There were very few things in life that Leonard McCoy truly enjoyed in regards to food. A good cup of coffee, real proper coffee. Biscuits and gravy, the kind his grandmother used to make back on McCoy's Terran homeland. But despite these very few gastronomical miracles, Leonard McCoy held a special place in his palate, and his heart, for cherry pie. Galavanting off in space, in deep space, meant that McCoy didn't eat a lot of good cherry pies. The replicator's cherry pies seemed to be devoid of anything that remotely tasted like cherries, let alone pie. The CMO of the Enterprise did a lot of grumbling, but this particular grumbling topic was reserved only for his two partners; Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Spock. Jim, because Jim understood what a good cherry pie was like, having grown up on Earth too. And then Spock, because he just usually happened to be in the same room whenever McCoy had a hankering for complaining about his lack of good and proper cherry pie.
So it was to his surprise when he entered his cabin late one evening, after a rigorous day in medbay, trying to root out and eliminate a harmless flu-like disease going around on the ship, to find both Jim and Spock sitting at a table they had set up. The table had a white cloth on top of it and a candlestick in the middle, presumably one of McCoy's own, since candlesticks weren't something one could easily find on a starship. Three plates were set out, each with a fork beside it on a napkin. The lights in his cabin were dimmed slightly, to show off the candlelight.
"What's going on here?" McCoy asked as he went over to his closet and pulled out a lounging outfit he had already made up.
"Me and Spock have a surprise for you!" Jim chirped.
As McCoy changed into his more comfortable outfit, he gave Kirk a hard look.
"What kind of surprise?" he asked.
"One that will most probably be to your liking, doctor," Spock replied.
"You're gonna love it, Bones! Come sit down," Kirk gestured towards the empty chair at the table, reserved specifically for McCoy.
McCoy sat down, shifting his gaze between Spock and Kirk. This all seemed a little too romantic for just a casual sit down dinner, that the three occasionally had if they didn't eat in the mess hall. Maybe something serious was happening.
"One of you better not tell me you're pregnant," McCoy warned.
"I do believe that the likelihood of that happening is highly improbable, if not impossible, Leonard," Spock instantly answered.
"Then what's all this for?" McCoy swept a hand over the table to indicate the whole thing.
Kirk looked over at Spock, who didn't seem to notice, so Jim nudged him in the elbow to get his attention. As soon as Spock looked over at Jim, Kirk tilted his head downwards slightly, indicating something behind Spock.
"Jim, what the hell is going on?" McCoy asked, sounding a bit more gruff then he had intended.
"Calm down, Bones," Kirk rolled his eyes, "Just be patient."
Spock turned around in his chair and grabbed something behind him. He placed a circular metal container in the middle of the table, right next to the candle.
"Open it," Jim encouraged.
McCoy gave the two of them one last skeptical look before he lifted the lid of the container. His nostrils were instantly blessed with the delicate smell of a freshly made baked good, with the sweet, sweet hint of cherries. Inside the circular tin was a pie. A cherry pie. With a lattice patterned top. It looked beautiful and it smelled so good.
"It's a cherry pie," McCoy stated, looking up at Spock and Kirk, waiting for an explanation of some sort.
"Indeed," Spock confirmed, "Although it is not a pie derived from a replicator. This cherry pie has been custom made by Jim and I."
"Custom made? You two?" McCoy frowned, worried now that they had baked him a pie.
Would it even be edible? How did it smell so good? What kitchen did they make this in?
"Yeah! I knew we'd be making a short stop in the Trickoslvis system, on their twelfth planet, which has quite a popular bakery on it, that specializes in reproducing Terran tastes," Kirk explained, "So I called that bakery ahead time and custom ordered this pie for you, as a pretty early birthday present. But you gotta thank Spock for even letting me know the bakery existed in the first place."
Kirk threw Spock a loving glance as he spoke.
"I have it on good authority that the bakery can recreate almost exactly the tastes and textures of real Terran baked goods," Spock nodded.
"Well it smells like the real damn thing, but we won't know till we try some," McCoy said.
Kirk nodded and Spock cut each of them a slice of the cherry pie. Spock and Kirk dug right in but Leonard took a moment to admire the pie. Sure, it was just a pie, but even if it didn't taste like the pies from his childhood, McCoy knew this pie was special. His partners had gotten it for him, specifically, because they had listened to his complaints. It was a small gesture, but it made McCoy feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Smiling at the two of them, McCoy brought a forkful of cherry pie up to his mouth and took a bite. Kirk and Spock looked at him expectantly, waiting for his opinion.
"Damn, if you'd told me you got this pie right off Earth, I'd have believed you," McCoy said after a moment, taking another bite of pie and savoring the taste.
"I am glad to know that our efforts have paid off and the pie is to your liking," Spock offered McCoy a smile.
"Well, I couldn't have my Chief Medical Officer always upset that he can't ever eat another good cherry pie in his life again," Kirk grinned, "Now I know what to get you every holiday and birthday."
"I do not believe that is advisable, Captain," Spock said.
"Yeah, I'd have to retire from eating too many pies," McCoy agreed.
Spock launched into a rebuttal but McCoy couldn't be annoyed. Here he was, with actually good Terran tasting cherry pie and the two most important people in his life. Things couldn't be any better.