Title: Rock for Ages
Author: Dancing Star
Crossover: PSI Factor / Sue Thomas FBEye / Rock of Ages
Pairing: Connor/ Lindsay, Jack/ Sue
Rating: 12
Category: AU, Romance
What happens: Connor and Jack decide to go to Las Vegas. They meet the dancers Lindsay and Sue...
Notes: Vegas, I still miss you and love you!

Rock for Ages

"Why did we run away from home?", Connor asked, a little sulkily, looking at his best friend Jack.
"I don´t know. There are many reasons, "Jack began," We both broke up with our girlfriends. I lost my job. We haven´t been on vacation for a long time. We have enough of this sleepy town nest... Pick a reason."
Jack Hudson rolled down the window of the passenger side and felt the warm air blowing around him. "Will you please close the window," Connor complained, "Outside it's even hotter than in here. The air conditioner has already enough to do." He had no idea why Jack wanted to go to Las Vegas. Maybe it was the dream of the never slumbering, glittering metropolis or the wish for a million profit at the poker table.
"Don´t get mad, okay?" Jack said, "We're almost there. There are only a hundred miles to Vegas."
To be honest, Connor couldn´t even remember from where they had set out to Las Vegas and he really had no idea how long they were on the road. All he knew was that he had spent most of his time behind the steering wheel of his car and paid for most tank charges. But in a way he had understanding for his best friend: He already knew Jack since high school and after college, they had lost sight of: Both moved to other cities. However, a few days ago Connors mother had died and because Jack's family was very good friends with the Doyles, his mother insisted that he should also come to the funeral. Like he did, his girlfriend also lived in Washington DC and she told him that if he went now (she had a great appearance on tomorrows breakfast television), he should end the relationship. Jack had received a notice the day before due to budget cuts the FBI fired some people and he was one of them. So wasn´t able to confess that they couldn´t afford the expensive 200 square condominium or that they would probably never get married because Jack couldn´t pay the wedding. Everything was suddenly so easy... So he got on the plane, flew to his hometown and met his best friend Connor, who had broke up with his girlfriend for almost similar reasons: She had complained because he often traveled for professional reasons and then she started again the unfortunate wedding- theme and she demanded that Connor stopped traveling immediately after their wedding. "What wedding?", Connor had asked confused. He couldn´t remember to have ever asked. But his girlfriend ran out of the room, crying, and later that evening she started a big quarrel. In the end they decided to go their separate ways and she said she wouldn´t come to the funeral of his mother. On the day on which his mother was buried then, Connor and Jack made their way to a bar, "What do you say if we both go to Las Vegas?", Jack asked after the fourth beer and from the reason Connor needed a little distance, he had agreed. They left on the same day and spent one night in the car. A few miles ago they had stopped at the Extraterrestrial Highway to have lunch in a small restaurant, which had a strange interior.
The car drove over a mountain and in the distance they could already see the city. It was broad daylight and the air trembled with heat. The Stratosphere Tower loomed in the sky and stretched towards the sun. "This is a wonderful city," Jack said.
"Yes, wait and see until we are there," Connor muttered. He grabbed the radio and turned it on. An advertising, spoken by an Elvis impersonator, was repeated again and again before the station finally went over to its regular music program.

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive ("Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons)

As it was a bit cooler in the evening, they left their hotel to see the city. They lived in a small hotel about one block away from the Las Vegas Strip. The hotels were cheaper when they weren´t directly located on the strip.
"Look at it, Connor. THIS is Las Vegas. That's Entertainment, Elvis, Rock and..."
"...A lot of wasted money," Connor interrupted him. They were standing on a bridge, which led from the New York New York- Hotel to the MGM. Inwardly, Jack echoed his best friend a moralist and a party pooper. "I wonder why I have taken YOU to Vegas," he said, "What do you want to do today? Don´t tell me you want to see the David Copperfield show. "
Connor asked him if he had a better idea and of course Jack nodded: He planned to spend his last dime in a casino, hoping to win lots of money. "I would say that you have the freedom of choice," Connor replied, "In what casino you want to gamble your money?" He was supposed he didn´t stop him, but he knew Jack: If he was up to something, he didn´t give until he had it. In the same way he had also come to the FBI.
Jack picked a casino called O'Sullivan's Casino, which lay on the right side of the Strip in Las Vegas. First, they ate a hot dog for three dollar and drank a beer then Jack looked for a slot machine in the casino. How the name suggested, it was an Irish casino.
He sat in front of a slot machine and put a coin after the other into the device. But the slot machine swallowed the coins and spit out any more. "That's a joke," Connor muttered in the background and shook his head.
"I'm only starting," Jack disagreed and now fed the machine with some more dollars. When that didn´t produce the desired result, he got up to look for another machine. He had hardly left the chair, when an old lady sat on it, threw a coin into the slot machines and the machine was happily flashing threw out a big win.
"It's my money!", Jack called and wanted to lunge to the machine, but Connor stopped him. "Let it go, buddy," he said to him, "How much money do you have with you?"
"Twenty dollar."
"Total or for tonight?", Connor asked.
"Total." While Jack wondered at what slot machine he should try his luck next, Connor decided to invite him for another beer. They sat down at a bar and a blonde woman immediately came to them and asked them what they wanted to drink. Connor ordered two glasses of beer. He noticed that quite a few people were present in the casino.
"It´s probably a quiet tonight, huh?", He asked the waitress.
"Well," she rolled her eyes, "Today, everybody´s at the Rio Hotel. There, a poker tournament will take place. Why aren´t you there?"
"I´m not interested in poker," Connor looked at Jack now, "And he´s broke."
"Hey!," Jack was offended.
"Let me guess: You're in town because you broke up with your girlfriends. On the other hand, you could also have lost your job", she guessed. Another blonde woman brought two bottles of Jack Daniel´s and put them in the fridge.
"Almost correct" Connor grinned, "He's lost his job and girlfriend," he pointed to Jack again, "I just lost the girlfriend."
"This is bad enough."
"How did you know?"
"I'm working for years in this casino and meet people like you every day... I'm Sue."
"This is Jack. I'm Connor."
Now she turned to her colleague. "This is Lindsay."
Lindsay smiled. "Hi. Nice to meet you."
"I suppose you're not serious," Connor concluded, "As your friend and you have to deal with people like us for years and you only say this just to fill us thus increasing your tip." After saying had, Lindsay expressed the suspicion he hopefully didn´t work with the police and Connor laughed.
"I hope you're not angry with us," Lindsay suddenly began, "But our shift is almost over and we still have something to do today." Lindsay walked past her.
"She´s talking about our second job," Sue explained to them, "We are dancers in a show at Planet Hollywood."
"Are you Showgirls?"
"No," Sue laughed, "To be a true Las Vegas showgirl, you have to be even thinner... And the heydays of the showgirls are long gone."
"Sue?", Lindsay called her and Sue waved her guests. She told them the late shift would now take care of them and if they wanted to, they could come back to O'Sullivans tomorrow.

"My God, they´re here again," Sue muttered the next day, when she and Lindsay started their shift at O'Sullivans, "Yesterday when I told them they could come back, I had no idea that they would take this seriously."
"Well, because you always have to flirt with the boys... Do I look good?", Lindsay asked. She tugged at her blue dress. A good look increased the chances of a good tip.
"I am what?", Sue wanted to know Lindsay and reminded her she had talked to Connor pretty much yesterday but Sue confessed she liked his best friend Jack. They set to work and Sue tried to welcome her guests not too obvious.
"Hi," she said to them, "What brings you over here? It´s 2 o´clock in the afternoon."
"That was his idea," Connor said, pointing to Jack. His best friend leaned over the counter to Sue and Lindsay. "You must help me," he began, "I've gambled all my money last night at a slot machine. But we are in town for two more weeks and now I need a little money... Do you need help at O'Sullivan's? I have two helping people to offer."
"What?", Connor, Lindsay and Sue asked simultaneously. Connor was amazed that his best friend actually had so much scruple and got him involved. Sue and Lindsay were amazed he asked them for help. He told them that they made a nice and serious impression and in a way they were the first people he had met in Vegas.
"Well, as far as I know there are no jobs here. We would have to ask the boss"; Lindsay said. Now Connor noticed the few guests at the O'Sullivans, again. He didn´t believe this was due to yesterday's Poker Championship at the Rio Hotel.

They were surprised that the head of the O'Sullivans had actually agreed: Two workers had failed and the boss had already considered if he should hire replacement with a temporary employment agency. That now two men appeared in his casino and wanted to work for the same pay, saved a lot of time. He therefore decided Connor and Jack would be working with Lindsay and Sue: They worked in the casino for years and knew it inside and out.
Connor's first job was helping Lindsay to review a drink order and get the boxes from the truck inside the casino. "Don´t get me wrong, but a job in O'Sullivans is not a child's birthday," Lindsay said to Connor, "You and your friend don´t look like the guys who otherwise carry our boxes."
He thanked her for the compliment.
"I can understand your friend. Life in Vegas is expensive. Sue and I live here since five years and sometimes I have three jobs, so I can live."
"Really? What else are you doing?"
"I write books," she rolled her eyes, "Cook books to be exact. Do you know Penny's Kitchen... That's mine."
"I know," Connor replied, lifting a box from the truck, "My ex-girlfriend has all of the books in this series, appearing monthly on newsstands and cost three dollars."
"Why did you break up?"
"She had other ideas of live...", Connor rose to the truck to get the next box, "She wanted me to marry her. She wanted me to give up my hobby aka my job for her..."
"That doesn´t sound very willing to compromise," Lindsay firmly said.
"What about you? Why did you come to Vegas?", Connor asked.
"I've always dreamed of this glittering metropolis," Lindsay smiled, "The final impetus for my dream came when my boyfriend broke up with me back then."
"Is your dream fulfilled in Vegas?"
"Almost," she pushed a box of Coke bottles on the deck, "I wanted to be a dancer... Instead, I'll take care of the bar at O'Sullivans and at Planet Hollywood I have a tiny little role in a show."
They had brought a total of 10 drinks crates from the truck. The rest of the truck belonged to other bars. "These are quite a few crates," Connor stated and leaned against the truck when had left it. "Yes, we don´t need more in the next two to three days," Lindsay said. She noticed he had a little problem with the heat. Then she smiled: "Wait until the boxes are in the bar."

