A/N: Okay. This chapter is intense. I feel compelled to issue trigger warnings.

Nick groups with them outside the room where Viva sits nervously, looking around at its dour austerity. It is designed to be a harsh-looking room, and Elliot feels sorry for the woman, who is obviously innocent, and clearly frightened to be here. Unfortunately, it's the only kind of room they have for this kind of interview.

"Where's her daughter?" Olivia asks.

"With the brother-in-law," Cragen replies. "She didn't want to bring her. Sounds like she's still shaken up, and there are also some trust issues with the police. We didn't want to force her."

"That makes sense," Olivia mumbles, staring at Viva.

"Do you recognize her?" Cragen asks Olivia.

"Sort of, yes." Olivia looks utterly unnerved. "She looks so worried! Does she … does she know she's not in trouble?"

"She does," Nick confirms. "Patrol explained it on the way, and I just told her again. And also, that we have no intention of calling ICE."

"Good."

Olivia continues to stare at Viva through the window, looking mortified that she only barely remembers her. Cragen exchanges glances with Elliot and Nick, clears his throat. "Liv, now that she's been found, I don't think you need to be here any longer."

Predictably, Olivia turns to him like he's mad. "No way! I want to hear what she has to say!"

"Liv," Cragen implores. "We found her. She's alive. You did your part. Let us take it from here."

Olivia looks stricken. "Captain, I'm fine! Whatever she says, I can handle it!"

"Her English is choppy," Nick says, lamely.

Olivia glares at him. "I understand Spanish."

"Liv – " Elliot tries again. He touches her elbow, but she yanks it away.

She turns to her boss, and to Elliot, fire in her eyes, but also panic. "Please," she begs. "It's killing me that I don't remember this woman. If she was there, in that room, I have to know what he did to her. I have to find out why I don't remember this. You have no idea what it feels like to find out there's a chunk of your memory missing."

Still, Cragen hesitates.

"You know I'm going to eventually find out what she says here. I might as well hear it now."

"Okay," Cragen concedes. "Nick will do the interview. You can stand outside with me and watch." He pauses. "And Elliot, if you're okay with that."

She halts in her tracks. "Thank you." Addressing Elliot, she tries to pretend it doesn't matter to her either way. "I'm okay with it, but Elliot, I mean, they're right, if you have other things to do, or, um …"

Knowing he can't ask her in front of them if she wants him to stay – and he's spent enough time with her know for certain that she does – he interjects. "I'm kind of curious myself what she has to say."

Nick, overruled, accedes, slowly. "Okay." His face belies that he thinks this is a terrible idea. Elliot has a sinking feeling he's right.

Cragen nods. "Okay."

Defeated, Nick enters the room, shutting the door behind him and taking a seat opposite Viva, who is facing the two-way mirror. Elliot, Olivia and Cragen stand outside, awaiting the start of the interview.

After Nick goes through the pleasantries – offering her water, reaffirming that she's not in trouble, and telling her that he just wants to hear what happened, as she remembers it, in her own words, he poses his first question:

"What time did you arrive at the house?"

Viva looks relieved to start with a softball. "I come at twelve o'clock, same time as always. I bring Luisa. But the key is not where Miss Linda usually leave it, so I knock. A man answer. He speak to us en español."

Nick shows Viva a photograph of Lewis. "Was this the man?"

Viva glances at the photo, looks away in disgust. "Sí."

"Okay, what did he say?"

"I see right away he is a bad man. I tell him I come back later, but he point a gun and force us to come into the house. He tie me and Luisa up on the floor in the little bedroom."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. He leave us. He go to the master bedroom."

"You know it was the master bedroom?"

Viva looks insulted. "Sí, por supuesto. I clean this house every week for three years. I know which way is master bedroom."

"Right, okay. Go on."

"We hear him talk to a woman. She ask what he do to us. He say, nothing. They talk some more, I don't know what they say, but then I hear a fight."

"A fight?"

