~Lucifer's POV~

I woke up the next morning surprised I'd gotten a full night's rest. Ever since Lore had arrived, her sleep was never very restful and I was usually awoken by a scream. A heavenly aroma drifted into my room, like fresh baked goods, caramel and cooked apples. I exited my room, took a quick peek in Lore's room. Her bed looked untouched. I frowned and made my way toward the kitchen.

The door opened into a warzone. A sidestepped an explosion of flour, Lore had not been so lucky and that had apparently not been the first explosion of flour as she was covered head to toe.

"Lucifer!" Lore yelped startled at my arrival, "what are you doing up at this hou-?" She paused and glanced around the kitchen for a clock, "honestly I have no idea what time it is. Is it a reasonable hour to be awake?" She asked unsure.

"It is...though it may be an unreasonable hour to be this deep in a baking war...why is our kitchen under siege?" I pondered, amused as I noticed a plethora of completed and delectable looking baked goods on the untouched side of the kitchen outside of the warzone.

Lore looked like she was going to protest but glanced around at the flour covered surfaces and her flour coated form. "...hurtful but not untrue..." She muttered under her breath before recovering with a smile, "I made caramel apple cinnamon rolls."

"For everyone in hell?" I pondered as I looked at the mountain of baked goods.

She deflated, "...no..."

I pointed to a pile of something that didn't look like cinnamon rolls, "and these?"

"...apple scones..."

I moved onto the next pile, "these?"

"...apple pie cookies..."

"Uh-huh." I nodded and moved onto the next pile of baked goods, "these?"

Lore crossed her arms in front of her chest and a cloud of flour shot out around her. Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "...apple turnovers..."

I turned to her. Beneath the flour I could see her flushed cheeks and the dark circles beneath her grey eyes. "Did you get any sleep?"

"I wasn't-." She hesitated and I realized she had been about to lie but decided against it, "...no..."

"Any particular reason, why not?" I pondered as I made my way over to her. It was difficult to walk past all the apple flavored baked goods, especially the caramel apple cinnamon rolls but I had to see to Lore first. Something was clearly wrong.

"I didn't want to." Lore sighed and averted her gaze, turning her attention to a giant slab of dough she had been in the middle of kneading.

"What's that?" I asked, wondering what I was supposed to do with all the baked goods when a part of me really didn't want anyone else to have them since Lore made them.

"Pizza dough." Lore offered me a cheery smile.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. My phone vibrated in my pocket before erupting with loud circus music causing Lore to jump and flour to go everywhere. I glanced down at my phone and felt immediate panic as I saw Charlie's name on the screen.

"Daughter? Daughter! Daughter calling!" I panicked.

Lore smiled, "see she must want to talk to you if she's calling you."

How was I supposed to answer, I did a quick trial, "Oh, um, uh, hello Charlie. Uh... hey, hey, hey Char-Char."

"Anything but that one." Lore grimaced with a shake of her head. "Why are you freaking out right now?"

"This is the first time she's called me in years, this has to be perfect." I squeezed the phone tightly in my hands.

"Answer the phone before it goes to voicemail!" Lore urged.

I clicked the accept button and Lore gave me an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. "Hey bitch!"

Lore's mouth fell open and she stared at me as if I'd grown a second head before mouthing 'what in the fucking hell was that?!'

"Hi Dad." Charlie's voice sounded from the phone, it was a little strained.

Lore offered me another encouraging smile and motioned for me to say something.

"Hey! How are ya?" I laughed uneasily, "wh-where are you these days?" I asked.

Lore gave me another thumbs up.

"You know where I am Dad. I've told you before." Charlie's voice sounded really strained.

I mentally kicked myself. "You have?" I fumbled "Oh, yeah, well you know uh I'm-"

Lore hurriedly shook her head and made an X with her arms in an attempt to get me to stop making an ass of myself.

"I told you when you called me last time, or did you not listen?" Charlie asked.

"No, no, no no, no, just you know, just forgot. You know I've just been really busy, you know, with important things." I was floundering.

Lore placed her head in her hands and mouthed 'stop talking and listen to her'. Oh! That was good! I should do that!

"Well, I'm actually running a hotel to rehabilitate sinners." Charlie's voice perked up a little.

Lore grinned and mouthed 'show interest'.

"Maybe you saw our commercial?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"Oh...sadly I missed it." I chuckled uneasily and noticed Lore rapidly shaking her head at me as if she could sense I was going to go off the rails again in this conversation, "You know, I haven't been watching much TV lately, scrambles the brain." I followed with some sound I have no idea where it came from and Lore threw her hands up in the air in exasperation causing flour to cascade around her. "But hey! A hotel? Fun." I tried to recover but judging by Lore now dramatically falling to the floor I didn't think that was happening.

Charlie sighed, "Listen, Dad. I've got kind of a big ask."

Lore perked up at this and offered me a reassuring smile and another thumbs up.

I nearly choked, Charlie never asked me for things. This was big. "Yeah, of course. Anything in my power is yours for the asking. You just name it."

Lore applauded me silently from the floor.

"I need to speak to Heaven. Well, whoever's in charge up there, above Adam, above anybody. I need to go to the top." Charlie sounded determined.

I grimaced at this, "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, Charlie...no, no no...uh- that's uh- no."

Lore threw me a curious look. She pointed at herself and mouthed, 'sperm donor?'

I frantically shook my head. "No!" I hissed back.

"Look Dad, I don't ask you for much. I never have- but this- this is really important to me. It's the most important thing I've ever done. And I need you. I need your help." Charlie pleaded.

Lore sat up and fixed me with a hard look.

"Yeah- I don't know, Charlie." I thought of my time in heaven and how rigid, unmoving and cruel they'd been to me about my own ideas. I couldn't bear it if they broke her like they broke me.

"Please, just come see what I'm trying to do. You'll see why it's a really good idea. And heaven is bound to agree if I get the chance to talk to them. Please, Dad." Charlie wasn't backing down.

Lore perked up and smiled, 'that's an invitation.'

"Wait... You're inviting me over?!" I couldn't contain my excitement, my daughter wanted to see me! "Absolutely! We'll be there in an hour!" I beamed and hung up.

"We?!" Lore exclaimed in a panic.