A/N: The series never gave us names for the boys, this was done many years ago in jest and prompted by my own family's habit of tacking on weird middle names. ;-). I actually like William as a middle name for our Scott.
A Rose by Any Other Name
"What brings you all the way out to Lancer, Mr. Randolph?"
The lawyer pulled a long sheet of white paper from his carryall. "Murdoch, I can't process this document, it's not legal or binding because of the name."
Murdoch's eyebrows came together. "Did Johnny…?" He looked quickly at his son then back again. "I thought he told you to let it stand."
"It's not him that's the issue." Randolph pointed to Scott. "It's him. See here?"
Murdoch looked down at the hardly legible signature and winced. "Oh, yes. I don't know how that escaped my attention."
"Well, don't you see? It has to be fixed if this document is to be considered binding. Otherwise, it's just a fancy piece of paper taking up room on my desk."
Murdoch brought a shoulder up. "Scott? It'll have to be changed." The shoulder came down when his son's lips thinned out to a determined straight line.
"I'm asking, son."
That brought the boy forward.
Scott grabbed the pen and stabbed it in the ink a few times, flicking off the excess with so much force a spot landed on Mr. Randolph's vest. As it mingled with the others found there, the lawyer waved it off and waited.
Murdoch held his breath as the pen passed by the 'Scott' and hovered for a few seconds over the 'Garrett' before finally slashing through that name and scribbling in the legal one.
Johnny edged over and looked at what was written, huffing out a laugh, until he caught Scott's dark look.
Randolph beamed and clapped his hands. "There, all tied up nice and legal. I'll process this and get it back to you by the beginning of next week."
As they watched the lawyer take his leave, Murdoch clapped Scott on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. Your mother…well, she always had a quirky sense of humor. And a keen sense of family. My family. Ah, despite your grandfather."
"That's all well and good, Murdoch. But you're not the one who has to live with it. Do you know how long it took me to learn all those letters when I was a child? Where on earth did she ever conceive of Scott Maoldòmhnaich Lancer?"
Murdoch pinked. Maoldòmhnaich was his Da's middle name, and his elder brother's first name, too. Thank God he wasn't first-born.
The End
( Maoldòmhnaich means servant of Sunday.)