"Maybe you dress up as the Easter Bunny and hand Donna a basket with the ring box hidden in a lot of Easter grass," suggested C.J.
"Josh in a huge Easter bunny costume?" Toby replied.
"Yeah."
"No. Never. That's bizarre beyond words."
"Well, you have any better ideas?"
"I don't know, but I bet I can come up something better than a huge polyester suit and a wicker basket with shiny plastic grass exploding over the sides."
The two glared at each other until Sam came up with a suggestion of his own.
"What about you hide the ring in a hollow chocolate bunny?"
"A what?" Toby asked.
"You know, when they make the Easter bunny out of chocolate, only it's not solid it's—"
"Hollow?" Josh helped.
"Yeah, but how do you propose we get the ring inside the bunny?" questioned C.J.
"We… cut out the bottom, stick the ring in there, and then replace it?" Sam replied meekly.
The three brought in to brainstorm all leaned back in their chairs to think further, Toby taking a puff of his cigar, C.J. a drink of her beer, and Sam pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Do you really have to do Easter?" asked Toby.
"Yes," Josh responded with a plain tone.
"Why?"
"Toby, we've been over this," C.J. pleaded.
"I don't care. He can do any other day of the year, and yet he has to get us trapped in here trying to think of creative ways for a bunny to alert Donna she's being proposed to."
"Hey!" Josh interrupted. "I didn't ask you guys to help, Sam did!"
"But you came to me for help, and this is how I am helping!"
"Oh, for the love of God, let's just get an idea," Toby moaned, stopping Sam and Josh from their little argument.
"C.J., what's the theme of the Easter celebration this year?" asked Sam.
"I don't know. All I know is that the Egg Roll will include storytelling time with the attorney general, and popular children's books authors."
"Well, who would know?" Sam asked, right at the same time Leo walked past C.J.'s office where all four were holed up.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" he asked.
"Leo, do you know what the theme for this year's Easter Egg Roll is?" Sam interjected.
"The what?"
"The Easter Egg Roll. The White House Easter celebration."
"These things have themes?"
"Yes. Last year it was Spring Celebrations of Different Cultures which featured displays and demonstrations from different countries."
Leo looked at Sam blankly. "You really think I know what the White House is doing for Easter?"
"No, I just thought – you being the powerful – I thought maybe you'd know." Sam was crashing and burning, much to the amusement of the others in the room.
"No, Sam, I'd have to say I don't know what the theme for Easter this year will be. Is that why you all are here? Debating the theme of Easter?"
"We're trying to help Josh," said C.J.
"With what?"
"He's trying to find a clever way to prop—"
"Propose new phrasing for the State department for the President's section about foreign policy for that speech in Dayton," Josh interrupted C.J. "They're concerned."
"It's a speech in Dayton. No one will give a damn. Tell them that."
"I'll do that."
"Yeah. Well. Good."
There was a slight pause. "Have a good night," Josh said, hopefully ending the discussion.
Unfortunately Leo wasn't sold.
"The four of you are staying here after hours to help Josh phrase a section about which no one will give a damn?"
All eyes turned on Josh.
"You're better off just telling him now," C.J. murmured.
"Telling me what?"
Josh glared at C.J. "Fine," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Sam organized this meeting to help me find a creative way to – propose to Donna. On Easter."
Leo's face lit up. "Hey, congratulations!"
"Thanks."
"Easter, huh? Interesting choice."
"We started dating on Christmas Eve."
Leo remembered. "That's right, the night you met with Stanley. I forgot about that. I guess I'm sort of responsible for that, huh?"
"Yeah."
"And yet I've never gotten thanked for that—"
"Thank you," Josh said quickly. "Really, thank you. But, now, I'd like to get this – excruciating exercise over with." At the same time he said this, it was now Charlie's turn to appear in the doorway.
"Leo, the President wants to speak with you," Charlie said, approaching the doorway.
"Hey, Charlie," Sam said upon seeing him.
"Hey," he replied, then continued talking to Leo. "The President is actually heading down this way, so you can just wait here until for a minute."
"Okay," responded Leo.
The whole group of people sat in silence, until Charlie's curiosity got the best of him, and he asked, "What are you all doing down here?"
Josh leaned his head back. "Oh, holy mother of God," he whispered.
"Say, what's going on?"
The four who had been sitting immediately got to their feet and erupted in a chorus of "Good evening, Mr. President."
"Why are you all – here, congregating in C.J.'s office?"
No one answered.
"You should be asking Josh, sir," Leo helped.
"Really, now? Josh? Why is there a meeting of the minds occurring?"
If death had been an option, Josh would have gladly died. Or, if a trap door were available, Josh would have gone down it – right this instant.
"Well, sir, today I asked Sam for some advice because I was planning to do something, and instead he got a quorum together and now – now we've been alerting people of what I'm planning on doing and making it – extremely awkward for me."
"What is it you're planning on doing?"
Josh took a deep breath. He was certain everyone was having a great time watching him squirm. "I'm planning on – planning on proposing to Donna on Easter."
"And furthermore, Mr. President," Sam interjected, "would you happen to know the theme of this year's Easter Egg Roll?"
"Sadly we're just going with a traditional Egg Roll this year, with visits from the Easter Bunny, and my wife among others reading some Easter stories," the President responded, seemingly ignoring Josh's announcement – for a moment. "I've tried to make it more exciting, but we just couldn't get it done this year. As for you," he said, walking into the room and extending his hand towards Josh's, "congratulations. It's about time you and Donna did what we've all been waiting for the two of you to do since we saw the sparks fly."
To say Josh was dumbfounded would have been a tragic understatement. "Uh, thank you, sir," he managed to mumble.
"Ah, Easter. A wonderful holiday. But, actually, are you aware that the Easter Egg Roll does not occur on Easter Sunday?"
"It doesn't?" responded Sam.
"Three years into the administration, and he doesn't know when the Egg Roll is. No, Sam, it occurs the day after Easter, on Monday."
"Really."
"Yes, it does. The history of the Egg Roll is actually quite a fascinating one—"
"Oh, God," Toby mumbled in the shadows.
"What was that, Toby?" Bartlet said.
"Nothing, sir, it's just that I have a feeling you're about to lead us down a very, uh, enlightening path."
"Well, Mr. Ziegler, since you and Mr. Seaborn seem to both be oblivious to the simple date on which the Egg Roll occurs, I feel the need to teach you all."
"I knew the date," pleaded C.J.
"Well, then this will further add to your knowledge of the event, Claudia Jean. So sit, all of you."
They all sighed and took a seat, with Leo and Charlie staying standing in the doorway.
"The Egg Roll was started by – anyone know the answer?" the President began, with no one raising a hand. "A-ha, stumped again. It was begun by President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy in 1878. You see, on Easter, children would take their decorated hard boiled eggs and roll their eggs – and themselves – down the hill at the Capitol building. Now, the landscaping budget for that government facility wasn't very large, and, so, with the rolling occurring on Easter, the grounds were taking a beating.
"In 1876, children were forbidden from doing their annual roll. The next year, Rutherford and Lucy decided to have a celebration on the South Lawn and the Ellipse. Sadly, it was rained out the first year they planned it, but it started the following year and, since then, has happened every year after that, excluding years with inclement weather."
"That was very informative, sir," Toby quipped.
"Thank you, Toby. Now, Josh, you're looking for advice for how to propose to Donna on Easter."
"Yes, sir."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"We're looking for creative suggestions," C.J. explained.
"Creative, huh? Well, Josh, I may just have an idea."
And, so, the planning began.