So here is the last chapter of Proficiency! As discussed in Sleepy Beacon Hills, Liam attempts to create a working arrangement with Eichen House. I hope you all enjoyed the ride and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thanks to all those who read and reviewed!

Music: Fear on fire by Ruelle.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen wolf!


So are we really doing this?" asked Mason. "No offense but I really don't have the best memories of that place and I wasn't even inside it."

"Me either," said Liam, "But we keep ending up back there and we need someplace to hold dangerous creatures. We aren't killers okay? And I don't want us to be. Scott wouldn't want us to be. So we have to try."

"So how are you going to do this?" asked Corey. "Are you just going to walk up and say 'Hi as the representative of the McCall pack, I'd like to discuss a liaison between us?'"

"I was thinking," said Liam, "That we could do it through a liaison."

"Who?" asked Theo, but Mason had already caught on.

"Deaton," he said.

"Deaton," Liam agreed.

"It could work," said Mason, "Deaton actually doesn't have a bad rapport with them. They know him back from when Talia was alpha and they generally trust his judgement."

"I don't know how the adults are going to take it, though," said Corey. "I mean after what they did to Stiles and Lydia, and Parrish too."

'We'll just...ask I guess," said Liam.

"And if they say no?" asked Mason.

"I'm the stand-in alpha," said Liam, "I don't want to but if I have to, I'll put my foot down."

"You're going to put your foot down on Chris Argent and the Sheriff?" asked Corey, raising an eyebrow. Liam wilted.

"I can try? But only if it's necessary. If they raise some good objections obviously we'll have to listen."

"Obviously?" smirked Theo, clearly thinking of all the times he knew Scott and the others hadn't listened to the adults.

"Within reason," said Mason.


Unfortunately it wasn't something that could be discussed over a group chat. The pack and it's associated members (sans Deaton who had an emergency surgery to do on a dog) found themselves gathered the next day in the McCall house. When everyone was there, Liam stood and said:

"Okay, um, so we have an idea to put forward and we'd like your input on it."

"What idea?" asked the Sheriff.

"Eichen house," said Liam, thinking it's best if he just jumped right in.

"What about it?" asked Argent.

"I think we need to develop an alliance," said Liam. "Because of the closed unit."

"Great explaining there Liam," said Theo.

"What he means," said Mason jumping in to save him, "is that we might, in future, need use of the closed unit, like you guys did for Peter. It's just better if we had some sort of working agreement. We can call ahead, and maybe we can get information, within reason."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," said the Sheriff. "Eichen has too many secrets and too many questionable people on it's payroll, even if we can't seem to pin them down for anything."

"Well that's the point isn't it?" said Parrish. "An agreement of sorts, would provide some oversight right? Mutual share of information between involved parties?"

"It's literally a horror house though," said Melissa. "And how would we control this oversight? How would we know that they're telling us the truth. We don't know half of what actually goes on in that closed unit. Who are the doctors? Who gives the dosages for the patients there? What are the dosages of? Are there any other people that are locked in there that shouldn't be? Halwyn was locked in Eichen for ages there and we never knew that there was a hellhound there or that they had a cell capable of holding a hellhound."

"How old is Eichen anyway?" asked Corey.

"Old," asid ARgent. "It's been there for a pretty long time. And I have a feeling it's existed there even before it's official start date."

"Didn't Halwyn build the closed unit in 1912?" asked Mason.

"Yes," said Argent, "But that doesn't mean that Eichen wasn't keeping preternaturals somewhere else on it's grounds."

""But all those questions that we don't have answers for," said Liam, "Isn't that exactly why we should try? Parrish is right. Eichen needs some sort of outside oversight and we need a place to put people if we have to."

The Sheriff sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But the county isn't allowed to interfere with Eichen. It's a private, medical institution."

"We aren't talking about the county," said Mason.

The Sheriff stared at them. "You want Eichen to make an agreement with the pack?"

"Yes," said Liam. "They won't do it with anyone else."

"What makes you think they'll do it with us?" asked the Sheriff.

"Well we have Deaton," said Mason. "They already know him. He knows us. He'd make a good liaison and he's already an emissary and he's pretty much the emissary for our pack anyway."

"And you have me," Parrish spoke up.

