Jumping ahead a few years in the story's timeline, we reach the turn of the century, which Alain uses to ask a big question.

It was an awesome party - and you can't have a late 90s scene without Chumbawamba!

1999 is by Prince
Tubthumping is by Chumbawamba
Vive l'amour is traditional, I think
Auld Lang Syne is by Robert Burns


December 31, 1999

After the Nordiques left Quebec, the next four years flew by for Alain and Julie. The 1995-1996 season (and school year) was tumultuous for them and full of unusual predicaments and uneasy feelings. The former Nordiques, now christened the Colorado Avalanche were still an excellent team and Julie did not cease to root for them. In December of that year, Alain’s hero and Montreal’s best player Patrick Roy spazzed out after finally being pulled (after allowing nine goals) in a home game against Detroit. He demanded a trade and received it – he was sent to the Canadiens’ former rivals, the Avalanche! Such an ironic turn of events they had never seen and both Alain and Julie laughed and cried their way through those playoffs as the Avalanche, backstopped by Roy, won the 1996 Stanley Cup in their first year in Denver. It was bittersweet for Julie, to say the least, but she enjoyed it for what it was worth. Alain got a jolt in his academic life in that second year as well. He was almost failing halfway through won of his organic chemistry courses in the winter semester, but he pulled himself together and got a respectable B out of it. From that time on he redoubled his studying and vowed never to be complacent again.

Through everything, Alain and Julie had each other. They experienced the ups and downs of any young couple, but with each passing season their love grew. They both ended up finishing their programs at the same time, late in 1999 and the Christmas holidays doubled as a graduation celebration. With members of Julie’s family visiting Montreal for the occasion, they were invited to a New Year’s party at the Hyatt Regency downtown.

With the new millennium just hours away, the hotel lobby and bar were alive with joyous revelers. The dance floor was gleeful, and lit with strobe lights flashing red and green and a beautiful Christmas tree was standing dutifully in the corner. In the midst of many others, Alain and Julie danced to an old favourite:

I was dreamin' when I wrote this, so sue me if I go too fast
But life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last
War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight
So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen to my body tonight
Yeah hey, they say two thousand zero zero party over, oops, out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine

The words were depressing, but few noticed through the upbeat music. Alain knew what it was about, but didn’t let that bother him; he was enjoying Julie’s company too much. The she-wolf was wearing a dark blue strapless dress with faux-sapphire sequins. She was normally rather tomboyish and didn’t often wear dresses, but tonight she wanted to look pretty for her husky. Alain wore a simple shirt and tie with black pants such that his clothing was not very different in colour from the fur underneath.

When the song ended, Julie laughed and hugged her boyfriend and they crept back to the bar. “What a beautiful night!” said Julie. They had spent the early part of the day watching the CBC’s coverage of the coming of the new millennium in many other time zones and it had really brought home the specialness of the day, as arbitrary as the anniversary it celebrated was. Also, there had been no reports of disastrous Y2K related mishaps yet, thus alleviating their concerns about that somewhat. Julie went on, “I’m reminded of what it must have been like a hundred years ago for our fellows in France – a new century coming in at the height La Belle Époque. They must have danced at the Moulin Rouge just as we have here!” Her eyes were bright with feeling as she sipped champagne. It was typical of the artsy she-wolf to romanticize the situation so, and Alain loved her dearly for it. He didn’t undercut the notion, by reminding her of what had happened to France soon thereafter.
For his own part, Alain was nervous; not for Y2K or anything related to the passage of time, but for the question he now had to ask. He had debated vigorously to himself about what the appropriate time would be on a night full of momentous happenings, ultimately deciding that it were best to do it quickly, so they could then enjoy the rest of the night (and before they had drank so much as to have their memories dulled).
“Julie,” he began, rubbing a paw across her knee, “I’m not one for making speeches off the cuff. You’re the one who’s good at that. All I want to say is… I love you so, so much.”
“Awwww,” said Julie, her face lighting up.
“And,” said Alain, getting down on his knees and pulling out a small box he had had concealed in his back pocket. “Will you be my Mate?” The word was ‘Mate’ with a capital M, what some cultures refer to as a wife or spouse.
“Oh Alain!” she said, tears coming to her blue eyes, “Oui!” And she kissed him and took the present out of its box. It was a collar, light grey with a tiny heart studded with diamonds. When she had placed it around her neck Alain thought that she had never looked more beautiful.

