This is just a little one shot that I was inspired to write after the rather disappointing version of Valentine's Day on the show...while it was cute, I felt like it was just not enough of our favorite couple (as always lately). So this is just my version, incorporating some of the events and phrases, but a little differently. It's just sweet, nothing overly mature, so I hope you enjoy it...

Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or the characters, they belong to Shonda.

Because You Loved Me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach

You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me

Meredith swatted blindly at the alarm clock, mumbling in her sleep, but then sat up quickly when she realized it wasn't an electronic wail in her ear, it was Zola. Yawning widely, she pushed the covers aside, and made her way over to the crib where the baby was wide awake, demanding immediate attention. Derek hadn't moved a muscle, still buried in the pillows, only his sleep tousled hair visible. For the moment, she didn't wake him...he'd been at the hospital till late with a complicated surgery. They were doing their best to juggle work schedules and baby schedules, not always with the best results, but it was a learning process.

"Well, good morning to you too, sweetheart..." she whispered, picking up the little warm body in her Hello Kitty sleeper. Zola settled in against her, the cries fading into contented murmurs. "That's your 'feed me now' cry..." She paused to sniff, then added, "Mixed with the 'I need to be changed' cry..."

Still talking softly to the baby, Meredith made her way to the change table, and changed the diaper efficiently. "There we go...so much better, isn't it?"

Zola gave her a sunny smile and Meredith tickled her until she giggled uncontrollably. "All right! Let's go have breakfast, and let Daddy sleep..." They made their way to the kitchen, and while the bottle warmed, Meredith held Zola, and kissed the baby's head, inhaling the pure scent of baby and talcum powder, and thinking of how their lives had changed so drastically and so quickly.

No matter that they had wanted this, somehow the reality was just a wee bit more frantic than they imagined, she mused. They had been used to their own erratic schedule, and the ability to go out for dinner on a whim, or have sex on the living sofa if they felt like it. Especially since they had moved into their new house, being blissfully alone without Alex or Jackson or Lexie barging in at inopportune moments, they took advantage of being intimate whenever the mood struck...which was often. Or rather, had been often...that part was sadly lacking in the last while. Now it was waking up at odd hours, having to take her out in the car for a drive if Zola couldn't fall asleep, and taking showers with duckies and other baby paraphernalia lining the tub.

Still, she wouldn't trade any of this for the world. If it meant less sex for awhile, then so be it...they would survive. The microwave dinged, signaling the bottle was ready and she juggled Zola while she tested the milk's temperature. "Just right, sweetie..." she murmured, "here you go..."

Settling into the rocking chair they had pulled into the kitchen alcove, Meredith slowly rocked back and forth, enjoying the peaceful moment. Her eyes drifted around the kitchen, and she looked at the calendar hung on the fridge, marked with various appointments and reminders on the big block dates. "Oh, today is..." she started to comment, before she heard Derek's footsteps on the tile floors. She looked up as he appeared in the kitchen, tugging on his jacket and running a hand through his black curls in an attempt to subdue them. He was unshaven, and rumpled in dark jeans and a thick cable knit sweater, but he still managed to hella sexy for 5:30 a.m. somehow.

Hastily, he grabbed his cell phone and his keys from the kitchen counter, before leaning in to kiss her quickly on the cheek and gently ruffle Zola's hair. "Morning, Mer...sorry, just got a call from Owen...my patient woke up and isn't doing well...I need to head in."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"Me too, I was hoping we could drive in together for a change," he told her, but he was already halfway across the room. "Love you...see you later..." And he was gone into the mudroom attached to the garage, and out to his BMW before she could say another word.

"Love you too..." she smiled, without being able to mention what day it was. After all, it's not like they were into the whole romance thing, right? "Just you and me for now, pumpkin..."

Two hours later, Meredith dropped Zola at the Seattle Grace daycare, depositing diaper bag and toys with Marcy. It had been a juggling act, getting it all together and into the car before strapping Zola in, but she was getting better at it, Meredith smiled. The first few days she was sure she would leave the baby at home, while packing all the accessories or leave some vital item at home that Zola couldn't live without. Most days Derek was with her, and they had a routine of what needed to be done, but flying solo was still a challenge.

"All right, Dr. Grey, have a good day," Marcy said cheerfully, as Zola bounced happily in her arms. "Say bye to Mommy...!"

Zola waved happily, already looking around for the other babies that usually spent the day together. "Bye Zo...be a good girl, kay?" Meredith kissed her chubby cheek, and hurried out before she got too emotional. It was difficult to tear herself away sometimes, sure she was going to miss some important part of Zola's rapid learning curve.

