Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives, especially the blurb of dialogue I borrowed to serve as an intro. I just watch the show obsessively.

Story Summary: A series of post-episode vignettes for season six.

Chapter Summary: The difference between sin and evil is the virtue inside of people. A post-episode look at "Nice is Different than Good." Takes place primarily after the wedding.

Coda

A story by Ryeloza

One:

The Opposition of Sin

Mary Alice: It's not hard to find sin in the suburbs. Just look behind closed doors and you'll find your neighbors cheating on their husbands; resenting their children; plotting against their friends. But as much as we like to talk about the sinful things people do, we forget there's a difference between sin and evil. Sadly, there's always someone willing to come along and remind us.

One – Wrath and Patience: Katherine

The sun outside is so bright that Katherine wants the earth to open and swallow her whole, effectively blocking its rays forever. She knows that no one is coming after her—she's seen with whom her friends' priorities lie…even Bree's—but she marches at a brisk, steadfast pace as though she's escaping someone.

Her anger has become alive inside of her and it's been growing steadily for months. And she just thought that if Susan would apologize, would admit to the world that she is wrong, that maybe that would quell the rage. But it didn't and now she's stuck with this living fire inside of her that she's sure she has no control over.

Anger is fueled by so much more than one slight, and Katherine has had hers building for years. The sound of every smack against her each time her husband beat her. Dylan's death. Adam's betrayal and lies and self-righteous act of leaving her as though he was the one wronged. Years of loneliness. Bree taking off and leaving her behind with just a small piece of her world. Mike leaving her for Susan.

But now, today, hearing Susan's apology but knowing that she is still going to walk away with everything and leave Katherine with nothing…

It's ignited a flame that Katherine knows will never go away. It is passion. It is power.

She's burning alive and she can't figure out how to stop it.

But she's not sure she wants to.

Two – Envy and Kindness: Ana

Ana rolls her eyes and taps her foot, making every effort to let her impatience be known. Unfortunately, the only one paying any attention to her is Juanita, and unless Ana pays her to do something atrocious they're apparently not getting out of this church any time soon. Her uncle is too busy discussing golf or basketball or some sport with the neighborhood men while her aunt is gossiping about Katherine Mayfair's big scene. That, admittedly, was a riotous tribute to the nature of pathetic. She wonders if she'll ever be able to get a man as broken up about her as Katherine is about Mike.

With a sigh, Ana sinks back into her seat. Juanita stands directly in front of her and cocks her head; the kid is almost obnoxiously curious sometimes, but Ana tries to work it to her advantage. "This is boring," says Juanita.

"Astute observation, kid."

"Do you want to play a game?"

Ana frowns, annoyed both because Juanita is bothering her, and, worse, because her suggestion actually sounds tempting. "Fine," she says, making sure to sigh as though she's being burdened. "Let's play, what are they saying?"

"How do you play that?" asks Juanita dubiously.

"It's easy. We pick out people and try to decide what they're talking about."

Juanita crosses her arms. "That doesn't sound fun."

"Well if you don't want to…"

There is a moment of silence for which Ana gives Juanita some credit for holding her own, but then she gives in with a mournful, "Fine. I'll play."

"Okay. Let's start with an easy one. How about your mom, Mrs. Hodge, and Mrs. Scavo?"

"Duh," says Juanita, rolling her eyes. "They're talking about Mrs. Mayfair. Did you see her?" Juanita makes the crazy gesture with her finger. "I think she got in a fight with someone."

Ana fights a smile. "Fine. How about Celia and that kid?"

"MJ Delfino?"

"Yeah."

"Celia's probably not saying anything. MJ is probably being a whiny baby. As usual!"

"Really? I think Celia's telling MJ that she loves him."

Juanita's eyes widen, but then she starts to giggle. "Maybe they'll get married," she says.

"Oh definitely," says Ana.

"Okay, let me pick one!" Juanita scans the room and then points. "Julie and that guy who moved in. Mom says he's moody."

Ana frowns. She doesn't know much about Danny Bolen, but she may have to rectify that. Surely he'll be good for something. And it bothers her that he's looking at Julie like she's the only person in the room. Something inside of her wants to ruin it; to prove that she can turn him her way without a second thought about Julie. But deep down she fears that even if she can sway his eye (which she's sure she can), he'll never actually look at her the way he's looking at Julie right now.