"Yes. Somebody get hit and fall. And then the woman, she come to us and untie us."

Nick shows Viva a photo of Olivia. "Was this the woman?"

Viva frowns. "Sí. Yes. But she look very different."

"How?"

"She look … how you say? Golpeado."

"Beaten up."

"Yes. I see he hurt her a lot. Sus muñecas estaban magulladas."

"Her wrists were bruised."

"Sí. I think, maybe she escape from him? She tell us she is la policia and she bring us to the front doorand tell us to leave the house."

"Did she have a gun?" Nick asks.

The woman looks stricken. "Sí, but she don't point it at us!"

"No, no, we know. Go on."

"She speak to us en español, she say to leave the house before la policía de inmigración arrive to take my daughter away."

Olivia, horrified, gapes at the window. "I told her ICE was after her?"

"You were trying to get her out of there," Elliot says from beside her.

Viva continues. "But then she hear a sound behind her. And she turn around and I see the man is on the floor in the hallway, outside the master bedroom, and he has another gun and he point it at Luisa."

"You could see him?"

"Yes. His hands are tied together with handcuffs, but he still hold the gun. He has blood on his nose, but he smile, because he know he is … en control de la situación."

Next to him, Olivia takes in a sharp breath, but says nothing. Elliot glances over worriedly.

Nick grimaces. "Okay. What happened next?"

"He say he shoot my daughter if the woman don't return to the bedroom."

"What did she do?"

"She go back. He tell her to bring us too. She tell him no, she will come alone, but he start to, how you say? I hear a click on the gun. So she say, okay, okay, we all go to the bedroom. He tell her to remove the handcuffs and she do it."

"He still had the gun trained on your daughter?"

"Yes. The woman, she have gun too, but she know she cannot try to shoot him first."

"Right. So now, he's completely free, and all four of you are in the bedroom?"

"Yes. He take her gun away from her. So now he hold two guns. He point one at her, one at Luisa. Then he tell the woman to get on the bed and he put the handcuffs on her hands. But there is one bar missing from the bed so he stretch her to reach the higher bar and he attach her hands behind her head."

"Okay," Nick says. "So now Olivia – the woman – is handcuffed to the bed. And where are you and your daughter?"

"He force me to sit on a chair across the room, and he put tape on me and my daughter. He attach me to the chair, and he attach Luisa to el radiator. He go back to the woman. She tell him to let us go. He hit her very hard, and he say to her, you don't tell me what to do."

Viva tucks her head.

Nick tries to catch her eye, but she trains her gaze on the table. "Viva? What happened next?"

"He tell her she have to make a choice."

"What kind of choice?"

She hesitates. "He say, she choose … eh, I don't know word in English. He either have sex with her, or Luisa."

"Rape," Nick supplies, looking green. "He made her choose whether to rape her, or your daughter?"

Elliot glances to his right. Olivia is frozen.

"Sí. She tell him to rape her." Viva shakes her head in wonder. "Ella no mostró ninguna vacilación."

"She didn't hesitate," Nick translates.

Viva nods. "I feel guilty she do this. But also sentirse agradecida."

"You felt grateful."

"Sí, yes. But he tell us we must watch."

Nick's face falls. "You had to watch her get raped?"

"Yes. She try to escape again, but he hit her again and he put the gun against her forehead."

Elliot chews on his tongue, wishing he could have a do-over, convince Olivia not to watch this.

But Olivia stays utterly still, determined to remain stoic. Elliot wonders if she still believes she got out of this, if she thinks she somehow overpowered Lewis a second time and prevented what Viva is surely about to say happened.

Cragen turns to Olivia. "You don't have to listen to this."

"Yes, I do." But her voice shakes.

Nick glances nervously at the two-way window, clearly sensing where this is going. "Okay, and then what?"

Viva hesitates. "He show her a machine. Eh … a tool … like dragon? It breathes fire."

"A blowtorch? Soplete?" Amaro's face is ashen.

"Sí. My daughter start to cry when she see it. She make pee-pee on the floor."

