After the graduation ceremony, Quinn, like the rest of the McKinley High Grads, finds herself swarmed by well-wishers. Her mother kisses her politely on the cheek.
"I'm so proud of you Quinnie!" Her voice reaches decibel levels only heard by dogs and small rodents.
Dr. and Mrs. Jones come over, too, and squeeze Quinn to their chests, expressing pride and joy. Quinn feels herself shedding tears, remembering how they had taken her in during one of the darkest periods of her life and made her feel safe and loved. When Quinn and her mother fought, a relatively regular occurance since her return home, Mrs. Jones would comfort her and provide a voice of reason.
There are squeals with Brittany, Tina, Mercedes and Kurt, then polite hugs with Finn and Puck. Quinn scans the crowd for two more faces. Artie appears to be surrounded by a field of Abramses, so Quinn will wait to congratulate him.
Then, Quinn spots a dark haired woman bouncing a blonde toddler on her hip. "Shelby! Beth!" She rushes over to woman and the two year old.
"We're sorry…" Shelby began to apologize. "I wanted to see you and Rachel, but …"
"No, its fine. I'm just glad you're here." Quinn smiles, and turns to the toddler. Her voice matches the level of her mother's.
"Come see Auntie Quinnie." The little girl crawls over into her biological mother's arms.
"She's getting so big," Quinn says, squeezing the child. Shelby smiles proudly, and nods. She's been good about sending Quinn updates via facebook. Even though Quinn knew she was not ready for Beth, and could not keep the little girl, she still loves checking in on her baby. She's not as comfortable with Shelby, though. They chat stiffly, until Rachel descends.
As Rachel and Shelby fall into conversation, Puck comes over, and Quinn quickly relinquishes her burden. She has never been as close to her daughter as he, and he loved the role of the wild uncle. From somewhere in the jeans Quinn knew Puck was wearing under his graduation gown, despite Figgin's threat that anyone not wearing a suit would not receive their diploma, he produces a lollypop. Within a few seconds, Beth's face is covered in sticky red candy, and she has a matching red cap perched jauntily on her head.
"Quinn!"
She turns around to find Artie.