"I think they're in love," Juanita says before Ana can say anything. "Not pretend like MJ and Celia. Real love. Like Mommy and Daddy."

Judging by how Julie is scowling, Ana has a feeling it's a little more one-sided, but she can't bring herself to crush Juanita's fantasy. It's enticing, her cousin's childlike view of the world. Ana can't remember ever seeing the world that way.

"Yeah," she says, swallowing her jealousy. You're probably right."

Three – Pride and Humility: Susan

"I can't believe she said that to me! Can you believe it? After that apology! That world class apology! During my wedding no less!" Susan bats at her veil, which suddenly seems to be everywhere, and moans. "Why did this have to happen today?"

Mike puts a hand on her knee and squeezes it. "Calm down, Susan. Technically nothing happened until after the wedding."

"We were still in the church! In my book that qualifies as during!"

"Honey, please. It's over and done. Katherine got what she demanded from you and eventually she'll get over this. Trust me."

"I doubt that!" Susan crosses her arms and settles back in the seat of the limo to have a good pout. She had truly meant her apology and Katherine had basically spat on it. Worse still, no one was going to see Katherine as the bad guy here because she hadn't openly rebuffed Susan. Why did these things only ever seem to happen to her?

"I don't understand why you care so much if Katherine accepted your apology or not," she hears Mike say. With effort she turns her head to glare at him. "All anyone is going to say about the whole confrontation is what a big person you were to do that for her on your wedding day. And frankly, I don't think anyone will be talking about it for long anyway. The wedding was beautiful; the reception is going to be just as special. And our friends are going to care more about us and what this day means than they will about one angry woman in a red dress."

Susan gives him a small smile. "Well, I did get salmon puffs that rival Bree's for the reception. And I do know how to throw a good party."

"See: a silver lining!"

"You're right! This day is about us, not her!" Susan leans forward to kiss Mike but gets tangled in her dress and ends up slumped against his shoulder instead. Mike laughs.

"Come here," he says, and he plants a big kiss right on her mouth.

Four – Gluttony and Temperance: Orson

Orson scans the room again for Bree, but he can't spot her distinctive hair anywhere. Her lovely hair. No, her gorgeous hair. Distinctive, lovely, gorgeous hair that he'll probably never get to run his fingers through again. Sighing, he downs the glass of champagne in his hand and then plucks up another abandoned flute that he takes with him as he continues to push through the crowds. For the time he decides to give up his search; most likely Bree is still off chasing Katherine somewhere. She'll find him eventually. Maybe.

He makes his way back towards their table which has been largely abandoned in favor of the dance floor. Only Lynette remains, hunched glumly with her elbow on the table while picking at the cake in front of her. Orson shoots back the champagne in his hand and saunters over to her.

"Have you seen Bree?" he asks. His voice seems louder than he means it to be and he clears his throat.

Lynette looks up at him with a quirked eyebrow and belatedly he remembers that not fifteen minutes before he announced he was going to search for his wife. "She's hasn't been back to the table."

"Oh." Orson pulls out the chair next to Lynette and sits down. He gestures to the champagne glass in front of her. "Not drinking tonight?"

"Huh? Oh, no. No. No alcohol for me. Not a drop." Lynette crosses her arms on the table and drops her head on top of them. "Oh God."

Orson steals her champagne before she can change her mind. "Where's Tom anyway?"

Lynette raises her head with a sigh. "He took Penny out on the dance floor."

The dance floor is crowded, but Orson can spy Tom twirling Penny around; they're both laughing and happy and it only makes Orson more miserable. "She looks really grown up, Lynette." He frowns, thinking of the tiny toddler Lynette used to carry on her hip. Has it really been so long since he first married Bree? Out loud he says, "It makes me feel old."

Lynette glares at him, and though he can't quite put his finger on his apparent faux pas he automatically apologizes.

"Maybe you should lay off the champagne," says Lynette.

"Well I know a secret about champagne that you probably don't: it numbs the pain!" Orson chuckles. "Seriously, you should try it. You look like you could use a little numbing."

