When Caroline had been with Damon, she'd been too innocent in the way of the supernatural to have a clue how to handle him so she'd done the human thing and pretended and hid from the truth. She couldn't face losing him because she couldn't handle losing, but she couldn't handle being with him because he was anything but nice to her. So, when she was given the chance, she ran—right into the arms of Matt.
And when Caroline had been with Matt, it had been sweet and loving and everything she thought she wanted, but something was not right. There was some element of the relationship that was inherently wrong, and when she was turned, she figured it out. She was stronger than him—now physically, but even before then, she had been through things that even she didn't understand and she was stronger for it. She couldn't hide behind a shining white knight that didn't even know what he was up against.
Then there was Tyler. He tried to be her white knight too—and what a valiant effort he made, and she loved him for it. But he had a tendency to treat her like porcelain, even when he knew very well that she could beat him in a fight blindfolded. And she couldn't take being treated like a doll to be kept on a shelf, forever adored but never played with.
Somehow, her road to the perfect man to complement her led her straight to Elijah, and despite warnings from both Damon and Tyler, she gave the Original a sultry smile and walked over to him when he motioned her over.
It didn't take her long to figure out why she was drawn to him. He was powerful, she knew that—more powerful than she could ever hope to become—but he never used that against her. Instead, he showed her how to use the powers she possessed, showed her how to become powerful in her own right.
He let her be a leader—a player in the game instead of a pawn—and she enjoyed that more than anything.
He was both rough and gentle and everything in between, but he never made her feel weak, and she loved him for that.