Sammy & Ilna - love you guys! REAL McRollers & Readers, we love you!

Hoping everyone who celebrates has a Happy Easter!

Egg-stravaganza

Children and parents darted around the lawn in front of the Governor's Offices, excitedly searching for colorful eggs hidden by groups of interns and volunteers that morning.

Angie raced from point to point, scooping up eggs with lightning speed. Her laughter filled the air as she and Ashae called, "Found another one!" to each other with every discovery.

Across the lawn, at the 'Visit the Bunny' booth, DJ was helping manage the line as the preschool aged kids, who had already completed their earlier egg hunt, eagerly waited to meet the Easter Bunny. Standing beside him Jacob, wearing his usual smile, was passing out chocolate treats after each child had their turn.

As the festivities continued, Lea Kekoa took to a small stage, welcoming the attendees. "Welcome, everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic time at our Easter Egg Extravaganza!" Her voice held genuine excitement, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd. "Let's have a round of applause for everyone who helped organize todays' event and our wonderful volunteers, and of course, my chief-of-staff who volunteered to organize the egg hunts." She indicated Catherine, who smiled in return.

Steve and Danny arrived in time to catch the end of the speech. Fresh from wrapping a homicide, they walked up to Catherine just as Angie spotted them and made a bee line in their direction.

"Daddy! Uncle Danno! You're here!" she exclaimed, rushing over to them with a basketful of eggs. Her excitement was contagious, and Danny couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Did you save some eggs for us to find?"

Steve scooped her into a hug, kissing her cheek as she said, "Grownups can't find the eggs, Uncle Danno, unless you're helping a really little kid. But you can have one of mine."

"You are the best." Danny grinned. "I want a peanut butter chocolate one."

She fished out a Reeses' egg and handed it off, smiling when he ate it with a flourish. "Daddy, do you want a cream egg?" She knew his favorite and held one up. "They didn't melt 'cause there's a cold pack in the baskets - that was Mommy's idea, cause she's super smart." She beamed at her mother as Steve set her down and ate the treat.

"She's definitely super smart," he agreed and kissed Catehine's cheek. "You ordered five hundred cold packs? Genius."

"Chocolate and sun don't mix, so…" she shrugged. "Besides, I have experience with melted chocolates."

"Thanks to me," he smirked, turning at DJ's voice calling, "Dad!" from across the lawn.

"Bunny booth time?" He asked.

"For the little kids," Angie supplied. "Can I go find more eggs now?"

"Go," Catherine said, pointing. "Ashae's right over there. When you're done, it'll be your turn for the bunny."

She ran off as Steve and Danny moved toward where DJ and Jacob were stationed near the giant rabbit.

Angie, still energized from her egg-hunting triumph, held onto her best friend's hand as they made their way towards the refreshment tent, her eyes gleaming after she'd happily told the Easter Bunny her cousin Grace had a pet rabbit, and she had a dog, two cats and a goat.

The smell of fresh baked goods and punch wafted from the tent where Kaitlyn and Grace were passing out holiday themed cupcakes and cookies.

"I'm very hungry for cookies!" Angie said as they met up with her cousins.

Steve chuckled as he looked down at his daughter. "Of course you are. Let's see if Gracie made your favorite sugar cookies."

When she reached the table, Angie's eyes widened at the sight of the goodies. She selected a sugar cookie with pastel icing and passed it to Ashae before taking one for herself, as her best friend did the same with pink frosted cupcakes. "Go get a seat," Steve motioned as Danny joined Grace and Kaitlyn behind the table and donned an apron to help pass out treats, but not before taking a bite and savoring the flavor of a sugar cookie made from Nonna's recipe.

While the six year olds ate their treats, Steve placed two cups of lemonade on the table as DJ and Jacob joined them, taking a break to have a snack. "These cookies are awesome, I can tell they're Nonna's recipe," DJ told his cousin, between bites.

Jacob nodded in agreement, a cookie in hand as he surveyed the bustling crowd. "It's always fun seeing everyone come together to volunteer for events like this. Nonna will love the pictures."

As the group devoured their treats, Danny approached with a plate of cookies, "Save some for the rest of us," he teased as he passed the plate to Catherine, then Steve.

Steve smirked. "You're just jealous we didn't get here sooner to find eggs. This punch is pretty good, though," he remarked, taking a sip and nodding in approval.

Angie wiped her face, looked up at her godfather and giggled. "Did you find all the eggs when you were a kid, Uncle Danno? I think you did, cause you're a very very good detective."

"Thank you, Angie." He beamed at her. "I'll have you know I was the egg-hunting champion back in Jersey. Maybe next time I'll have to show you how it's done when Easter's fifty degrees and you're hunting eggs in a winter coat."

As Angie and DJ exchanged amused glances at their uncle's teasing, a commotion near the edge of the garden caught their attention. Angie stood, her eyes squinting in the bright sunlight. "Daddy, look! What's happening over there?"

Steve turned towards the source of the noise. A small group of children had gathered around a tree, their voices rising in excitement .

Angie and Ashae ran towards the group, DJ and Jacob following closely behind. They reached the tree just in time to see a cluster of colorful eggs up in its branches, too high for the kids to reach.

One of the boys about Angie's age sighed. "How are we supposed to get those eggs? They're too high up!"

Steve knelt down beside the children, a mock-serious expression on his face. "Looks like we need a plan here. Who's up for a little teamwork?"

The kids' faces lit up when Steve gathered them into a small huddle. Danny placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder with a laugh. "He's on an egg mission, why am I not surprised?"

"Because it's Uncle Steve," Jacob said with a laugh as the kids gathered around and began murmuring and nodding.

A minute later, with Steve's help, they'd formed a human pyramid with DJ and Jacob providing support from the ground.

As the kids worked together, the pyramid slowly rose towards the eggs. Finally, Angie fearlessly scrambled to the top, reached out and grasped each one before passing it down the pyramid.

With a triumphant, "Ta da!" she climbed down, beaming as the rest of the children erupted into applause when Catherine passed out the eggs.

Steve watched with an expression of pure pride, and when Catherine turned towards him she raised a brow. "I don't even have to ask…" she laughed, patting his chest. "Thinking she'd kill it at Clarendon?"

Nodding at how well she knew him and knew he was picturing their daughter climbing the tower at the academy, he grinned. "Like mother, like daughter."

# End thanks for reading!

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