Inside the casino, it was cool. The air conditioners were running at full speed, while Sue took care about the dishwasher and put countless beer glasses in the liquor cabinet. She had her back turned to Jack, so she couldn´t see him, as he entered the bar area and brought some empty trays, which he had found among the unused slots. Sue still ignored him. "I need a dollar, dollar. A dollar is what I need. Hey hey, "he began to sing and she still hadn´t turned around. He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, I don´t sing so bad," he complained.
"I have to disappoint you," another voice suddenly said. It was Lindsay. Connor was carrying a box full drinks to the bar.
"What?"
"I said, I have to disappoint you."
"Well," Jack said, "Sue doesn´t like my voice." He looked at Sue, who was still busy with the dishwasher.
"I don´t think it's up to your voice," Lindsay replied, while she and Connor put the drinks in the fridge, "She can´t hear. Sue is deaf." She saw in Jack's face that he didn´t believe her. So she turned to Sue, called her name and asked her to turn around. But Sue was still ignoring them.
"Convinced?", Lindsay asked him, "Nothing. A job in a noisy casino is ideal for her."
Sue was now finished with the dishwasher and came to them, when she saw them standing at the counter. She smiled. "Are the drinks ready?", she asked.
"We are ready. Today we only had 10 boxes", Connor said. And he also added he found it strange they had ordered so few drinks. Sue reported they really wouldn´t need more. She suggested they could clean the carpet. She and Lindsay were responsible for the day shift, which began at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. At that time, not many visitors were at the casino, so they took care of the cleaning, while people walked past the open doors of the O'Sullivans.
Connor hoped they would have more visitors at the casino for lunch, but except for a group of tourists who wanted to take a sip, the O'Sullivans remained empty.
"Is this your every day´s business?", Connor asked, as their shift was over at 6 p.m. and they were replaced. When he and Jack had come to the casino for the first time it wasn´t frequented very much.
"Yes, what´s going on with the O'Sullivans?", Jack also wanted to know, "I noticed it´s always pretty empty." They left the casino through the back door and Connor rolled his eyes. The sun was setting and it was getting dark, but it was still quite warm. The hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip were already lighted with many colorful and dazzling lights. They mingled with the people, who were on the sidewalk.
"Many years ago the O'Sullivans was a well-attended casino," Lindsay told them, "But that was before our time. Our boss often tells."
"Really? What was the big change?", Jack asked.
"A rock star has been shot at the O'Sullivans nine years ago. It was closed and when our boss had re- opened a few days later, there were no visitors: the bad publicity had spread throughout the city. The O'Sullivans was almost broke, our boss even invested his inheritance in the casino, renovated it and reopened again. This didn´t work... "
"Since then the O'Sullivans is almost empty. But it's enough to hire eight employees. We could need a new carpet but we can´t afford", Sue added. It was early evening, but she was tired.
"It´s very warm here," Connor complained and Jack immediately had an idea: "In our hotel there is a pool..." He looked at Sue.
"No, thanks," Lindsay refused, she believed she had seen through him, "Sue and I usually don´t get into the cars of men who we know only for a day. And we also don´t go swimming with them."
"Let's have diner," suggested Sue instead, "They have great steak at Blondie's Bar."
Connor and Jack agreed and they laughingly stated they went in the wrong direction. They turned around and headed south along the Strip.

"I have an idea," Jack said to Sue the next afternoon. They had the late shift today, so they had to start working at 6 p.m.
"You and your ideas," Sue laughed. Nevertheless, she was excited to learn of his idea.
"We bring the O'Sullivans back to what it was once... Before this rock star was shot here," he said, "Who was that? Someone you know?"
"His name was Drew Walker and his band was called Phoenix Hills."
"I know them," Jack agreed, "They were on tour with Guns N 'Roses. My dad had the record."
Their boss walked past them and put a large cardboard box on the bar "What's that?", Lindsay asked. "A new game system," her boss said, "A technician will come over right now." He was on his way to his office.
"But we have no money!", Lindsay called after him and her boss predicted that the new machine would flush money into their coffers. Karaoke was modern, he said.
"Oh dear," Jack rolled his eyes and Sue asked him what was going on, "Karaoke is uninteresting for years." They watched as the announced technician came and built up the big machine. It consisted of a large, wall-sized LED screen and a kind of dance floor. Two guitars were attached to cables and also belonged to it. Connor wasn´t surprised at all that the engineer built the facility during the day, because Lindsay had told him their biggest business-if they ever had one-was in the evening and at night. Moreover, the people on the sidewalk didn´t care about the events in O'Sullivans.
Finally, the technician was finished and needed a signature of Lindsay. He then left.
They only had one guest: An old grandmother had got lost in the Irish casino until now.
"Let's see what this baby can do?", Jack and Connor asked, nodding. They chose a program and the dance floor beneath their feet began to glow. The large LCD screen in front of them showed two figures jumped back and forth between notes and red dots.
"At least the two have fun," Lindsay said to Sue as she prepared a drink for the old lady who just sat on the slot machines. Connor and Jack played guitar and sang as loud as they could and the red dots turned into yellow: "Gimme all your lovin ', all your hugs and kisses, too. Gimme all your lovin ', don´t let up until we're through. "
Sue assumed the yellow dots meant that they had made the sound.
"What song do they play?", she then wanted to know.
"A song by ZZ Top," Lindsay replied, "Jack is nice, isn´t he?"
"He is," Sue agreed and Lindsay grinned, "You like him."
"No," Sue looked frantically, "No. He wouldn´t be interested in me if he knew that I'm deaf. "
"He knows it, do you hear?" Lindsay said to her and she realized what she had said, was free of meaning, "He knows you're deaf. And yet he doesn´t behave like all the other idiots whom you have confessed your biggest secret. "All men Sue had been dating and told them about her deafness, had ignored her and then disappeared completely out of her life.
Lindsay noticed from the corner of her eye, that some people had gathered at the entrance and were reluctant to enter. But finally they entered the casino, ordered drinks and sat down at the slot machines. Connor and Jack were soon replaced by some other visitors, because they also wanted to try again as Guitar Hero.

