Her sister, Debbie, was twelve when she was born. A change of life baby, Emma was a complete surprise to her parents who thought they were beyond their child baring years, Debbie having already been born late in their life. She was loved by everyone though, including her older sister who took care of her almost as much as their mother did. Five years later Debbie became pregnant at age 16 by a boy who had no interest in being a father and vanished the moment Debbie told him she was expecting his child.
Being a teenage mother is never easy but Debbie refused to consider the alternative and against her parents wishes 9 months later her son, Tyler, was born. Though her parents had encouraged Debbie to think of her own future and end the pregnancy they were instantly won over at the sight of their grandchild and he became the new family darling. Even Emma was instantly smitten with the baby, the closest thing to a younger sibling she'd ever have. Debbie lived with them while she finished high school. They already had Emma, it wasn't that much harder having Tyler home all day and truthfully they adored him.
Debbie graduated high school and had moved on to her first semester of college, working nights to help support her and Tyler as well as pay for school. Their family was comfortable but the expenses of a baby as well as tuition were heavy and though her parents helped as they could she wasn't going to sit around and let them carry the full burden. Then tragedy struck, as it always seems to do when things seem to be working out.
Her parents were on their way home from the grocery store, Emma and Tyler strapped securely into the back seat of their car, when they were hit by a drunk driver. Their father died instantly, their mother two days later in the hospital. Emma and Tyler walked away with a few cuts and scratches and Debbie was left a young single mother of both her son, and now her little sister. Thankfully she was old enough to be made the legal guardian of Emma and her parents had made smart decisions and invested their money well for their retirement, which they were not far from, and had a safety net to leave behind for their children. Not to mention life insurance claims that paid out quite handsomely. It was a struggle but Debbie managed to put aside her own heartache aside and stepped up to the plate, taking care of both children as well as continuing to work and go to school, as best she could.
Life wasn't necessarily easy but they made it work and were a loving family, however small and broken. Debbie worked tirelessly and managed to graduate from college and start to build a career. Tyler and Emma grew up, Emma living at home when it was finally time for her to go to college so she could be close to her family. She was in her second year of college when Debbie met a man, a man that didn't care that she had a high school aged son and had her little sister living at home with her. He understood Debbie came with family and he embraced them all and they, in turn, welcomed him into their family and home. They married and when Emma was in her final year of college Debbie gave birth to a little girl she named Mariana after their mother.
Emma and Tyler remained close in spite of their five year age difference. They talked about everything, including her boyfriends and his girlfriends and their sex lives. As an older woman she tried to give Tyler some insight into the feminine mind and prepare him for the kind of games that girls would be playing with him. She'd been rather popular throughout high school and was just as popular in college, so she knew a thing or two about the dating game. As a result he seemed to be doing quite well with the ladies and it never ceased to amaze her, the stories he told her about what he'd done with the girls he dated.
Emma had begun dating one boy at college very seriously around the time Mariana was born, Jacob Chalmers, a smart, charming, suave, rich boy who managed to sweep her right off of her feet. Though she didn't come from the kind of money he did her voluptuous 5'4 figure, long auburn hair, and hazel eyes had certainly made up for any lack of family money. He couldn't resist her and he made sure she couldn't resist him. They married right out of college, her hard earned degree in international studies put on a shelf as she took on the full time job as the Wife of Jacob Chalmers.
The wedding was lavish and expensive, the only real part she'd had any hand in arranging was the presence of her family. Tyler looked miserable. He didn't like Jacob, thought he was a slimy bastard who only wanted Emma as the lovely trophy wife to look good on his arm. He was right, of course, but she was a young bride awash in the first bloom of what she thought was real love and wouldn't listen to reason. She moved out of her families smaller but happy home and into Jacob's large, and very cold, manor. She did her best to be a good wife but she grew bored easily just attending to Jacob's social demands for her with little else to occupy her time and she spent a lot of time at her sisters house.
In spite of their difference in opinion on what Emma's role was, their sex life was good, very good, and she enjoyed Jacob's lovemaking regularly. It didn't take long at all for her to become pregnant and 9 months later she gave birth to her own daughter, Grace, named for her mothers middle name. Life wasn't perfect but it was good and Debbie and Emma enjoyed sharing motherhood with one another, their daughters, almost 2 years apart in age, sharing much of their time together. Then, as if Fate were not quite done toying with their family, another tragedy rocked them all to their foundation.
While walking to their car after a romantic dinner, Debbie and her husband were accosted in the parking lot, an armed assailant shooting them both and taking everything of value on them. Emma had been with Tyler watching Mariana and Grace, the police arriving just before midnight to tell them what had happened. Apparently the assailant had tried to take Debbie with him, intending to steal the car and her sister, but she'd fought like a maniac, knowing if he took her she was as good as dead anyway. He'd shot her husband before her eyes then shot her.