The music started up with the guilty pleasure song of their time and Julie grabbed Alain and they returned to the dance floor and cavorted merrily:

(We'll be singing, when we're winning, we'll be singing)
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down

“Let’s get a whiskey drink!” said Julie.
“And then a lager drink!” Alain laughed.
“Wait, there’s my sister, look!” said Julie. “With Baby New Year!”
Sure enough, it was Julie’s older sister Sylvie just entering the party. She wore at tight black dress and in her arms carried her little girl Yvette. Mother and cub both had fur that was a lighter shade of grey than Julie’s; almost brown. Alain and Julie had last seen them last summer soon after the child had been born and she appeared to have grown quite a bit since then.

They scrambled over to meet the newcomers and Julie hugged her sister and they exchanged some excited chatter. Then Julie took her little niece in her arms and cradled her lovingly. The wolf cub was wearing only a diaper and a sash draped across her chest that read “Bonne Année 2000.” Yvette’s eyes were very bright and she seemed to realize that there was a big to do going on around her and was enjoying it. “She’s gotten so big!” Julie said to her sister. “Who’s a good little girl?” She kissed Yvette on the forehead. “Who’s a good little baby?” The cub giggled.

Alain noted that Julie looked immensely happy with the cub in her arms; just as happy as when he had proposed to her, though in a different way. This was her family, her pack, and he knew that he must still find his place within it. Julie brought the little wolf over to show him. “Isn’t she adorable Alain?” she asked. “Here you can hold her.”

He had not asked for such a thing, nor would he ever have, but out of politeness he forced a smile and awkwardly took the cub and held her securely against his chest. “Hi there,” he said and she looked up at him and pawed at his nose. She definitely had the striking blue eyes that Julie and her sister shared; it was really quite uncanny.

“Hey girls, don’t freak out poor Alain.” It was Sylvie’s Mate who had just come in, a big black wolf whose name Alain couldn’t quite remember. Jean maybe… or Jacques. Alain handed the girl back to her father. “He’ll have his own to look after soon enough.” Alain blushed beneath his fur and laughed uneasily at the suggestion.
“Yeah Alain when are you going to ask the Question?” asked Sylvie.
“It looks like he already has,” her mate answered. “If I know anything about dogs; that’s an engagement collar Julie’s wearing.”

This caused Sylvie to let out a series of high-pitched, excited squeals, which were answered in kind by Julie and then they hugged and went on and on and about ceremony plans and whom they would invite and whatnot.

Alain must have been looking a bit overwhelmed by all the attention and expectations, for Sylvie’s Mate soon gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder and said, “Don’t mind what I said just then, dog. You’re still young and you’ve got lots of time yet for all that stuff. What are you doing with yourself these days?”
So they had a bit of a chat about Alain’s new job with a chemical company and how he was going to work on his Master’s intermittently while he was working at that. Julie didn’t have a specific job lined up (her degree was not one that offered many), but that was fine with Alain. Not everyone was meant to do the boring jobs; Julie would get to work on her painting and other art projects while he paid the bills. They planned to live in Montreal, if for no other reason, because it was the city that still had a hockey team.
Midnight was drawing near and the big wolf proclaimed, “let’s sing the songs that remind us of the best times!” And he led them in singing and very quickly everyone within earshot was joining in:

Let every good fellow now offer a toast, (Vive la compagnie!)
And drink to the health of his kind, worthy host, (Vive la compagnie!)

(Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour!
Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour!
Vive l'amour, vive l'amour,
Vive la compagnie!)

Let every married man drink to his wife, (Vive la compagnie!)
The joy of his bosom and plague of his life! (Vive la compagnie!)

(Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour!
Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour!
Vive l'amour, vive l'amour,
Vive la compagnie!)

Alain was so happy that he joined in on the chorus as boisterously as anyone, though he was not usually one for singing. The song didn’t just remind him of the best times; these were the best times and he would never forget this night. Soon they began filing out of the hotel to the plaza outside; the concrete was dotted with many lovely fountains, which were running on this night even though it was winter and snowing lightly. Alain caught up with Julie and her family (her parents had joined them as well).

They embraced as the countdown started.
“Here’s to another thousand years,” said Alain.
“I only wish I had a thousand years to spend with you, cheri,” said Julie.

And as that new millennium dawned and Auld Lang Syne played, they kissed and held each other close in the winter night. As fireworks exploded overhead, their colours reflected in the rushing water of the fountains, the couple’s love for each other was no less fiery and bright.