Growing up, she'd seen him only once before. He hadn't been in with the Founding Families, so her mother hadn't really cared for him and she could sense that even as a small child. She remembers Tyler talking about his cool uncle Mason all the time, however; and children are easily caught up on the stories of others, so she remembers wishing she'd gotten to meet him. And when she was eleven she got her wish.
He was handsome, that was what she noticed first when he appeared at the Lockwood's spring charity function. And later she found out he was charming; she remembers this because when Tyler introduced her, Mason had told her that her dress made her look beautiful. She was just old enough to have a fascination for the dark and mysterious so she liked him, despite all her mother's dirty looks that night.
More than six years later, he returned to Mystic Falls and Caroline's first thought upon hearing that was 'I wonder if he remembers me?' She didn't want to find out he didn't, though, so she tried to stay away. Things only got stranger when she found out he was a werewolf. She felt discord when she was near him, all set on edge and nervous and she didn't know if it was because he was a werewolf or because of some leftover feelings from when she was eleven and he smiled at her and said she was beautiful.
Then there was that time in the forest when she kicked his ass. She hated him then for threatening Elena and threatening to tell her mother about her and yet, a part of her still was held in fascination at that cocky attitude of his. After all was said and done, Caroline was proud of herself for kicking his ass. Partly because he deserved it and partly because she was sure she made him remember her after that.
He cornered her the next day at her house when she goes home the next morning. He wanted to know where her mother was, why she wasn't home. Yes, she could have taken him then too, but a part of her wanted to see what it was like to not be stronger. A part of her wanted to be pushed up against the wall and threatened, yelled at and questioned.
She didn't tell him anything, and she watched as he got more and more frustrated until that frustration manifested itself in a kiss.
It wasn't sweet and charming like she imagined it would have been when she was eleven. It was hard and punishing and dangerous and wrong, and she loved it. "I knew you were going to be gorgeous," he whispered hotly against her skin as he kissed down her neck. She moaned and pushed herself against him, unable to stop herself from wanting this to continue.
But such a thing could not happen—he was trying to kill Elena, had tried to kill Stefan and Damon, and threatened to out her—this was not okay and she knew it. So she pushed against him, trying to make him move from her; and when human strength didn't deter him, she threw him across the room at vampire strength.
"Get out of my house, Mason," she hissed, breathing heavily and pulling her shirt back down.
He left angrily, slamming the front door, and Caroline hated herself for giving into her eleven-year-old crush, hated herself for what happened, hated what they both were because it made this reality the only reality. And she hated that most of all.