"You both must have been very frightened," Nick says sympathetically.

"Yes, estábamos aterrorizados." She nods. "Now he tell the woman to choose if he burn her clothes off, or cut them off."

Nick is rendered mute for a second. Elliot thinks he's looking for a way to stop this, call a time out, do something to make this story stop. He looks on with dread. "What did she say?"

"She say, cut." She pauses. "But …"

"But?"

"But … the man, he pretend he don't hear."

"What do you mean?"

"He say to her, What? What? I don't hear you? You say burn? And he turn on the soplete again and he bring it close to her. She is very, very scared so she say more loud, Cut! Cut! Cut my clothes! And then he say, okay, I cut. And he put down the soplete."

Elliot exhales forcefully.

"So he didn't use it on her?" Nick confirms.

"No." Viva shakes her head. "He pick up un abrelatas."

"A can opener."

"Sí. He use it to cut all of her clothes off. But I see she already have many burns on her body."

Viva grows silent now, looks down at the floor.

Elliot bites his lip, every muscle in his body primed to react to what she's about to say.

Next to him, Olivia's chest starts to heave, her breaths coming in more heavily.

Cragen turns to Olivia. "Do you remember any of this?"

"No." There's panic in the word, and tears have flooded her eyes, but still, she looks straight ahead and doesn't move a muscle.

"Do you need a moment? Can I get you a glass of water?" Nick asks Viva.

"No, no, gracias."

"Okay. So what happened next?"

Viva squirms, not looking Nick in the eye. "He touch her everywhere on her body. He touch places with burn marks on purpose. She try very, very hard to not show reaction. I think, ella es muy valiente."

"That she was very brave," Nick translates. He looks like he's going to be sick.

"Sí."

Hands gripping the wall rail beneath the window, Olivia lets out an audible exhale.

"You okay?" Elliot says, his voice just above a whisper. "We can leave right now if you want." He's hoping she'll agree. He feels nauseous.

"No, I'm fine," she responds flatly. He knows that she's not, but also that the only way she won't force herself to listen to the bitter end is if Cragen puts an end to the interview.

Inside the room, Nick continues. "And then what happened?"

Viva looks him dead in the eye. "He unzip his pants and he start to rape her."

Elliot blinks. No gun?

Nick looks back at the two-way mirror, apparently just as surprised. "Where was the gun, while he was raping her?"

"Ah, sí. He put the gun into her mouth."

"Her mouth?"

"Sí. But she … no react."

"What do you mean?"

"She don't have no emotion. She lie completely still while he do … the rape. She look at the ceiling."

"Like she was maybe trying to … put her mind somewhere else?"

"Yes. But he no like this. He get angry."

"He wanted her to struggle."

Viva shrugs, nods. "I believe, yes."

"So what did he do?"

"He push the gun farther into her throat. He say something to her, but I no hear what."

Nick swallows. "And then?"

"He finish … ehh, to rape. But he keep the gun in her mouth and he say something, como, maybe I kill you now. But then he laugh and he remove the gun from her mouth. She start to cough very hard."

"And then?"

Viva pauses. "He ask her if she want water. She say, yes."

Nick looks surprised. "He got her water?"

"Sí. He go to the kitchen, he fill glass."

"Captain, she's making this up!" Olivia protests. "He would never give me water."

Cragen puts up a hand. "Let's … just see where this goes."

Viva continues. "So, he return with water. He show her the glass, but he no let her drink. He say, you ask."

"He told her to ask for the water?" Nick clarifies.

"Sí. So she say, 'Can I have the water.'"

"Did he give it to her?" There's a trace of hopefulness in the question.

"No. He say, you did not say 'please.' So he take the glass and throw the water in her face."

Olivia physically recoils, as if the water has just hit her. Elliot puts a hand on her back, starts to rub in small circles. This is unbearable, he thinks.

Nick waits a beat before continuing. He, too, needs a second. "Okay, and then what?"

