, I went to New York and became a glorified coffee girl."

"That sounds tough," Mary Margaret sympathized.

"It was," Regina acknowledged, with a wan smile. "Not too long after I started the internship, I was on a coffee run and I met Robin Locksley."

This statement was met with bewilderment on Mary Margaret's part and an excited squeal on Kathryn's. "Robin…Locksley, you mean of the Locksleys?"

"The very same," Regina confirmed, nodding vigorously as her eyes lit up.

"Will someone care to enlighten me?" Mary Margaret asked grumpily. "Who are these famous Locksleys? I've never heard of them."

"They're only one of the most influential families in New York. Half of them are bankers, half are lawyers. Supposedly, they rose to power sometime during the early eighties. Their critics say that they made their wealth by means of dubious legality. Everyone else doesn't care because they either don't have the money for their opinion to matter, or they're on the Locksleys' side." Kathryn finally paused to breathe. She faced Regina. "So let me guess. You ended up getting cozy with this Robin?"

Regina wrinkled her nose. "Yes, but it was more than that. He wasn't like the rest of his family. He was kind and selfless and listened to me when I spoke; really listened, unlike everyone else in my life."

"He sounds like a great guy," Mary Margaret agreed, setting her empty mug on the table next to Regina's. "So what happened?"

"Circumstances…life…we just didn't end up being as compatible as I'd thought we were," Regina said tetchily. "I don't know…sometimes these things don't work out, you know?"

"It's okay, Regina," Mary Margaret consoled. "You're right, sometimes they just don't work out."

Regina ground her teeth together, running out of patience and needing to get the rest of the story out. "When my internship ended, I went to Cape Cod. There, I met Emma. Emma Swan." She turned around to face them both, daring them to say something.

"Emma and I were like day and night. I was timid and liked to play it safe. She skinny dipped at midnight on a whim. Being around her made me feel more daring, enough so to…open my heart again." Regina looked down, trying vainly to clean the scuffmark off her boot on the plush carpeting.

"You don't have to keep going if it's too hard." Kathryn said, displaying a sort of sensitivity she reserved only for her closest friends.

"No, it's okay." Regina exhaled. "Emma and I were together until I had to go back to school. It blew up in this massive awful fight. We shouted at each other until we were red in the face and then-" Regina's face reddened as if to demonstrate "-then we stopped shouting."

"Sounds complicated," Mary Margaret mused. "But hey, bright side, it left you free to meet Daniel and get married."

Regina's mouth twitched in a bittersweet smile. "It did. We had such a wonderful marriage." She twisted the ring on her finger distractedly, feeling the metal cut into her skin.

"I'm sorry you lost him," Mary Margaret murmured gently. Regina jerked her head in response.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room until Kathryn spoke. "So, why are you telling us all this?"

Regina sank into the cushion. "Because, somehow, for some inexplicable reason, they're all here. In Storybrooke."

They emitted twin gasps.

"You don't mean-"

"I do. For whatever reason, the universe thought it'd be amusing to send up the three people from my past that I was least looking forward to seeing. My life is a cosmic joke." She declared, pulling the couch cushion over her head.

"Did you see them?"

"Yeah, in the bed and breakfast, right before I shut myself in the pantry. What am I going to do?" She moaned, clutching her hair in her hands.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Mary Margaret said hopefully. Regina looked at her darkly.

"How could it possibly be anything but bad?"

"Well…maybe it'll be a chance for you to have closure. Resolve your issues?" She said timidly.

"She's got a point," Kathryn joined in. "This could end up working out for the better."

"I thought you guys were supposed to be supportive," Regina muttered into her shirt. "Can't you guys just let me wallow and spare me the silver lining?"

"You don't have to make any decisions today. Just…don't rule out the possibility." Mary Margaret patted her arm, the other hand stroking her hair. "Stay here as long as you need to. Ruby's keeping an eye on the diner."

Regina smiled lazily, enjoying the affection as her eyes fluttered shut, when they shot open. "The diner! Crap, I need to go!"