"Well, you're right about that," concedes Lynette, but she still doesn't take a drink and Orson's moment of good spirit deflates.

Before either of them can say anything more, Penny runs up to the table full of energy that Orson doesn't believe he'll ever have again. "Hey, baby," says Lynette, though her voice doesn't lose its listlessness. "Did you have fun with your dad?"

"Yeah. Caitlyn and I are going to go outside, okay?"

"Outside?"

Tom walks up behind Penny and drops his hands on her shoulders. "Just on the verandah, honey."

Lynette nods. "Okay."

Penny runs off, leaving Orson to feel like an awkward third wheel. Tom is staring down at Lynette with a look that is clearly meant to be private and something in Lynette's face finally softens. Orson feels a pang; he can't remember the last time that Bree looked at him that way. Sorrowful, he reaches for the last glass of champagne on the table while Lynette halfheartedly excuses herself to go dance with her husband.

Orson looks down at the glass, swirls its contents a few times and then decidedly sets it aside. He's done.

Out of no where, Bree slides into Lynette's vacated seat. Despite her pursed lips and the cold look in her eyes she's still the most welcome sight he's seen all night and he works up his first genuine smile. "Hi," he says.

"Hello."

"How is Katherine?"

"I never found her. Look, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted—"

"Dance with me," Orson interrupts. He knows it's risky, Bree is as intolerant of rudeness as he is, but maybe it's time he took more chances in their marriage. Hopeful, he stands and holds out a hand to his beautiful wife. "Please."

"I'm not in the mood, Orson. It's been a very long day and you've clearly been drinking. Let's just go home."

Orson's smile fades and he drops his hand. "Okay," he concedes. Disappointed, he picks up the champagne he abandoned just a minute ago and tosses it back. "We'll go home."

Five – Greed and Charity: Danny

For Danny, the wedding reception plays like a montage in his mind: a series of lovely images one after another meant for the sole purpose of delighting his senses. The world has seemed like this ever since he first saw Julie and no matter if she's smiling at him or screaming at him he still wants to save every moment with her as a permanent snapshot in his mind. Even tonight, wearing the most ridiculous-looking dress he's ever seen, he can't keep his eyes off of her.

Julie, laughing with her stepfather as they watch her mother dance the YMCA.

Julie, hugging her mother with tears in her eyes.

Julie, dancing with her little brother.

Talking, smiling, giggling, drinking, twirling…it's a whole new catalogue of images just for him. For hours, he sits and watches her, delights in her, longs for her, until finally the right moment comes along. He sees her say her goodbyes and stalks her with his eyes as she crosses the room. Once he is out of her line of vision, he rises and approaches, nearly humming with the excitement of being able to talk to her.

"What is up with this dress?" he asks, leaning close to her from behind so she knows his words are just for her. He swats playfully at the layers of tulle from behind and Julie turns abruptly to face him.

"Go. Away."

"Aw, come on. I'm just having a little fun."

"It's not fun. You're not funny. And it's my mother's wedding reception; I have more important things going on tonight."

"Liar. You're on your way home."

Julie puts her hands on her hips and glares at him. "What? Have you been watching me?"

"I just want to talk to you for a minute. Please."

For a second he thinks Julie will give in: her face softens and her posture relaxes. Then she says, "I'm leaving now. Don't follow me."

She turns and stalks away from him and he represses his impulse to follow her. Instead he calls after her, "You can't avoid me forever, Julie!" She doesn't respond, but it doesn't matter. Someday soon she'll be all his.

Six – Sloth and Diligence: Lynette

"Hey Mom?" Parker's voice drifts down the stairs and Lynette hurriedly stuffs the maternity top back into the box and shoves it under the table. She and Tom are going to have to tell the kids about the babies soon, but she plans to keep the secret for as long as she can. Once other people know she will actually have to make an effort to appear happy and just the thought of that exhausts her. She turns as Parker descends the stairs, but she can't quite manage a smile. "I'm going over to Andy's for awhile," he says.

"Now? It's kind of late, don't you think?"

"It's only nine."

"On a school night."

