This story starts in the beginning of season two, Dawson and Joey are dating. That's really all you need to know. The Song is By Elton John, lyrics supplied by I don't own Dawsons creek or any of the characters apart from Bernice.

Original Sin

Prologue

Oh, it's carnival night
And they're stringing the lights around you
Hanging paper angels
Painting little devils on the roof

Oh the furnace wind
Is a flickering of wings about your face
In a cloud of incense
Yea, it smells like Heaven in this place

I can't eat, can't sleep
Still I hunger for you when you look at me
That face, those eyes
All the sinful pleasures deep inside

Tell me how, you know now, the ways and means of getting in
Underneath my skin,
Oh you were always my original sin
And tell me why, I shudder inside, every time we begin
This dangerous game
Oh you were always my original sin

A dream will fly
The moment that you open up your eyes
A dream is just a riddle
Ghosts from every corner of your life

Up in the balcony
All the Romeo's are bleeding for your hand
Blowing theatre kisses
Reciting lines they don't understand

Joey Potter Got out of bed and walked sleepily to the kitchen table. It was six thirty and she had plenty of chores to do around the house before she could even think about getting ready for school; Alexander had been screaming all night and she just wished that she could crawl back into her bed and sleep for a hundred years.

"Morning Joey," Bessie said, walking in the kitchen with Alexander hanging off her hip

"It's morning but it's not good; mornings are never good these days," she complained, pouring some coffee into her battered yellow mug.

"Now what are you so grumpy about?"

"Rosemary's baby is why i'm so grumpy," she told her, narrowing her eyes at her sister. She loved Alex, she would never deny that she did, but sometimes she just wished that he could stay quiet for one moment during the night.

"He can't help it Joey, he's just a baby,"

"Do you even realise that I have a French test today, a maths quiz and an English assignment to turn in that I haven't even written yet?"

"Well whose fault is that?"

"Yours actually since you come to mention it," she narrowed her eyes at her and stormed out the kitchen. "I'm so sick of my life! I'm sick of cleaning up all the time and working every night. I'm sick of getting no sleep, I'm sick of Dawson crowding me all the time. Sometimes I wish that I could just leave!" She exploded, slumping down on the couch and placing her hand over her head.

"Are you finished being dramatic?"

"Yes,"

"Good, because I need you to put out the trash,"

"Is there anything you would like Cinderella to do? Maybe I could clean the gutters or arrange all of the refrigerator magnets by colour?" she said, sarcasm biting at her every word.

"Joey," Bessie said sitting down beside her. "Look I know things are hard but things can only get better. Right little sis?"

"Well they could get better or much, much worse," Joey grumbled.

"Cheer up," Bessie told her, standing up and walking over to the coffee table. "A letter came for you yesterday,"

"For me?" Joey asked confused, taking it from her sister and opening it.

"For you," Bessie walked away and left her to her mail.

Joey took the letter from the envelope and scanned her eyes over it for a moment, it read;

Dear Miss Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that the international scholarship programme has put your name forward as a candidate. The program requires three students from across Massachusetts to participate in an exchange with students in Paris, France.

This scholarship includes a placement with a French student of the same age and will give you the rare opportunity to experience one area of culture that you share an interest in. The placement is eighteen months long and will require that the candidate participates in the second eighteen months of the project by arranging accommodation for the French students visit to the United States.

If you are interested in our proposition, and wish to take advantage of this rare opportunity please contact your schools head of foreign language as soon as possible so that you have the best possible chance of being in the lucky three able to participate.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. A. G. Reynolds

Joey glanced at the letter one more time to make sure she was reading it correctly. It was an excellent opportunity, but was she really prepared to leave all her friends and family behind for well over a year?