One Night! Disclaimer: I do not own the song or characters mentioned in this story. A/N: This is a response to a totally random challenge where we visited a site and it generated two names and a writing prompt. Mine came up… Jimmy Palmer/Jeanne Benoit – One Night. So of course this idea sprung to mind. Summary: What does Jimmy Palmer do on his spare time? How does he let his hair down when Ducky or school gets to him? And how will this pastime snowball into a situation against his good friend, Tony? Who knew that One Night could have such consequences?
Mister Palmer! Mister Palmer! Mister Palmer! That was what Palmer had heard for most of the day. Unfortunately, it was one of those days where everything just went wrong. It started when he suffered from an acute case of butterfingers and almost dropped everything. Fortunately the sample was lucky enough not to get contaminated.
Palmer! Palmer got his head chewed off by Lead Agent Jethro Gibbs after he was pointing something out on the autopsy report and knocked Gibbs' coffee over… The hot contents spilled onto the report and miraculously on Gibbs' lap.
He couldn't find a place to hide. Everything he touched seemed to turn to crap. Fortunately, it was Friday… With it being Friday, that meant, barring any drastic turn of events, he'd use the weekend to regain his composure and start the next week with a rested mind, body and soul. At least Friday nights gave him a chance to let his hair down and let loose.
When it was time to go, Palmer couldn't get out of the NCIS building quick enough. There was no way he was going to hang around any longer than necessary. He got home, showered, changed and grabbed his gym bag in record time. With how the day has been or even the week, it was surprising that Palmer found him self washing his face with shaky hands as he breathed deeply. He removed his glasses and put them in the gym bag that was now home to his regular clothes.
"Tony would compare me to Eminem, or whoever he was right about now," Palmer laughed nervously. Of all the times he'd been in this very situation… The thrill, the excitement and the nerves still felt strong. Palmer donned the wig and made sure the sideburns were on straight. He adjusted the gold jacket… But quickly corrected him self in his mind… It was yellow, with glittering white on the pockets.
He thought about a song or two he wanted to sing and then it hit him. For one night, he could be the coolest entertainer that ever lived. For one night, he could cease being Jimmy Palmer, incompetent autopsy Gremlin. Yes, he knew what Tony liked to call him and yes, Palmer knew how he could be likened to those little troublesome creatures. But when he donned the gold looking suit, he could be somebody else altogether. One Night… He would be King.
The audience was rowdy that night. That was Palmer's first thought as a group of friends impersonated the Rat Pack. They didn't look anything like their famous counterparts but the people in the crowd didn't seem to mind. He applauded energetically as the Rat Pack impersonators did the infamous High Hopes song and stepped off stage.
"Ladies and Gentleman of the audience… In 1956/1957 a young man broke out from the Louisianna Hayrides and onto Televisions and larger halls. His already high popularity rating, skyrocketed so quickly… Just one man changed the face of Rock and Roll. One man who was so different that some Television personalities didn't want him on their show… I won't mention any names… (cough, cough)Ed (cough, cough) Sullivan," some of the audience members laughed. "But in the end, he too came around… I'm talking about the one… The only… Elvis Presley!!" He shouted out. "Portrayed by JP. Welcome him on stage," the Mic man waved to Palmer.
Palmer smiled at the crowd's reaction. They cheered and whistled at the man pretending to be King. He assumed that deep down they all wanted to see Elvis Presley… Most were too young or just never had the chance. Elvis impersonators were the next best thing. They were even better if they were good… And Palmer thought he was above average.
He cleared his throat as he stood in front of the microphone. He told the person in charge of the music what he was wanted. One Night seemed an appropriate choice. The music started and sent Palmer deep into character. "One Night with you, is what I'm now praying for… The things we two could plan would make my dreams come true," Palmer sung. He wasn't standing in a cheap looking bar, but imagining he was in Vegas performing to thousands of adoring fans. They loved him for it. "Just call my name, I'll be right by your side. I want your sweet helping hand, my love is too strong to hide… Always lived a very quiet life. Now I know, my life without you… Has been! Too lonely, too long," Palmer couldn't help but smile at the reaction that a simple wiggle of the legs could bring. "That One Night with you is all that I'm dreaming of… The things we two could plan… Would make the Earth stand still…" Palmer repeated the last couple of verses. A couple of times he almost stuffed up when his eyes caught a magnificent pair of blue eyes watching him. But he regained his composure and continued on.
When Palmer stepped off the stage he decided to head straight for the bar and calm him self with a drink of alcohol to calm his shaky hands, the blue eyes were nowhere to be seen. He used both hands to grip the glass and take the drink. It didn't matter how often Palmer did the Elvis thing, performing always made him shake a little. "God if they only knew," Palmer said as he thought about all the teasing he'd receive from Tony. Then there'd be everyone else. He'd probably become an anecdote for one of Ducky's endless stories.
"Only knew what?" A female asked. Palmer found him self looking deeply into those set of eyes.
"Well hello there," Palmer curled up his lip. He decided to stay in the character. For some reason he felt comfortable in the get up. He held the beer up as a kind of a salute. Palmer wasn't sure why he was able to attract gorgeous women on nights like this. But he never let that dictate his actions. "I was just thinking that if my friends knew I did this, they'd have a great laugh at my expense," Palmer shrugged his shoulders.
"So that's why you always come here by yourself," the blue-eyed woman stated.
"You've been here before… Of course you have. Stupid question I know," Palmer stammered a little.
"Well they're missing out on one great act… Their loss," the woman shrugged her shoulders.
"Well… For tonight I am King. Tomorrow, I'll just be the same old screw up I always am," Palmer knew he sounded pathetic when he talked like that. But damn it… It was the truth. "So what brings you around?" Palmer asked.
"Life sucks right now… Just looking for fun. Tonight you're King huh? Dare I fulfill a lot of women's dreams and spend the night with Elvis," the woman chuckled slightly. But it did sound forced.
"Really funny," Palmer scoffed.
The woman grabbed him by the back of the neck and brushed her lips against his before holding the connection. Palmer looked over his shoulder when he felt her hand massaging his ass. "Show me One Night," she whispered into his ear before nibbling on it.
Usually Palmer wouldn't even consider doing this but decided to anyway. Maybe a change of action was what he needed. Perhaps it could put an end to this rut of idiocy and stuff ups. "Let's go," Palmer smiled.
Hotel Room: Next Morning
Palmer was no stranger to lustful sex. The woman lying beside him was so sexually active that it went on. He looked at the foot of the bed, his suit was over the floor from the door to bed. The woman's bra on the bed, it was a fight to get it off as quick as possible. He didn't even bother to ask for her name.
Palmer used the sheet to wipe his neck and bare chest. He was still damp with sweat and some of the woman's hair clung to her face. Even though this action went against his nature there was something extremely satisfying about it. He understood now, why Tony had been the way he was.
"Good Morning," Palmer smiled.
"Yeah," the woman sat up in the bed and surveyed the situation before shrugging. She reached over for the bra and proceeded to put it on.
"I just realized I don't know your name," Palmer felt guilty about that.
"Jeanne Benoit," Jeanne answered. She didn't think it should matter.
Palmer's face paled as he stood up. "This was a mistake," he said. He grabbed the bag and put on the pants in record time. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It was just one night," Jeanne said. "Not much of a mistake… But I think you're right… One Night with you 'did' make the Earth stand still," she smiled.
Palmer put the suit in the bag and fought to zip it up but smiled. "Ha… Hey. Uh, thanks," he quickly left the hotel room. "Man, Tony's going to kill me," he said when he was out of earshot. This left Jeanne alone, pondering the demise of her love life.
