A/N: This fic is inspired by the beautiful song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by the equally beautiful Carrie Underwood.
Eyes fixed wearily on the road, Collins took a momentary break to yawn, allowing his eyes to shut. Even when he blinked, the image of the road was engraved in his mind. He had been driving all day.
He knew he couldn't afford to divert his attention away from the road for more than a few seconds, though. A heavy snow storm had blown in and, even with the high beams on, Collins had to strain to see. He was relatively confident that he would be safe, however. Hardly anyone was driving…it was almost 1:30 in the morning, after all.
Collins sighed heavily. He missed New York and he couldn't wait to see his friends again. Just thinking about them and their antics made the corners of his mouth twitch in a small smirk.
Even so, they could not fill this void that he had been feeling. It had been a long, painful two years for him. Two years since Angel died.
Currently, it was December the 14th. A new year was coming up and Collins hoped that this would be the year he shed his depression and start really enjoying life again. It was an empty hope, though. Like this road, Collins' pain seemed endless. He was miserable and he knew that he was a shell of the man he once was.
Collins was torn from his thoughts as the front end of the car slipped to the right suddenly. He snapped to attention.
I must've ran over some black ice…
Collins panicked and over compensated, sharply turning the steering wheel to the left. The car careened sideways down the middle of the road before going into a death spiral. Still accelerating down the road, the car was spinning out of control.
He was facing backwards, then forwards, then backwards again. It was disorientating and nauseating. The scenery around him was a blur.
With a startled cry, Collins pumped the brake and tried to steer his way out of this mess.
It was no use. The car seemed to have a mind of its own. Collins knew that it didn't matter what he did…he had no control.
Slowly, he released the steering wheel and put his hands up. He sank down into his seat.
It's up to you, God…
His life flashed before his eyes. Childhood, adolescence, attending university…
Even though he only knew Angel for a short 10 months, she seemed to dominate his thinking. She really was the most important thing in his life.
Collins began to feel very calm. Half of him was scared to die…it was instinct. But a huge part of him still loved Angel. He still missed her terribly…he wanted to be with her.
By some miracle, the car swung into a semi straight path of travel down the middle of the road. He was facing the right direction again…
Collins was amazed at this, seeing as he hadn't even touched the wheel.
This is your chance…
Jaw clenched, Collins seized the wheel with shaking hands. Gripping it tightly, he carefully steered it over to the far right side of the road. He eased his foot down on the brake until the car crawled to a stop.
Collins sat there for a few seconds, numb and breathing hard. His heart was pounding. He was stunned.
I didn't die. It wasn't my time to go…
Collins didn't know whether to feel disappointed or happy because both of these feelings were at war inside of him. His mind was rapidly going back and forth between the two emotions…
Finally, Collins decided to do both. He burst into laughter, hot tears streaming down his cheeks. After a minute or two, the professor felt a warm, calming, and familiar presence in the car with him.
He was alone in the vehicle, no doubt about that. Yet this feeling washed over him, quieting his sobs.
Feeling a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over, Collins realized that this was the way he felt when Angel was still with him. He almost felt normal now…as if she never died. He almost felt whole and happy again.
Collins even thought that if he strained hard enough, he'd be able to hear her voice. He never wanted this feeling to go away.
Though not overly religious, Collins bent his head and silently prayed. He thanked God for saving his life…
Or was it his Angel who had spared him?
THE END