Valenvaef

Valenvaef is the het ship between Jill Valentine and Nicholai Ginovaef from the Resident Evil fandom.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
On the night of 28th September 1998, after the Arklay Incident, Jill finds herself in the midst of the chaos in Raccoon City. Reluctantly, she decides to lend her help to three members of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S): one of them was sgt. Nicholai Ginovaef. Although he and the other two members, Carlos Oliveira and Mikhail Viktor, were mercenaries associated with Umbrella, the organization that had caused her many problems in the past, Jill decided to collaborate with them to repair a tram they were hiding in. Nicholai, secretly aware of Nemesis’ mission, later decided to stage his own death to avoid being killed by the B.O.W.

After being unconscious for a few days because of the infection suffered by Nemesis and treated with the vaccine that Oliveira had managed to recover at the hospital in Raccoon City, Jill learned that sgt. Ginovaef was still alive. She later met him near Raccoon Park, where the latter revealed the true objective of his mission; however, he was unable to kill her, due to the sudden appearance of a Grave Digger.

Their last meeting takes place in the Incineration Disposal Plant P-12A: here Nicholai, after being able to take possession of a helicopter, once again tried to kill her and get the bonus but, aware of the imminent missile attack that would soon destroy Raccoon City, he left the woman to her fate and fled from the city.

Resident Evil 3 (2020)
In September of 1998, while in the infected Raccoon City, Jill hears a noise coming from the other side of the door. Jill finds a wounded man sitting against car, as she attempts to help the man, another man, Nicholai Ginovaef, comes up and shoots the other in the head. Jill jumps back and curses him out. Nicholai looks at Jill, telling her, “We don't need a bleeding heart like you getting in the way.” With that, Nicholai walks up a flight of stairs, leaving Jill alone.

Jill and Nicholai meet again briefly when Nicholai sees her upon returning back to the subway station. He questions Carlos why she’s there, deeming her to be “unreliable” and “can’t pull a trigger when it counts”. Carlos tells him to take it easy. As Nicholai walks way, Carlos apologizes to Jill on behalf of Nicholai, claiming “everyone is a little worked up”.

Jill and Nicholai meet again abroad the subway car, where Nicholai slow claps, telling Jill, ''“You see. You’re learning. The only life that matters is your own.”'' A short time later, Jill is again attacked by Nemesis, as Jill runs for the next train car to escape it. Nicholai taunts her by locking her out, saying that Nemesis isn’t after him.

Sometime later, Jill is again attacked by the Nemesis where their battle ends with Jill being stabbed through the arm with a dart-like spear. As Jill lay convulsing on the ground, Nicholai reveals himself from the other side of the gate, saying, ''“Interesting… You’ve done me a big favor, Miss. Valentine.”''

The following day, Jill is attacked by Nemesis again in NEST 2, causing her to dangle over a broken stairway. Nicholai shows up, standing over her and stepping on her fingers. He takes the vaccine Jill had made to help save the city and proclaims that he’s going to record Jill fight with Nemesis so he can sell the combat data. Should Jill put on a “good show,” then maybe he won’t need the vaccine.

Jill wins the fight with help from Carlos. Jill soon finds Nicholai, demanding the vaccine back. As the two engage in a standoff, Nemesis bursts out between them. It oozes out into a large area where Nicholai leaves Jill to fight it again. As Nicholai runs off, Carlos runs up. Jill yells for Carlos to go after Nicholai.

Having taken down Nemesis for good, Jill runs to stop Nicholai, commenting that she hopes Carlos had managed to stop him. On the roof, Jill finds Carlos, unmoving. Upon running up to him, she is kicked down by Nicholai. He tosses her the vaccine he stole, shooting as it hits the ground. Jill yells at him, only for Nicholai to claim that he “doesn’t care”. Nicholai has Jill at gunpoint when Carlos lunges at him, saving her from him. Carlos and Nicholai scuffle for a bit, ending with Carlos holding Nicholai. Carlos yells for Jill to shoot Nicholai. Jill shoots him, with both men falling to the ground. Helping Carlos back up, Jill watches Nicholai make a lame attempt at crawling away, asking him why he did what he did. Nicholai claims there’s “a price tag for everything”. Jill asks who he’s working for, with Nicholai saying he’ll tell her, though only if she’ll get him out of there, gesturing to the helicopter starting up. Nicholai calls her a fool, saying that she’ll “never learn the truth”. In return, Jill claims that she “doesn’t mind a little detective work”. With that, she and Carlos leave him for dead, with the missile less than 10 minutes from hitting down on Raccoon City.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse
In the 2004 Hollywood live-action movie, which is based on the events narrated in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, there is a scene in which Nicholai saves Jill from a Cerberus, a zombie dog, although their communication is brief at best: Nicholai has been attacked and subsequently killed by another Cerberus mere moments later.

Quotes
"You can choose to accept death with dignity or die with regret. The decision is up to you!"

- Nicholai to Jill, shortly before fleeing Raccoon City aboard a helicopter, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

"We don't need a bleeding heart like you getting in the way."

- Nicholai to Jill, when he encounters her for the first time, Resident Evil 3.

"I must admit, I respect your tenacity. But I’m afraid our game ends here."

- Nicholai to Jill, Resident Evil 3.

"Sergeant Nicholai Ginovaef, at your service."

- Nicholai to Jill, after saving her from a Cerberus, a zombie dog, Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Fanon
Valenvaef is a rare pair within the fandom, as Jill is more commonly shipped with other more prominent characters of the series, given how Nicholai does not appear much beyond Resident Evil 3. They are a hero/villain pairing, and while one of the fandom’s most popular ships is also a hero/villain pair, Valenvaef is not generally seen in the same way. However, Valenvaef does have a dedicated fan base by those who do ship it.

On AO3, Valenvaef has 38 works in its tag.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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