Author's Note: Our Love Never Left, is a collection of unrelated 500-word or less drabbles inspired by Bones Bird's Facebook Fanfiction Drabble Challenge. Thank you for reading.

July 10, 2012 Lyrics

I don't want just anyone to hold

I don't want my love to go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

- Beautiful Soul, Jesse McCartney

After nine excruciating years, Derek Morgan had declared his love for his best friend, the beautifully bright and bubbly, Penelope Garcia. Her reaction was not something that he had predicted and more aptly was not the one that he had ever wanted. The only worse reaction that she could give him was that she did not feel the same.

"Why me? You could have, love anyone." She had whispered, daring not to look at him, because she would surely cry, if she did. She yearned for his declaration to be true, because she loved him more than she had anyone. She did not doubt him or his feelings, but she did question the why, why her?

His heart broke more than it would have if she had told him that she did not feel the same. His baby girl doubted her self-worth. He felt like a horrible best friend not to realize that she had a low self-esteem. Sure, she knew she had deep hidden body image issues, but didn't all women? His baby girl was the most beautiful woman, including his Mama, that he had ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. He would tell her, assure that there was no doubt about her beauty.

"Baby Girl," He whispered as he took a step toward her. He frowned, when she took a step back. He paused, unsure of how to proceed, though he would. Regardless of how she truly felt about him, he could not allow her misconception of herself to continue. His brow furrowed and with his right hand gently grabbed ahold of her chin. Dear lord, she blinked back tears, and continued to refuse to look at him. His heart was breaking. "Penelope, look at me."

Reluctantly, she did. Her breath was a shudder, a warning that she was about to lose control over the tears that threatened to flow.

"Penelope," He firmly stated, as he cradled her face between his strong hands. "I love you. You are beautiful inside and out, and that isn't some stupid line. I mean it. Your heart, kindness, and intelligence highlight everything about you, it's in everything that you do and say. Your beauty is classical, Michelangelo would have painted your beauty had you, and he lived in the same time. You are the most beautiful woman in the world and it would be an honor to have you by my side, sharing our lives together."

"People will stare at us," She whispered, her heart melting over his words, but breaking over the doubt she still held. "They'll wonder why such a handsome wonderful man chose me, a frumpy mess."

"You aren't a frumpy mess," He denied and tapped her nose playfully. "A sexy mess, maybe, but I don't care what other people think about us, we are the real deal, baby girl. I love you, Penelope, no other."

"I love you, too, Derek." She declared, tears finally escaping, instead of the anguished ones that had threatened, happy ones flowed.