At the moment, this story is without direction. What can be said is that it will be written along the storylines of the current (2nd) season. I hate that Puck and Quinn aren't together in this season, when everything in the promotional material suggests otherwise.
Although I can see why the adoption storyline was chosen - giving me a renewed enthusiasm for Bohemian Rhapsody - I think as a character Quinn too quickly recovered from the emotional haul of giving her baby away, I would have been interested in exploring her journey (no pun intended) as a teen mother, it just seemed a little too clean and perfect for her to rebound so quickly.
So tell me what you think, first chapter might be a little rushed, I'm enthused after all.
Listen to: Kate Voegele - Hallelujah
For Quinn, the new school year began with an interrogation by Ben Jacob Israel. She was hoping to say under the radar, what with Santana's new boobs and Brittany's ever deteriorating mental state, but when the Jewfro felt obliged to question her emotions after the birth of her 'bastard child' Quinn could see this year on a downhill slide. Didn't help that the child in question was asleep at her feet in a carrier, being stared at by the entire population of McKinley High.
"Everything okay there Quinn?" When Israel bound off to cross-examine another Glee club member, Quinn's dark mood was distracted by Mr. Schuester, who put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Everything's fine." She forced a smile on her face and slung her book bag over her shoulder, dipping down to grab Beth from the ground.
"Here, let me." Finn had unattached himself from Jewfro at some point, and tailing Rachel, had decided to come to Quinn's aid.
"No, really." She took a firm grasp of the carrier, aware of the precarious slide of her book bag down her arm.
"Can I have a hold?" Mr. Schue saved the awkward encounter of the two ex's, taking the weight of Beth from Quinn's arms and saving her the danger of whacking her child in the head with her science text book. Finn and Rachel seemed to melt into the crowd, making Quinn sag with relief.
"Thanks Mr. Schue." She hated how her voice sounded, thick with tears, aware that her hair was long and lank, aware of the dark circles under her eyes, not wanting people to know that her little angel was a little handful.
"Haven't seen Puck this morning." Mr. Schue commented idly as he walked Quinn to her class, unaware of the nerves he was hitting with his casual comment.
"I haven't seen Puck all summer." Quinn shrugged, pausing at the door to her classroom and accepting Beth, carrier and all, from Mr. Schue.
"Look, Quinn. If you ever need to talk or-" He started to say, grimace on his face as he carefully worded his words.
"I have a mother, a guidance counsellor and a mommy therapist." Quinn listed. "But thanks for the offer."
"We'll see you at Glee practice right?" He asked, watching Quinn's expression fall slightly.
"I kind of have to-" She motioned down at the baby, who slept on oblivious to the people and conversations around her. "I'll have to bring her along."
Mr. Schuester smiled warmly. "Our littlest Glee Club member. See you after school." He touched her shoulder briefly and then rushed off to his own class, leaving Quinn to enter her Science class awkwardly, sliding into the first empty chair and settling Beth on the desk next to her.
"Miss Fabray, is that a baby?" The teacher started to question Quinn, and without even opening her mouth, Quinn produced the letter that excused her for carrying Beth around, her local church ground having pressured Figgins into allowing Quinn's so called 'rehabilitation' to include bringing Beth to her classes, despite it being unconventional for a young mother.
The teacher huffed, but didn't press the issue, leaving Quinn to square her shoulders in defiance against the weight of the stares of the other students. Halfway through the lesson when Beth began to fuss slightly, screwing up her little face in annoyance, Quinn causally reached into the carrier and put her hand on Beth's stomach, rubbing it reassuringly until she settled, aware of the heavy weight of her breasts and the feeding schedule she'd worked out.
"Mr. Tanner?" She raised her hand for attention.
"Miss Fabray?" He didn't bother getting up from his seat, staring at her almost accusingly from across the room.
"May I be excused?" She requested politely, hoping to avoid an explanation of why she needed to leave the classroom, Mr. Tanner wasn't going to play along.
"For what purpose?" Heads were starting to look between the two of them.
Quinn dropped the pretence of politeness. "I need to breastfeed my baby." She said bluntly, smirking internally as several people gaped openly at her.
Mr. Tanner became flustered, ripping a hall pass and scribbling on it frantically.
"Take the rest of the lesson, have chapters one through three revised for tomorrow." He ordered, holding out the hall pass, his face and neck flaming red.
Quinn gathered her books and accepted the hall pass, making sure Beth was secure, her eyes open now, looking around the room as though fascinated by her surroundings.
Once out of the classroom, Quinn was faced with the dilemma of where she was meant to feed Beth, her room as home had the duel comforts of a comfy rocking chair and privacy from the leers of other people, and Beth hated being tented under a blanket, preferring to wrap her little fingers in Quinn's hair and grab at her mother's skin.