Viva thinks for a second. "He take the glass, he go back to the kitchen, and he get more water."

"He refilled it."

"Sí. He return to the bedroom and now he go to Luisa."

Nick's eyes widen. "He went to your daughter?"

Viva nods. "He say to her en español, tienes sed?"

"He asked your daughter if she was thirsty."

Elliot holds his breath.

Viva continues. "I am so scared he will hurt her too. Luisa say yes. I tell her, di por favor! Di por favor!" Viva's head drops to her lap and she pushes out her breath. "But …."

Nick raises his eyebrows. Elliot sees how nervous he is to hear what comes next. He knows the feeling. Next to him, Olivia has covered her mouth with her palm.

"But my daughter is too scared to say por favor."

"What did he do, Viva?"

"He smile at her, and he say to me, está bien, ella no sabe nada major."

"She doesn't know any better," Nick translates. He looks like he can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

"Sí. And then he let her drink the water."

Elliot exhales.

Olivia's hand drops back to her side. "Thank God," she murmurs.

"So he didn't hurt your daughter?" Nick confirms.

"No. He let her drink all that she want."

Nick now sighs, like he's halfway through a marathon, trying to pep himself mentally to complete the run. "Okay. Then what?"

"He return to Olivia with the glass. It still have some water remaining. He say to her, do you want a drink?"

Say no! Elliot thinks desperately. It's a trap, Olivia!

Viva's face betrays that she was thinking exactly the same thing. "I think to myself, it's a trick. But I see she is so thirsty she will say anything."

Nick looks at her curiously. "How did you know she was thirsty?"

Viva cocks her head, as if to say, give me some credit. "My husband die of thirst in the desert. I know what it look like."

Nick's shoulders slump. "I'm sorry." He pauses. "Okay. So, he offered Olivia the water again. What did she say?"

"She say 'please, yes.'"

Olivia whimpers, drops her head in shame.

Elliot snakes his hand higher up her back, tries to pull her a little closer. "It's okay," he whispers.

But ever-determined to remain stoic, she quickly straightens herself, recasts her eyes on the window. "I'm fine," she murmurs.

"What did he do?" Nick asks.

Viva shoots Nick a look, as if to say, what do you think he did? "He pour the water on her body. She scream. The kitchen water always very cold. He say, "Okay, you drink." And then he take bottle of vodka from side table, and he force her to drink the vodka. She start to kick and to struggle but he hold her down until she drink."

Elliot glances sideways at Olivia, wondering how in the world she is keeping herself standing. He himself is a wreck.

Nick hangs his head in renewed dismay. "Okay, and then …?"

"He take the other gun," Viva says.

"Wait," Nick says. "So he put one gun down, and picked up the other one?"

"Sí."

"Do you know why?"

"No se. But he show it to her, and he smile. He say something, como, he save this gun for the end? No entendí por qué."

"What did she do?"

"Nada. Ella tampoco sabía lo que él quería decir."

"She didn't understand either," Nick translates. "Okay, so now he's holding the second gun on her, and what happens?"

"I don't want to say." She looks down.

"Viva, está bien." Nick says, his eyes full of compassion. "She's okay now. She's alive. Ella sobrevivió, okay? We just want to help her and you. Please tell us so we can make sure he goes to prison for a long time."

"Sí, sí. Bueno." She pauses, gathering herself. "He push the gun … " Viva keeps her gaze focused on her lap. "… into her."

"Into her… ?" Nick blushes, trying to find a way to say it.

"Sí, dentro. Inside," Viva says. She points at her crotch, her eyes flooding with tears. "Now, Olivia start to scream very very loud. She beg him to stop. He laugh at her. He say something, como, ahora eso es más como eso." Viva wipes her eyes with her fingers.

Nick nods, his face stricken. "Now that's more like it," he translates, his voice dead.

Next to him, Olivia chokes back whatever she was trying to withhold. A sob? A shriek? Her shoulders tremble.

"Olivia, go have a seat," Cragen says, his voice gravelly.