The next morning, the morning shift cared for the cleaning of the casino. Lindsay couldn´t believe that her boss actually was right and the karaoke machine should rinse some more money into the coffers of the casino again. She discovered Connor, tired, waiting for Jack who just wanted to get his car, on a step at the entrance.
"Hey, ZZ Top, how are you today?", she sat next to him, "That was a great idea. I didn´t know you are a good singer."
"Everyone has a hidden talent," he stretched himself wearily, "But working through the night isn´t mine." He smiled. He thought they only had to work again tomorrow afternoon and his grin widened. He looked forward to sleep.
His car slowed in front of him now and Jack called after him: "Connor, go! I can´t park here for long." In fact, Connor and Lindsay got up. "What about you and Sue?, he asked, "Will you come home anyway?"
Sue now appeared beside them. "We are waiting for the bus," Sue said and looked at Lindsay but Lindsay seemed to accept their offer to take them home this time. They entered the car and drove north along the Strip. The radio was playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N 'Roses.

Instead of going home, Sue remembered that Connor and Jack had once spoken about a pool in their hotel. So they decided to go to the hotel and go to the pool. But first they took them home to get their swimming bags. Lindsay and Sue lived alone, each in a small apartment building and there were no facilities for swimming. Sue didn´t even have a balcony and Lindsay lived opposite a scruffy motel complex.
The hotel where Connor and Jack stayed in was pure luxury and Lindsay could get used to lie in the sun every day and immediately after reaching the lively pool area they had reserved four sunbeds. They sent Jack and Connor to get some drinks. "It's a really nice place," Sue enthused, "Did you know that the real Las Vegas showgirls were tanning in the sun without bikini?"
"What do you want to say?", Lindsay asked. Connor and Jack came back to them and handed each a cocktail. "Do you like the hotel?", Connor asked and Lindsay nodded.
"Let's talk about my idea," Jack suggested, "We should bring the O'Sullivans back to what it was once. And I've been thinking we need help. Celebrity Support." They all wondered what exactly he thought. "We need to ask a star for help. There are many bands and musicians from the city, but we could also ask someone from Los Angeles ... How about Michael Jackson? "Jack wanted to know.
"Hey! Are you making jokes about him?", Sue asked," You better don´t do this when you´re with me. I love Michael Jackson."
"Really?" Jack asked, "But you can´t hear his songs."
"His lyrics are good and his videos awesome... And he's a gifted dancer." She noticed he was really impressed and that he was talking about her handicap didn´t bother her.
"Besides, he's dead so we can´t ask him," Lindsay chimed, "What about The Police?" That was the band of Sting.
"They disbanded in 2008," Connor said, "Are there some famous people here in the city?"
"Why don´t you do it?", Lindsay suggested, "You are good singers."
"But we aren´t famous. No one knows us", When he said that, Connor noticed Jack seemed to like this idea. He looked thoughtful. He probably thought about a name for their band. "How about The good and the bad guy?", Jack wanted to know then.
"For what? But not as a band name?"
"Sounds like the title of an action movie," Sue laughed.
"Well, Poison is unfortunately already taken," Jack said and they all fell into a discussion of whether or not they should think of something better. Connor even asked, if he was the good or the bad guy of the band now. The worst part of their discussion was that their idea seemed to take more shape.

To be continued…