Parker frowns and shifts the basketball he's holding in front of him to rest under one arm. "Tomorrow's Sunday, Mom."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, my mind must have been somewhere else." She manages a tight smile and crosses her arms over her chest. "Okay, well just make sure you're home by eleven."

To her surprise, Parker looks at her in confusion instead of making a break for the door. She feels acutely uncomfortable under his gaze, as though he's trying to puzzle out her mystery. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she lies automatically, but Parker continues to stare at her.

"I just mean you've been kind of out of it lately. You didn't even do anything at the reception when Dad decided to play DJ."

Lynette cringes at the thought even though just a few hours ago she hadn't had the energy to care one way or the other. "Your dad was just having fun," she says halfheartedly.

Parker cocks his head and gives her a look she's seen on Tom's face a hundred times. With a pang of heartsickness she remembers the day he was born; how like Tom he'd appeared, how happy she had been, and how completely overwhelmed by love she had felt. Maybe Tom is right. Maybe she'll feel the same thing when she holds these babies in her arms. It is the only hope she has to cling to, but she's finding it impossible to fight through the overpowering anguish.

"You'd tell us if you were sick again, right?"

Lynette feels literally snapped back to the present as Parker's words nearly knock the wind out of her. "What?"

"We were talking about it. You've been acting really weird all summer. Porter said that it kind of reminded him of when you were sick. And you didn't tell us last time until we asked, so…" Parker punctuates his speech with a shrug.

"No," Lynette says, but it comes out weaker than she intended, more of a gasp than an answer. She clears her throat and tries again. "No. I'm not sick."

Parker nods. "Okay. Well. I guess I should go before it's too late."

"Yeah." She leans back against the table and doesn't watch as Parker walks away.

"Mom?" she hears him say a second later. Slowly, she raises her head; he's standing with his hand on the doorknob. "Just remember, we're not little kids anymore." He smiles briefly and then before she can blink he's gone.

Alone again, Lynette runs a hand over her stomach and blinks back unexpected tears. "No," she says quietly. "You're not."

Seven – Lust and Chastity: Bree

"Well that was worth waiting for!"

Bree turns from her back onto her side in order to look at Karl. Unlike all the other men she's been with he still seems full of energy despite going three rounds. He smiles at her and then squeezes her shoulder and gives her a quick peck on the lips. "We should do it again sometime."

To Bree's surprise, he climbs out of bed and scoops up his boxer shorts. Just an hour or so ago he was twirling them around his finger while spouting objectionable cowboy euphemisms for sex. Now he's leaving. Abruptly, she sits up in bed, holding the sheets to her chest in some belated form of chastity.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. My babysitter's fees double after midnight. Do I look like I'm made of money?" He laughs. "Forget that last part. Anyway, you have a husband to get home to, remember?"

Bree quells her initial impulse to say that she doesn't want to get home to her husband. Even if it's how she feels it's a useless protest to make because Orson can't find out about this. At least while she's still unsure if the likely result would be Orson sending her to jail.

"Don't think so hard, sexy. You'll get wrinkles." Karl plops down on the bed and kisses her again. "Look, if it's a one time thing then Orson will never find out and you can go on to repress this just like you do everything else. Problem solved."

"What if I don't want this to be a one time thing?"

Karl grinned. "If you want another ride on this stallion then all you have to do is call. But eventually Orson will find out. Trust me. I'm an expert on cheating." He shook his head. "Poor bastard. He's never gonna see it coming."

"Don't tell me you feel guilty now!"

"Of course not. It was just today at the church." Karl's voice slides up into a poor impression of her husband as he echoes the words Orson stage whispered to her during the ceremony. "'This reminds me of our wedding. We can be that happy again you know.' Poor sap sounded just like Susie did. You know, back then."

For the first time in hours, rock hard guilt settles into the pit of Bree's stomach. In a flash she feels as though a decade or so has slipped away and she's back in Mary Alice's breakfast nook watching Susan cry over Karl, pitying her while simultaneously thanking God that Rex is so faithful. How foolish she had been then. How foolish she is now.

"We shouldn't do this again," she says quietly, but she's not quite sure she means what she says.

Karl shrugs. "It's on your terms, babe. Just remember that."

He kisses her one last time and leaves.