"What do mean?" asked Argent.

"Look Halwyn built the closed unit right? It means he knew that there were going to be things that needed to be locked up. I'm not saying he was the best person but he did lock himself away for an indeterminate amount of time just in case the Anuk-ite ever got out. Even he knew it wasn't something that couldn't be allowed lose." Parrish took a breath. "I'm a Harbinger of Death but I'm also a Guardian of the Preternatural. That guardianship goes both ways, both for the people who should be locked up and for the ones that shouldn't be. Eichen House can't deny me. Not unless they want to deny a hellhound his duty."

"But Halwyn didn't do any of that though," said Corey.

"Yeah," said Melissa, "He just built the place and left it."

"It's because the nematon didn't call Halwyn," Liam spoke quietly. When they all looked at him, he added, "Halwyn was here for the Anuk-ite. But the nematon, Scott, Stiles, Allison, their sacrifice, woke Parrish." He looked at Parrish who nodded back. "Beacon Hills is ours to protect," said Liam. "Whatever comes is ours to deal with. We woke the Nematon. The nematon woke a hellhound as a failsafe. But the nematon woke Parrish because of us."

"So by that completely convoluted logic," said the Sheriff, "You're saying Eichen can't actually deny our oversight?"

"More like we have a really good reason why they should make an agreement with us," Mason said.

"Oh," said the Sheriff. "Couldn't someone have just said that?"

Theo laughed.


"I could certainly try," said Deaton. "But I warn you they won't be amenable to the idea."

"Can you just get us a meeting?" Theo. "'Cause that's actually all we need."

"You need a lot of persuasion," said Deaotn.

"Working on it," said Mason. "But I think a hellhound is a lot of persuasion."

"That may be so," said Deaton, "But it won't be easy."

"Because nothing ever is," Liam grumped.

Deaton smiled at him. "Nothing worth it, is."


It took Deaton nearly a week to get a meeting for himself to speak with the upper management of Eichen House. It took a further two weeks before they agreed to meet with the pack.

Thus it was that Liam found himself staring up at Eichen House one night as they prepared to go in for the meeting.

"You ready?" asked Mason.

"Are you?" said Liam.

"Yeah," said Mason. He breathed out nervously. "Definitely."

"I can hear your heart jackrabbiting," said Theo. Mason gave him a dirty look.

"Come on guys," said Liam. He pressed the intercom and spoke into it. After a moment the gates swung open to admit them. Liam looked around to the three people who were accompanying him and raised his eyebrows and then strode onto the grounds of Eichen.


They were met by a uniformed guard who led them upstairs, down a corridor and finally deposited them in front of a rich, wooden door. Liam let his hand hover near the door and then dropped it.

"Mountain ash," he said in an undertone.

Mason squared his shoulders, reached out and turned the knob pushing the door open. He strode in and it wasn't nerves that was hovering in his scent anymore but anger. Theo went in just behind him, cocky and all coiled muscle. Anything that went for Mason would tangle with him. Parrish followed as if they'd rehearsed; a rush of heat making the mountain ash door jambs crackle and burn away. Liam stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and followed nonchalantly behind, crossing the barrier that was nol onger there. He came to a stop between Mason and Parrish and eyed the man sitting behind the desk.

"You must be the beta Scott McCall left behind," his voice was very cordial.

"And you must be the man who gave us the runaround for two weeks," said Mason.

"I'm a busy man," the man said. "But as you can see I have made time to accommodate you."

"Do you have a name?" asked Parrish.

"Cawell," The man replied pleasantly. "And you must be the deputy hellhound. I believe you were a resident here for a short time weren't you?"

"An involuntary one," said Mason. "You guys seem to have an interesting habit with that."

"And who are you?" asked Cawell.

"I'm Mason Hewitt," he said.

"Ah yes the boy who housed the beast of Gevaudan. How was it having your body being used as a skinsuit for a murderer?"

"Watch it!" snapped Parrish but Theo laughed.

"Do you really think you can get us mad enough to react violently so you can call security for us?" Theo, voice honeyed. "Sorry, you'll have to do better than that. I'm rather well versed in manipulation."

