Abigail O'Leary

Abigail O'Leary is a 26-year-old journalist and recreational dreamer living in Washington, D.C. with her father, Joseph O'Leary (55). Following the death of her mother in December of 2010, she is trying to establish a new life in D.C., mend her relationships with her family, and overcome both the problems she has created for herself and those forced upon her by others.

Personality
Abby is a good person, by most standards, but some would consider her unconventional. She was raised by two people with very strong personalities- one very compassionate and intelligent, the other a highly respected, independent and blunt character who had only partially gotten his temper under control. Thankfully, Abby didn't inherit any detrimental flaws. Instead she matured into a woman that shared the strengths of both parents, but also managed to form an identity of her own.

Abby's father's blunt attitude and aggressiveness led his daughter to become disillusioned at an early age. Thankfully, her mother prevented her from becoming a complete pessimist. Abby has become very "street smart", using her ability to soak up information in her studies of human behavior. This has allowed her to develop a fairly accurate image of reality. She often knows when someone has lied to her (even if it isn't immediately clear), and she's hesitant to trust people. Rather than thinking that people are innocent until proven to be liars and cheaters, she's cautious until she believes she knows enough about an individual to trust them. Abby is also very honest with herself and others when it comes to predicting the outcomes of situations.

It's her sharp tongue and often out-of-place humor that has brought her so much closer to her father, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She was almost timid as a child (only being outgoing in the presence of her family, and shying away from most others), but now her outgoing and humorous attitude is one of her greatest defining qualities. Her humor is often dry, and even slightly caustic (depending on her mood), but she's far from malicious in most cases.

History
Born and raised in Boston, MA, Abby had a mostly uneventful and pleasant upbringing in a middle class family. Until recently, she always had a good relationship with her brother, Andrew (29), and sister, Lillian (21). She always performed extremely well in school, graduating second in her class in high school and attending Dartmouth College as an English major on a significant scholarship.

After college, she stayed in New Hampshire to work as a journalist/columnist. Her brother's move to California got Abby more involved in a now-strained relationship between Andrew and Abby's father. After Lilly went to school and Abby's father moved to D.C. for a mysterious job, Abby's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Unable to keep her job, Abby's mother moved to NH to live with Abby. Andrew's distant behavior caused further strain on the family.

Abby quit her job, unable to keep working and take care of her mother at the same time, and soon moved back to Boston after breaking up with Ethan Mariano. Shortly afterward, Abby's mother died (December 2010). While confronting personal and financial issues following her mother's death, Abby turned to shared dreaming through her connection to David Mason, whom she met while going to school at Dartmouth.

In January 2011, Abby moved to D.C. to live with her father in his apartment, hoping to better her relationship with him while recovering from her financial troubles. There she re-united with Lionel Quillman, whom she had met at the age of sixteen in Boston after an attempt to help a friend of hers turned into a dangerous situation. She agreed to inform him about her dream-sharing activity so he could keep her out of trouble. With the help of David Mason, she was able to establish dream-sharing connections in D.C. and continue her illegal habit.

During one dream-sharing session, she was caught in the act by Ted Kohler. She was released after agreeing to rat out the people who were with her, but David Mason, who had arranged the dream, was furious with her as a result. Upon telling Quill about the situation, he arranged to have Agent Kohler and Zora Markova investigate Abby to figure out who might be a threat to her.

In the riot of October 1st, Abby was stabbed by Eavan McNamara without explanation close to the Freedom Plaza. She called Quill for help, who then contacted Ted Kohler. Ted agreed to drive Abby to a hospital. ..

With Ethan Mariano
Ethan and Abby met while Abby was going attending Dartmouth College and he was still going by his 'real' name, Ethan Davenport. They dated on and off for a while, until Abby broke it off permanently following her mother's death. Ethan is currently investigating Abby's activity in D.C., though he hasn't spoken to her himself.

With Lionel Quillman
Abby and Quill met in Boston when Abby was sixteen. After traveling to a bad part of town to help a friend in need, she witnessed a crime. Quill interfered, perhaps saving her life. The two reunited in D.C. not long after Abby arrived. Now, Quill continues to be a friend and protector to Abby. He has made keeping her out of trouble with dream-sharing a priority, going so far as to recruit others to the cause.

With Ted Kohler
Abby met Ted after a dream-sharing bust that led to Ted offering her a deal in exchange for her being kept out of trouble. She agreed to the deal and fabricated a story that made her a victim and the others present responsible for the entirety of the crime. Ted was then enlisted in Quill's attempts to keep Abby safe, resulting in his investigating Abby's dream-sharing connections and getting her out of the riot following her being stabbed.

With Zora Markova
Zora and Ted Kohler have been investigating Abby and her dream-sharing connections at the request of Lionel Quillman.