"Are you okay Quinn." Quinn's gaze fell upon a neatly dressed Miss Pillsbury, who had the spotless appearance of an obsessive compulsive and the glow in her cheeks on someone in love. It tugged painfully at Quinn's heart and she gave the Guidance Counselor a sheepish grin.
"Can I use your office for a little while?"
Quinn was early for Glee, the choir room silent and the perfect place for another feeding. Beth was kicking her feet happily as she fed, dark eyes blinking lazily as she stared at her mother in contentment. With Beth at her breast, and in a place that felt like a second home, Quinn was surprised at just how relaxed she was, and how much she'd missed Glee club. Beth had just started to snatch at things when in front of her, her eyes widening when her mother spoke to her, even squirming happily when her grandmother talked.
The moment was ruined with the door open and she set eyes upon the last person she wanted to see.
"Hi." Puck shifted uncomfortably, his eyes instantly landing on where Quinn had one side of her blouse open, even with Beth blocking the view.
Quinn set her jaw stubbornly, not saying a word as Beth finished up, allowing Quinn to close her blouse and burp the baby, actions that had become so practiced and smooth in contrast to the first time she'd breastfed Beth. Puck watched her movements, caught somewhere between fascination and awkwardness.
"Look, Quinn." He started to say, but she held up a hand to cut him off, settling Beth down in her carrier and tucking the blankets around her, soothing her quietly, and only when she was settled and sleepy, did Quinn face Puck.
"No." She said quietly, although clearly. "You do not get to talk to me, you don't get to look at her, and you are not a part of my family, of our family." She gestured to Beth.
"I can explain." He began to explain, but Quinn cut him off again.
"Just shut up Puckerman!" She snapped, the raise of her voice made Beth stir and she began to fuss. Hesitatingly, Rachel, Finn, Artie and Kurt began to filter into the choir room.
"Is this a bad time?" Artie asked, breaking the cold silence stirred by Beth's quiet whimpers.
Quinn forced a smile onto her face.
"This is a perfect time." She sat delicately, a hand smoothing down her skirt, the other reassuring Beth with a gentle touch, and when her fussing continued, Quinn gathered her in her arms and rocked her, all the while aware that everyone had their eyes on her.
One by one, the other Glee Club members entered the choir room and when Mr. Shue arrived, he set the tone for the meeting by reading comments from Ben Jacob Israel's blog.
"Glee is a giant ball of suck." He read out, and Quinn felt a smirk tugging at her lips, a year ago she would have been the one writing that.
Kurt and Mercedes were quick to defend Glee, like water off a duck's back, Mercedes hit the right notes when she described them as a family, the notion bought a warmth blossoming in Quinn's heart, the same kind of warmth when she'd settled Beth down with a full stomach and a deep sleep.
"We have to go from a small rebel force to a giant wall of sound." Mr. Shue was enthusiastic with his hand gestures, and Quinn realised how much she'd missed this, missed them, she was happy, even with the weight of Puck's eyes on her back.
That afternoon when she finally arrived home, it was to her overly happy mother, who greeted Quinn like the prodigal daughter returned each day, much to Quinn's chagrin as she struggled with Beth, her books and her mother attempting to kiss her cheek and smooth her hair all at once.
"I made dinner darling." Judy finished her fussing over Quinn and turned her attention to Beth, who was starting to rouse. Quinn almost happily relinquished the baby and escaped to the bathroom to be alone in what felt like days, growling in irritation as her phone started vibrating with the arrival of a message.
She deleted it as soon as she saw Puck's name, not even bothering to read it, perching on the edge of the bathtub and slowly sliding down to sit on the cool tiles, physically and mentally exhausted.
"Quinnie." Her mother's voice through the door was quiet and enquiring. "I put the baby in the nursery, would you like to eat your dinner in your room?"
At that moment, Quinn wanted nothing more, but with the manners she was raised with, washed her face and sat down to dinner with her mother, the two of them alone at the large table her father had bought when she was a little girl, proudly boasting about how her was going to fill the table with grandchildren and in-laws.
"Mom?" Her voice sounded so broken to her ears, after a whole day of holding her head up defiantly, she wanted nothing more than to break down and admit she was overwhelmed.
"Is the veal okay?" Judy reached across the table and settled a hand over Quinn's, her question meaning so much more than the words.
Quinn smiled weakly. "It's great."
The finished the meal in silence, Judy drinking her glass of red wine and Quinn drinking her water.
Quinn and Judy's relationship is purposly that perfect, and perhaps, to a degree, superficial.