"Ah Theo Raeken, the chimera who stole his sister's heart. You should have been here from the start you know Theo. We could have helped you. Made you better. Perhaps it would have spared your sister."

Theo laughed low and dangerous. "Perhaps," he said shrugging a shoulder. "But I've seen the dread doctors at work. If they wanted me, they would have walked in here and taken me and Tara would have died anyway. Faster maybe. Or maybe not," his tone turned thoughtful. "They still did have to make sure her heart was viable for use. And then you would have gotten a chimera made from a psychopathic boy who was additionally twisted by this place. I've seen some of your patients remember?"

"We've all seen some of your patients," Mason said.

"If this is your way of asking for help," said Cawell, "You're not doing a very good job."

"We're asking for help," said Mason. "But on our terms."

"That's not how this works," said Cawell.

"No," said Parrish and his eyes ignited. "This," he said indicating the building around them. "is not how this works." He stalked up to Cawell, braced his hands on his desk and leaned forward so that his eyes lined up with Cawell's. "I am a guardian of the preternatural. I keep us hidden from the mundane but I also protect us from the monsters out there. Even monsters that are human. If you want to interfere with the duty of a Hound of Destiny, be my guest but I have a feeling you won't like the consequences."

By the time he was finished there were two black handprints on the desk and Cawell's eyebrows were actually smoking.

But Cawell laughed and leaned back. "What are these terms of yours? I'm curious."

"Information share on a case by case basis," said Mason. "Access to the closed unit and patients, if necessary unless you have an actual, legitimate reason for keeping us out. We'd like you to work with us for any incoming patents bound for the closed unit and we reserve the right to check and ensure their accommodations are suitable and the same goes for any treatment that they undergo."

"That's for the pack," said Parrish. "But as the resident hellhound I reserve the right to check up on your patients in the closed units and question their treatment and accommodations. Halwyn built that to be a prison, not a nightmare. I'm not going to let it continue as one."

"Interesting," said Cawell. "Less than I thought you'd ask for actually."

"We're generous like that," Theo deadpanned.

"And suppose I agree to these terms," said Cawell. "What will you do if I break them or wish to mullify our agreement?"

"If you wish to nullify the agreement," said Mason. "We want three months notice."

Cawell waited for more but when none came he raised an eyebrow. After a moment he laughed as if amused by their audacity and then focused on Liam.

"You know, I really though as the stand-in leader of your little pack, your would actually speak of behalf of it. Shy?"

"Yes or no," said Liam clearly.

"What?" asked Cawell.

"Yes," Liam enunciated carefully. "Or no."

Cawell laughed. "I expected more than that but you look even denser than your alpha. Alright I'll give it in words you can understand. Yes. Eichen House would be pleased to work with your pack and your hellhound, under the conditions you have stated."

Cawell's eyebrows rose again as they failed to move. After a moment Liam walked up to the desk and said, "Good. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liam Dunbar and I'm an I.E.D. so you don't want to trip me. If you cross me," he continued, "I will blow and I will wipe you and this entire place out of existence. I am Scott's beta," he added, "So you should know we will do anything to save lives. And you should know we will succeed. So be careful how how you step." He smiled and then turned and walked out of the room.


"Oh my gosh," said Mason when they were in the car driving back. "We were awesome!"

Liam sighed and looked over at his friend with fond exasperation whilst Theo rolled his eyes.

"I don't think awesome is the word to describe that encounter," said Parrish.

"The encounter, no," said Mason making a face. "But how we handled it? We were awesome."

"Somebody shut him up," said Theo.

"I have to know though," said Mason to Liam. "How did you not rip his face off? I almost ripped his face off."

Liam huffed with laughter and then sobered and said, "If I did he would have won. We would have never gotten oversight and then they'd be able to continue doing whatever they wanted. I had to keep calm."

"Mustn't have been easy," said Mason.

"Actually," said Liam grinning suddenly, "if you must know I was chanting my mantra to "I'll make a man out of you."

There was a moment of utter silence and then Theo broke first, letting out a snort of helpless laughter, followed up by Jordan's surprised bark of laughter.

"I take it back," said Mason amidst the gales of laughter, rubbing at his forehead. "We weren't awesome at all." Liam, still grinning, slung his arm around his shoulders.

"But they thought we were!"


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