"No. I have to hear this." She takes a small step backwards, away from the window, but otherwise remains resolute. But her eyes are now vacant.

Elliot wants to push his face into his hands.

"Okay," Nick starts again, gathering himself. "What happened next?"

Viva holds up her wrists. "Luisa, she show me – she is no attached to el radiator."

"Your daughter got loose?" Nick asks in surprise.

Elliot glances to his right. Olivia and Cragen both look equally surprised.

"Sí. I tell her, shush, no te muevas. Don't move. I am so scared he will come to us next. I tell Luisa, use the teeth. You get my tape off."

"I see," Nick says. "So your daughter was able to bite the tape off your hands, and free you?"

"Sí."

"Okay, so now you and your daughter are free. What did you do?"

"I am too scared to move for a minute. But the man, he no pay attention. He continue to rape Olivia with the gun."

"And then?"

Viva looks down. "And then … he stop."

"He pulled the gun out of her?"

Viva shakes her head.

"No?" Nicks prods.

"No. He keep the gun … inside of her. But he stop … pushing it." Viva starts to cry.

Nick hands her a tissue. "Está bien, está bien. Take your time, it's okay." He waits for her to calm.

"Lo siento," she says, sniffling. "It was horrible."

Elliot takes a microstep sideways, closer to Olivia, trying to anticipate what bombshell is about to explode. On Olivia's other side, he senses that Cragen, too, is bracing himself.

Nick nods, patiently. "What did he do next?"

"He say to her, 'I told you you weren't getting out of this alive.' And then … he move ... down … and he prepare to … to …. apretar el gatillo."

Nick's voice hitches, letting his full horror show. "He's going to pull the trigger while the gun's still inside her?"

Next to him, Olivia takes in a sharp breath, followed by another, her breathing coming in harder and faster. One knee suddenly buckles, nearly bringing her to the floor.

Elliot grabs her from the side, pulls her towards him. He leans in, his mouth at her temple, his voice low. "Tshh… shhh …. I've got you, you're okay, it's over, it's over … "

Above her head, Elliot makes eye contact with Cragen. Elliot knows that he regrets letting her watch this.

"Sí," Viva says from inside the room. "I know this time he is serious. I know he will kill her. I see the bar from the bed on the floor. I run and take it and I hit him on the head."

Nick's eyes widen in surprise. "You hit him?"

"Sí. He lose el conocimiento. I push him off Olivia and he fall to the floor."

It's like the whole room collectively exhales.

He feels Olivia's muscles slacken. Her breathing slows, and she recovers her footing. Elliot retracts his hands, hovering them around her in space. But she has managed to regain control, for now. "You okay?"

She nods, her eyes wide and unfocused. "I'm fine." She pretends to scratch below her eye, but she is wiping a tear.

Inside the room, Nick now wipes his brow. "Okay. So Lewis – the man – he's unconscious on the floor. What happened to the gun?"

Viva hesitates. "I pull it … out from her. But I don't feel right to hold it. So I take the second gun, I point at the man. I take the key, I remove the handcuff."

"You took Olivia's handcuffs off?" Nick clarifies.

"Sí. I put on his hands and attach to the front of the bed."

"Okay. So what's Olivia doing now?"

Viva shrugs. "Nada. She lie on the bed."

"Was she awake? Estaba consciente?"

Viva considers the question. "Sí. Poco. But she no say nothing. I tell Luisa, go to the closet, take the bedsheet. She bring me the sheet, I cover Olivia. Now Olivia say, she want to put on her clothes."

"What did you say?"

"I say, no, you stay, you rest. We call for la ambulancia."

At this, Olivia finally pushes back from the window, turns around and flees.

Elliot whips his head around, as she half-trots, half-hobbles her way across the room, making a beeline for the exit. He glances at Cragen.

"Go," Cragen says to Elliot. "Don't let her out of your sight."

Elliot doesn't need to be told twice. He rushes away, following her into the stairwell.