Out in the corridor, she bumped into Derek, wearing his scrubs and lab coat, and his favorite ferry boat scrub cap still on his head. "Hey...I was just coming to see if you were here." He pulled her against him, giving her a quick kiss. "How's Zo?"

"Great, ready to have a full day of playing!" Meredith smiled. "How's the patient?"

"Good, we had to operate again, but he'll pull through." They turned to peek through the window of the daycare, watching their little girl playing with blocks and waving her fists at the little boy across from her. "Look, she's already flirting..."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Ready to throw it at him, more likely...boys will be boys..."

"Hey, nothing wrong with boys," he countered, as they turned and made their way towards the elevator. "As a matter of fact, this boy would have been happy to play blocks with you..."

"Oooh...you want to play around?" she teased, once they were alone in the elevator. She squeezed his butt, and he had her pinned against the wall before she could blink. His mouth descended on hers, hot and demanding, tongue searching and stroking, and she whimpered involuntarily at the sudden desire that made her knees weak. Barely able to breathe, as his hands roamed possessively along her body, his mouth at her throat, sucking and licking.

"Derek..." she managed to murmur, and he lifted his head and gave her that sensual smile that always made her turn into a puddle of goo.

"I've been thinking about that since I woke up this morning," he said quietly, his lips at her ear, breath fanning the lobe before he nibbled lightly.

"Oh god...now that's all I'm thinking about..." she sighed, as the heat in her core demanded some gratification. "Do we have time...?"

Before he could answer, his pager beeped and he muttered something distinctly dirty before the elevator slid to a stop. "Not anymore...later, honey..." he told her, giving her one last peck on the cheek before dashing out onto the surgical floor.

And so went the day with the usual assortment of patients – the driver of a floral delivery van crashing into the ER in his haste to make a delivery; a ten-year old girl that Alex treated, who had a cute little boyfriend, despite their feuding mothers; a tragic case of a man hit by a car while being chased by his girlfriend who was expecting an engagement ring; and the case of a woman having mysterious seizures. That one had Meredith and Bailey tied up for most of the day, trying to figure out what was wrong.

Meredith saw Derek once or twice in passing, and they exchanged a furtive kiss in the locker room before Lexie interrupted them. "Whoops...didn't see anything..." she muttered, covering her eyes. "Jeez...can't you do that at home?" she griped, after Derek had sprinted off, his pager beeping once again. She flopped into the chair and helped herself to a chocolate from the open box on the table.

"No, as a matter of fact we can't..." Meredith laughed.

"I'd mock you right now if my mouth wasn't so full..."

Meredith snatched the box away from her and took one of the chocolates. "What about you? Hitting the town?"

"I'm not hitting much of anything right now...I have no plans..." Lexie sighed dramatically.

"You want to babysit your favorite niece?"

"You have plans?"

"I'm working on it," Meredith replied. "I'll call you!"

"Sure...I'll just be sitting around...all alone..." Lexie called out as Meredith disappeared.

"Meredith!"

Derek called her name, and she turned as he strode down the hallway to meet her halfway. It was getting late, and she hadn't made any progress with planning a romantic rendezvous. He was dressed in his jeans and sweater again, but he had showered and shaved. "Are you ready?" he asked, giving her a mischievous smile.

"Ready?"

"Dinner. You didn't think I forgot Valentine's Day, did you?"

"Oh but...it's late...who is going to keep a reservation at this hour? The operation took longer than we thought, but we got it Derek! The teratoma...we were right!" Her eyes shone with the happiness of saving the woman from more pain.

"You're so sexy when you're talking about a teratoma," he told her with a wink. He took her hand and led her towards the atrium where a table had been set up, complete with candles and roses. Soft music was playing in the background, and she looked up at him, standing behind her.

"You did all this?"

"I knew you would be running late, so I made sure to have dinner brought in. Lexie is going to babysit, so we have all night...alone..." he added, his voice dangerous and seductive. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. "I know we don't always do the romantic thing, or the big over the top gestures, Meredith...but you always have my heart in your talented hands. Even when I was struggling and ready to throw away the things I loved the most, you didn't give up on me. And after I was shot, and you suffered the miscarriage, we still had each other and that is all that counts."

Meredith turned in his arms, and met his eyes, both of them blinking away suspicious moisture. "We don't need just one day for this, Derek...I love you, and I love our life now with Zola, no matter how crazy it gets..."

"...even if we can't make love in front of the duckys..." he added with a chuckle.

"...especially not in front of the duckys..."

"I love you, Meredith...Happy Valentine's Day..."

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

*Song lyrics from "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion!