As Valentine’s Day comes and goes, I thought it would be fun to share 20 of my favorite fictional couples with y’all. Rather than stick to only novels, I added some from television and movies, as well. Do you love any on this list as much as I do? Let’s find out!

Disclaimer: I own no copyright to any of the following images or videos. I’m simply sharing them for the love of the characters. If you or someone you know owns them as wishes to be credited or have them removed, kindly email me, and I’ll be happy to do so.

Note: These are in no particular order … because picking an all-time favorite couple is too difficult to do! … sigh …

1. Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

This remains one of my all-time favorite confessions of love.

2. Jack Thornton and Elizabeth Thatcher from When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke

3. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

P.S. This is still my favorite Anne. Although, I do appreciate Anne with an E.

4. Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

My favorite thing about this couple is how Noah reads Allie their story over and over again so she can remember while she’s battling alzheimer’s.

5. Jack and Rebecca Pearson from This Is Us

6. Frank and Marie Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond

As much as their relationship is toxic, there has to be an underlying unconditional love to make a marriage last as long as theirs. You don’t make it 40+ years together without choosing to lvoe one another day in and day out. I couldn’t find my favorite scene between these two – a tender moment where their love is truly expressed – in a clip short enough to share. So please pass the salt.

7. Anna Brady and Declan from Leap Year

This rom-com is one of my all-time favorite go-tos when I want a good laugh and to cheer on a couple. The personalities clash. The cultures clash. And they make a tasty recipe for love.

8. Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette Rostenkowski from The Big Bang Theory

9. Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert from The Office

10. Rick Castle and Kate Beckett from Castle

Another couple fans waited seasons for their romantic relationship to happen. Oh, the tension! LOL. Caskett.

11. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David from NCIS

If you know what “Tiva” stands for, you know why I love these two so much. And why I’m so excited to get to watch them in action again when NCIS: Tony and Ziva releases!

12. Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth from Bones

How many seasons did we have to wait for them to finally get together? This seems to be a common theme in the crime shows I love so much.

13. Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride by William Goldman

If you can quote this movie’s fabulous one liners and quips, you’re my kind of person. As … you … wish!

14. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Of all the love triangles in YA fiction, I wanted Katniss and Peeta to end up together in the end. Gale’s a nice guy and all, but Peeta needed Katniss. And I think she found she needed him just as much as he needed her. Gale would never understand what she went through in the Games; Peeta did. Their survival depended on their love for each other.

15. Aragorn and Arwen from The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien

I love both of these characters individually, as well as together. One of my favorite things about them is how she gives up immortality for love and how he steps up to be king for the benefit of the world, despite his preference to remain in the shadows. The fact that they both speak Tolkien’s beautifully created Elvish language is a mere bonus!

16. Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Of all the couples in this series, these two are my favorite. I love how Alice “found him” and how he trusts her to help him adjust to this new life he’s living. And how gentle she is, but at the same time she’s commanding and spunky. My other favorite Twilight couples? Dr. Cullen & Esme and Edward & Bella.

17. Tony Sparks and Pepper Potts from Marvel’s Ironman

18. The Tenth Doctor and Rose from Dr. Who

19. Jake Sully and Neytiri from Avatar

20. Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey

One more step back in time. I saved this one for last because apparently you can only watch it on YouTube, and I didn’t want to send you away from the post until the end. 😉 I loved watching Matthew win Mary’s heart after facing all her resistance. It devastated me when … well, I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t seen the show. You’ll have to watch and see for yourself.

Before I go, I wanted to include a couple of favorite fictional couples I was rooting for all along but didn’t quite end up together in the end. But, their friendships ran deep, and that’s always a win in my book.

Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds

Duckie Dale and Andie Walsh from Pretty In Pink

Do you share my love for any of these favorite fictional couples? Who would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments!